Ex-S. County couple gets 40-plus years for ‘horrific’ abuse

A former south Deschutes County couple has pleaded guilty and were sentenced to more than 40 years in prison, with no early release, for “the horrific and brutal sexual abuse” of two children in two counties, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Wednesday.

Gregory Cater was sentenced Tuesday to more than 46 years and Doreen to more than 42 years for the abuse of the two children between 2011 and 2014 that began when the children were 9 and 12 years old.

“The Caters abused the children multiple times a week for four years and often video recorded the incidents,” a news release from Hummel’s office said.

Doreen Cater also entered guilty pleas and was sentenced for the sexual abuse of an additional 14-year-old child.

Hummel said the abuse was uncovered “due to the excellent police work of Detective Brandon Ott of the Florence Police Department and Detectives Ron Brown and Tom Nelson of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.”

After the Caters moved to Lane County, Ott uncovered abuse that was happening in that community, the DA said. Ott then worked with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office to uncover the abuse that had occurred in Deschutes County.

The Deschutes and Lane county DAs “worked together to resolve this case and bring the Caters to justice while sparing the children the additional trauma of having to testify in court,” the announcement said.

“Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Matt Nelson was the lead local attorney on the case and his dogged determination to protect these children was inspiring,” Hummel’s news release said.

Gregory Cater was convicted on 77 counts of first- and second-degree rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor and related charges. Doreen Cater was convicted on 94 counts.

To ease the burden on the victims, the parties agreed to Lane County Circuit Court consolidating the cases for one sentencing proceeding.

Lane County Circuit Court Judge Rasmussen imposed a total sentence for the acts in Deschutes and Lane of 550 months in prison for Gregory Cater and 500 months in prison for Doreen Cater. Neither of them is eligible for early release.

“Gregory and Doreen Cater committed unimaginable acts against children and they did it again, and again, and again – never showing mercy, never showing remorse,” Hummel said. “I do not understand the mindset of people who do what they did, but I understand my thinking about what should be done to them and people like them: No mercy, no remorse.”