The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Robert Bridwell, 64, of Dayton, was charged last week with 35 felony counts relating to nude photos of underage girls he took with his cell phone.

Bridwell, who was arrested September 16 after a long investigation by the Colum- bia County Sheriff's Office, was arraigned on September 19. He was charged with seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, fourteen counts of dealing in depic- tions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and fourteen counts of possess- ing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. All of the charges are Class B or C felonies.

Bridwell is being held in the Columbia County Jail on $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on October 3 for a preliminary hearing and to enter a plea.