Redmond Police: Online ‘sting’ thwarted attempt by 50-year-old Salem man to meet, have sex with ‘teen’
He actually was talking to undercover police detective
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 50-year-old Salem man allegedly reached out online to a “15-year-old girl” – who actually was an undercover Redmond police detective in a “sting” operation – and was arrested Tuesday morning in southwest Redmond after traveling to meet the teen and engage in sex, officers said.
During their online conversation, the man acknowledged the “girl” was 15 years old and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with her, Redmond PD Captain Aaron Wells said.
On Tuesday, the man contacted the teen online, saying he was in the area of SW 31st Street and Highland Avenue, Wells said.
He was “intercepted” by Redmond police and members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team and arrested on charges of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child and luring a minor. He was booked into the Deschutes County Jail and held on $25,000 on those charges.
Jail entries show he was held without bail on a Yamhill County warrant that was issued in 2020 when he failed to appear for arraignment on a probation violation charge. He had pleaded guilty in 2017 to a fourth-degree assault charge related to domestic violence, and a harassment charge was dismissed. He was sentenced at the time to 20 days in jail and two years probation.
"According to Oregon Law ORS 167.057, it is illegal for a person to use visual representation or explicit verbal description or narrative account of sexual conduct for the purpose of inducing a minor, if the difference in age is greater than three years, to engage in sexual conduct," Wells said in a news release.
"According to Oregon Law ORS 163.432 it is also illegal for a person 18 years of age or older to use online communication to solicit a child to engage in sexual contact for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of the person or another person and to offer or agree to physically meet with the child," he added."
"RPD would like to extend its appreciation to RPD detectives for their work posing as a minor to catch this child predator, as well as the CERT Team for their assistance in arresting" the suspect, Wells said.
"RPD is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of children in our community. We are here to protect and prevent all forms of child abuse and hold those accountable who try to hurt our children.
"If you suspect a child of being a victim of abuse, you can make a report to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233); 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may also report child abuse or neglect to your local police department by calling dispatch at 541-693-6911 for non-emergency situations and 911 if it is an emergency.
"If you would like to learn more about child abuse prevention, please look at the KIDS Center, a child abuse intervention center, webpage, https://kidscenter.org/child-abuse-prevention/, for more information," he concluded
