Tri-Cities broker jailed, must register as sex offender

Kennewick, WA

A Tri-Cities real estate broker apologized in court Thursday for her suggestive conversation with a young teen nearly three years ago.

“I want to offer my most sincere and heartfelt apologies,” Carolyn C. Celski, 39, told a judge during her hearing in Benton County Superior Court. “I cannot undo the actions and the heartache that was caused, but please know that I carry the weight of it every single day. A deep shame, regret and sorrow.”

Celski pleaded guilty Thursday to communication with a minor for immoral purposes, a gross misdemeanor. She admitted to sending inappropriate messages for a period of about a week in 2022.

She was taken into custody in front of the crowded courtroom to serve a 15-day sentence in the Benton County jail. When she finishes her sentence, she will need to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.

The boy’s mother explained that Celski’s actions turned her then 14-year-old son’s life upside down, including losing his spot playing the sport he loved.

“(He) endured some of the worst abuse of power retaliation and a serious breach of duty of care that is expected from a youth sports coach,” she said. “Unfortunately, (he) will live with this forever, and our family will live with this forever.”

However, the family signed off on the agreement because it will mean the teen won’t need to testify at a trial, said Deputy Prosecutor Taylor Anderson.

Celski was initially charged with a felony, which would have carried a maximum of three months in jail.

Spokane Superior Court Judge Annette Plese, who was brought in to handle the case, ordered her to serve 15 days with another 349 days suspended as long as she follows the law and the conditions of her release for two years. Any violation could land her behind bars.

Celski is a licensed real estate broker in Washington, and she and her husband were owners of Celski & Associates, a property management and real estate sales firm.

Her name is no longer listed as an owner on state’s registration documents, and in court she referred to the staff at the business as former employees.

The firm manages dozens of homes, apartments and commercial properties across the Tri-Cities, according to the company’s website.

She was first issued a broker license in 2013, and it’s due to expire in November.

Sex offender treatment

Defense attorney Deric Orr told the judge Thursday that after Celski was charged she was evaluated and completed sexual offender treatment. He read part of the report from psychotherapist Matt Cummings with Riverview Counseling Services.

He said Celski was polite and cooperative during the treatment program and completed the recommended reading and writing.

“She’s taken responsibility without minimization. She’s remorseful for having not displayed firmer boundaries and ignoring or expressing disapproval of what she thought was innocent flirtation from a minor,” Orr read.

The therapist noted that social gatherings that involved adults and teens after the sports games involved “excessive drinking, foul language and sexual innuendos,” with a “poor display of generational boundaries.”

He noted Celski didn’t blame anyone else for her behavior and received “excoriating” attention from the public.

On Thursday, Celski also told people in the courtroom that she would own her mistakes and was committed to lasting change.

“You deserved better, more care, more awareness, more respect, and I am so sorry,” she said.

She also apologized to her family and her former employees.

Social media messages

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office started looking into messages sent between Celski and the teen in December 2022 after Celski called Kennewick police Sgt. Ryan Kelly asking for “personal and professional” advice, according to court documents filed in 2024.

The officer coached a sports team with her son and the victim, according to court documents.

She told the sergeant that “she had been texting with one of the players on the team and her husband … found out about it and left her over it.”

Public records confirm the Celskis separated in late 2022 but then reconciled a few months later.

Court records in the criminal case claim Celski told Sgt. Kelly that “she had lost some weight recently and has enjoyed the attention.”

When he asked her about what was in the messages she sent to the teen, she said she didn’t send any photos or “done anything physically with the child,” said the documents.

“The defendant admitted to him that Victim A said something to the effect of asking where they could meet to hook up, and the defendant responded with ‘Car?’ and an emoji.”

Kelly then reported the conversations to sheriff’s deputies to investigate since he and Carolyn Celski live outside the city limits.

Court documents say she initially contacted the student through Instagram, but it’s not clear if the messages were phone texts or Instagram messages.

Sexual conversations

The teen’s parents told sheriff’s deputies they learned about the inappropriate messages on Dec. 9, 2022, when Celski called them and said she’d been messaging with their son and that the messages from him “were becoming inappropriate” and that “she let things go too far,” according to court documents.

The teen later told a child forensic interviewer as part of the criminal investigation that Celski sent him a message “out of the blue” on Instagram about a trip the team was taking out of town, court documents said.

He said her messages continued after he returned to town. She asked if he ever had sex, and he said that even though he was a virgin, he wanted to sound cool so he told her that he had, said the court documents.

“Victim A advised he responded to the defendant asking her if she wanted to do it, and she replied, ‘Sadly, yes,’” said the documents. In another conversation she said she “could teach him.”

“Victim A reported that he and the defendant were planning to have sex with each other, but didn’t have a specific plan,” according to court documents. “Victim A advised that the defendant offered to pick him up from school, but that it hadn’t happened.”

The messages reportedly ended when Celski texted him that she was “out of line” and that they couldn’t talk anymore. She also asked him to delete her messages, which he did, said the documents.

However, the teen’s parents were able to give investigators some screenshots of the messages between Celski and their son, according to court documents.

This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM.