The trial of a Sequim man facing child exploitation charges has been postponed after his newly retained defense attorney asked the court to push back the trial date.
Carl King, 23, appeared July 2 for a pretrial hearing in Clallam County Superior Court, where Judge Brent Basden granted the continuance and struck the July 13 jury trial date.
King signed a waiver of his right to a speedy trial, which Basden also signed. Under the waiver, the new commencement date for calculating trial deadlines is September 21, 2026, and the new outside date for trial is December 20, 2026, according to court records.
The waiver resets to zero all time previously elapsed under the 60-day and 90-day speedy trial limits set by court rule.
Port Angeles attorney Karen L. Unger replaced attorney John Hayden as King's counsel of record, according to a notice of substitution dated June 15 and filed with the court June 17.
Court minutes from the July 2 hearing state that Unger told the court she had been recently retained and asked to continue the trial date, noting that she may need to hire an expert. The state did not object to the continuance.
The change in representation had been expected. At a June 5 status hearing, Hayden requested a brief delay to allow King time to formally retain private representation, and the court paused further substantive action until new counsel was on record.
King is charged with seven counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, each a class B felony, and one gross misdemeanor count of tampering with physical evidence.
Court records list alleged offense dates in November and December 2023 for the felony counts and December 2025 for the tampering count.
In a filing dated June 29, the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney's Office listed no prior criminal history for King.
The office calculated a standard sentencing range of 77 to 102 months on each felony count if King is convicted, along with 36 months of community custody.
The filing assigns King an offender score of 18 on each felony count, a figure that reflects how Washington's sentencing guidelines count a defendant's other current convictions when scoring sex offenses. The tampering count carries a range of zero to 364 days.
King, who was booked into jail following his April arrest, remains free on bail while awaiting trial.
The court scheduled the next hearing, at which a new trial date is expected to be set.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Roberson is handling the case for the state, and Judge Elizabeth Stanley remains the assigned judge for the case.
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