Daniel Bubar, a 62-year-old Duvall resident, appeared in King County on March 7, where a court found probable cause for his arrest on investigation of rape of a child, communication with a minor for immoral purposes and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and set bail at $750,000.
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Bubar remains in the King County Jail following the March 7 hearing. Prosecutors said they had not yet received the felony case referral from sheriff’s investigators and anticipated receiving it by Wednesday, March 11, for a charging decision.
The probable cause statement says the investigation began after the mother of a 14-year-old student contacted the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on March 2. Court records list Bubar as employed by the Skykomish School District as a PE teacher and athletic director. According to the document, the mother reported that the student had been in a sexual relationship with him over the previous 18 to 24 months.
Court records say the student attended Skykomish K-12 School, with their last day there in February. Those same records say the relationship allegedly began when the student was in seventh grade and continued into eighth and ninth grades, with alleged conduct reported at the school and at least one incident at the Skykomish Community Center.
A later contact on February 20 outside a church was also described in the court records, with the mother saying it was captured on church security video. The probable cause statement says she removed the student from school in February and later turned over screenshots of school email exchanges and other electronic evidence to law enforcement.
In addition, court records say Bubar gave the student explicit gifts, drove by the student’s house during the summer and school breaks, hoping to see them, and had talked about taking them away for a few days. She said the two had also planned to meet at a nearby swing set if they could no longer talk.
The mother also reported that Bubar and the student communicated through school email using coded language and that the family submitted 28 items of evidence, including the church video and pictures of email conversations. The deputy narrative says the student was taken to Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center in Everett for medical testing and was scheduled to return for additional tests and a first therapy appointment.
Multiple staff members and students had expressed concerns about the relationship, according to court records, which also say the principal had told Bubar a couple of months earlier that he could not be alone with the student. The document further states that one teacher had told the family the student was doing well academically but tended to leave class and be gone for long periods.
On March 6, investigators obtained a search warrant for Bubar’s electronic devices, as well as a massage gun, pillows and blankets allegedly located in a closet, and photographs of the school. Law enforcement arrived at Skykomish K-12 School shortly after 11 a.m. that day and contacted Bubar while he was teaching in the gym.
During an interview described in the court records, Bubar confirmed he used the email account referenced in the investigation and admitted to emailing the student excessively, in the hundreds, over time periods he acknowledged were inappropriate. The document also says he admitted to outside contact, buying intimate gifts and using coded language in email exchanges.
Records also say Bubar admitted observing nude pictures and videos of the student that had been brought to school, photographing those images on his phone and then quickly deleting them. The document further states that he admitted buying alcohol for the student and providing it at school, including Fireball and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and repeatedly said he was guilty and that everything that happened was his fault.
Bubar asked officers to take him to jail and to tell his wife that he was guilty, and told investigators they did not need to look into the case any further. The records also state that he conducted a walkthrough of the school and identified locations where sexual acts had occurred.
During a child forensic interview, the student identified “my teacher” as Daniel, who called himself Dan, and said they had known him for three years and bonded over soccer. The student also told investigators the last time they spoke to Dan was Feb. 11 and that the two did not text or call each other. Records say the student repeatedly said they did not want to provide information that would get him arrested or in trouble, did not want him to go to jail or hate them, and wanted to speak to his wife directly because they felt she deserved to hear it from them.
Court records also state that the student and family believed the behavior had been noticed by staff and discussed with school personnel before the report to law enforcement. The first appearance document was made available after the court found probable cause for Bubar’s arrest.
Prosecutors said a first appearance hearing is not the same as the felony charging decision required by law, which carries a higher burden of proof. At the time of the hearing, they said they had not yet received the felony case referral from sheriff’s investigators. Bubar remains in the King County Jail.
