Washington State Rep. Travis Couture is raising alarms over revelations that a convicted child rapist has been hired by multiple Democratic campaigns in Thurston County, including those connected to local school board and city council races.
Speaking on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Couture blasted what he described as a “complete lack of judgment” among local Democrats for employing Joshua Headley, a convicted child rapist, in campaign media and photography work.
Rep. Travis Couture Slams Democrats for Hiring Convicted Child Rapist for Campaign Work
“They wanted to cover it up because the elections are coming up soon. Voters deserve to know before they cast their ballots.” pic.twitter.com/NT2VrK26f1
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) October 30, 2025
“I can’t think of any better example of a complete lack of judgment than to hire a convicted child rapist to help you on a campaign that serves children in our schools,” Couture said.
The Conviction: Grooming, Assault, and a Pattern of Deception
According to the probable cause statement filed by prosecutors obtained by KIRO, Joshua Headley, then a 27-year-old pastor at Auburn’s Northwest Family Church, groomed and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl he was mentoring. Shortly after the crime, Headley left Northwest Family Church.
The rape was reported to the Auburn Police Department in 2018. But rather than lying low, Headley’s audacity grew. While under active investigation, he applied to become a chaplain for the very same police department investigating him. In January 2020, he was formally charged with Rape of a Child in the Third Degree.
That same month, while awaiting trial, he filmed the Miss Auburn and Miss Auburn Teen pageants for the Auburn Examiner. Later that year, in November 2020, the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce named his organization, REVIVE Church, its “Nonprofit of the Year.”
Headley pled guilty and was sentenced to 13 months, ultimately serving only six. His return to public life was swift. Just two months after his May 2023 release, a new business, Seeley Media, was formed. His name appeared nowhere on the state business license; instead, he rebranded himself professionally as “J. Seeley.”
Under RCW 9A.44.130, registered sex offenders in Washington are legally required to report any aliases to law enforcement within three business days of use. Failure to do so constitutes a felony.
It appears that nearly two years passed before Headley’s new alias was added to the registry. According to an email from Brandyn Hull with the King County Sheriff’s Office, the “Seeley” and “J. Seeley” aliases were not added until March 17, 2025, following a tip.
“They were no longer going by their name that was on the registered sex offender registry,” observer Olson noted. “And so that part for me was just like, how does no one have a problem with this?”
Under his new identity, Headley monetized his old connections. Public Disclosure Commission filings confirm that Seeley Media received payments from more than a dozen political campaigns and committees.
His work brought him back into proximity with children. Seeley Media was hired to produce videos and manage social media for the “Yes 4 Yelm Schools” levy campaign, including filming videos featuring teenage students. In social media posts, he appeared on school grounds near school buses, despite restrictions in his sentence prohibiting unsupervised contact with minors.
By May 2024, Seeley Media had become a celebrated nominee and sponsor at the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spotlight Awards — even as Headley’s wife reportedly served on the Chamber’s board of directors. Within the past 45 days, Seeley Media’s online presence has been scrubbed from the internet, yet public records show that political campaigns are still paying him.
Alleged Cover-Up by Thurston County Democrats
Couture said the controversy came to light at a Thurston County Democratic Central Committee meeting on August 25, when Headley’s criminal past was exposed. Instead of addressing the issue, Couture alleged, local party officials “scrubbed their minutes” to erase mention of the discussion.
“They tried to cover it all up,” Couture said. “Not just school board races, city council candidates like Ryan Siu in Lacey and Robert Vanderpool, a Democratic Socialist in Olympia, were connected to this. It shows a deep lack of trust and accountability in the Democratic Party.”
Couture’s Warnings on X
Following the broadcast, Couture took to X to name several of the candidates and organizations he says have employed Headley.
In one post, Couture wrote: “Ryan Siu, Lacey City Council Candidate, has also hired a CONVICTED CHILD RAPIST for his campaign. And posts these very NSFW/lewd public photos. Who could be surprised?”
Can you believe this? Robert Vanderpool of the Olympia City Council — a so-called ‘Democratic Socialist’ who lives at his step-mom’s house, works part-time while lecturing everyone about ‘workers’ rights,’ and now pushing Prop 1 to DESTROY small business in Olympia — is actually…
— Travis Couture (@TravisSCouture) October 27, 2025
In another post, he warned: “An alarming number of Thurston County Democrats running for local school board positions have employed a convicted child rapist on their campaigns. Shockingly, Yelm Public Schools has also hired him for their campaign. It’s hard to imagine anything more disqualifying, reckless, or deranged than hiring a child rapist to work on campaigns for people who claim they want to serve children.”
An alarming number of Thurston County Democrats running for local school board positions have employed a convicted child rapist on their campaigns. Shockingly, Yelm Public Schools has also hired him for their campaign. It’s hard to imagine anything more disqualifying, reckless,… pic.twitter.com/duNjy9PoDC
— Travis Couture (@TravisSCouture) October 27, 2025
These statements, combined with the explosive allegations from the radio interview, have fueled outrage among parents and community members across Thurston and King Counties.
“Sex Offenders Have More Rights Than the Rest of Us”
Couture, who represents the 35th Legislative District, said the controversy underscores growing public frustration over how Washington handles sex offenders, particularly after several high-profile attempts to place sexually violent predators near schools in his district.
“It just goes to show that in some parts of Washington, the child rapists have more rights than the rest of us,” Couture said. “They wanted to cover it up because the elections are coming up soon. Voters deserve to know before they cast their ballots.”
Questions of Accountability
Couture acknowledged that some Democrats may not have initially known about Headley’s criminal record when hiring him, but said the concealment and continued employment after discovery make them “culpable.”
“If he changed his alias and you didn’t know, that’s one thing,” Couture said. “But once they knew and tried to hide it, that’s when they became culpable.”
He added that hiring a convicted child rapist for campaign work, particularly in races related to public education, represents “a tremendous lack of character.”
