Former Prep Sports Umpire Tried to Lure Minor With Lewd Video, Say Police

A Bremerton man was charged this week by the King County Prosecutor's Office following a year-long investigation by the Renton Police Department, according to a news release.

Paul Hollingworth, 26, was arrested on Feb. 28 at his residence in Bremerton. The former referee with a sports umpire group serving the Olympic peninsula was formally charged this week by King County for Communicating With a Minor for Immoral Purposes.

An undercover officer using an internet profile of a 12 year old girl first attracted the attention of Hollingworth in September of 2011. Within fifteen minutes of contacting the 12 year old girl online, Hollingworth told her he was an umpire and sent her photos of his naked torso.

Over a period of months, Hollingworth continued to contact the young girl to "chat" about sexual topics, asked her to meet with him in person, and sent her a video of him masturbating. The girl repeatedly told him that she was 12 and then 13 years old, and attending 7th grade. Hollingworth is in custody at the King County Jail and being held in lieu of $35,000.00 bail for the crime of Communicating with a Minor for Immoral Purposes.

Because of his proximity to youth in his position as an umpire, police are concerned that there may be additional crimes that have not been reported. If you have information about incidents that occurred in Kitsap County, please contact Kitsap County Central Communications (9-1-1 dispatch) at 360-307-5911. If you have information about the Renton case regarding Hollingworth, please contact Sgt. Schuldt at 425-430-7500.

(Ed. Note: The information in the article above was provided in a news release from the Renton Police Department.)