WARDEN — A former Warden School District substitute teacher has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor, concluding a criminal case that began with a Warden Police Dept. investigation in 2023.

Andrea Lee Campos-Hernandez, 26, of Moses Lake, was sentenced Aug. 26 in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington.  

U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Campos-Hernandez to 180 months – 15 years – in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. The court also imposed a $10,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act and a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, according to federal prosecutors. 

Grant County prosecutors initially charged Campos-Hernandez in state court with second-degree rape of a child, and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct before the case was ultimately resolved alongside the federal prosecution. 

According to Grant County Superior Court documents and the U.S. Attorney's Office, Campos-Hernandez admitted to producing child pornography in connection with the sexual abuse of a boy who was 13 at the time between February 2021 and July 2022. Prosecutors said she photographed and recorded videos of the abuse and sent the victim images of herself partially nude and in her underwear. 

The investigation began Feb. 16, 2023, when Warden police received a report alleging Campos-Hernandez had sexually abused a 15-year-old Warden High School student, according to a March 12, 2023 news release distributed by the Grant County Sheriff's Office on behalf of the Warden PD. 

According to a probable cause statement filed in Grant County Superior Court, investigators examined the victim's cellphone and recovered messages, photographs and other digital evidence. The victim told a forensic interviewer Campos-Hernandez began abusing him when he was 13 years old. 

Court records show former Warden Police Chief Rick Martin played a leading role in the investigation alongside Officer Ricardo Gonzalez. 

A search warrant was served on Campos-Hernandez's cellphone in March 2023. Investigators reported finding sexually explicit photographs and other evidence documenting the abuse, according to court documents. 

Campos-Hernandez was arrested March 6, 2023, after leaving her job as a childcare provider at Big Bend Community College's Learning Center in Moses Lake, according to a 2023 GCSO news release. At the time, BBCC said Campos-Hernandez had passed required state background checks, and the college pledged to cooperate with investigators. 

Investigators also determined Campos-Hernandez worked in educational settings during a period covered by the investigation. According to Warden PD’s probable cause statement, she worked in the GEAR UP program at Warden High School during the 2021-22 school year and served as a substitute teacher in the Warden School District during March, April and June of 2022.  

The press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said Campos-Hernandez was a Warden School District teacher; however, the Warden PD probable cause statement, GCSO statement and previous reporting from the Columbia Basin Herald stated she was a substitute teacher.  

The probable cause statement said the victim told investigators no abuse occurred on school grounds. 

When contacted by the Columbia Basin Herald following Campos-Hernandez's sentencing, Warden School District Human Resources Director Michele Cram declined to comment on the case. Warden School District Superintendent Marc Brouillet also was contacted for comment but did not respond prior to press time.  

At sentencing, members of the victim's family described the lasting impact of the abuse. 

“Today I am speaking because you no longer get to control my voice,” the victim told Campos-Hernandez during the sentencing hearing. “You took away parts of my childhood that I will never get back.” 

The victim's sister asked the court for a sentence that “sends a clear message that every child deserves the same protection, compassion, and justice, regardless of the gender of the victim or offender.” 

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said the sentence reflected the seriousness of abusing a position of trust. 

“The sentence imposed in this case sends a clear message to anyone seeking to harm the children of our community,” Serrano said. “As a teacher, every family entrusted their children to Ms. Campos-Hernandez. Her violation of that sacred trust extended by each family and each student places her victimization on another level. Although not seen as often, female sexual offenders exist, and justice demands they be treated the same as their male counterparts.” 

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Warden PD. Federal prosecutors said the Grant County Prosecutor's Office participated in a global resolution of the state and federal cases. 

“As children return to school, we are especially reminded what a consequential role teachers play in the lives of students,” said W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office. “Andrea Lee Campos-Hernandez violated her responsibility to protect and enrich this young person by taking advantage of both her position of trust and a family friendship to inflict lasting harm on a child. I commend the courage of the victim who stepped forward to tell his story, as well as the investigators and prosecutors who hold child predators like Ms. Campos-Hernandez accountable.” 

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Dept. of Justice initiative launched in 2006 that coordinates federal, state and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child sexual exploitation and abuse cases. 

For those who have experienced sexual abuse, help is available. New Hope provides free and confidential services for victims in Grant and Adams counties. Call the 24-hour crisis hotline at 888-560-6027. Children who may be victims of abuse can also receive support through Kids Hope Children's Advocacy Center in Moses Lake.