La Pine man now faces nearly 60 rape, abuse charges

A 47-year-old La Pine man faces an expanded indictment on nearly 60 rape and sexual abuse charges dating back to 2003 after a fifth alleged victim, a 16-year-old girl, came forward, Bend police said Friday.

The Deschutes County teen alleged Rusty Allen Pugh had committed the crimes between 2009 and 2013, Lt. Juli McConkey said.

Bend police first arrested Pugh on Aug. 23 on five counts of rape after a two-month investigation involving a now 23-year-old woman who said he raped her in the early 2000s. Pugh was released with a GPS tracking monitor after posting $25,000 bail, McConkey said.

But a week later, Bend police and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies made a traffic stop in La Pine and arrested Pugh, a passenger, again on charges he abused three other females over the past 15 years, a now 6-year-old girl in Deschutes County and two Yamhill County women, now 19 and 22. He was indicted August 29 on 28 rape and abuse charges.

On Thursday, a grand jury issued an amendment indictment of Pugh on 59 charges of crimes between 2003 and this year: five counts of first-degree rape, 27 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful sexual penetration, 17 counts of first-degree sodomy, five counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct and three counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.

Pugh remained jailed Friday, held on $750,000 bail on the 59 Class A, B and C felonies. He is scheduled to be arraigned and enter a plea Monday afternoon on the amended indictment.

Bend police are still actively investigating several cases involving Pugh, McConkey said. Anyone with more information is asked to call Deschutes County dispatchers at 541-693-6911.