Prineville man, registered sex offender, arrested in downtown Bend, accused of luring ‘teen’ online

Thought he was talking online with a '14-year-old girl' -- but it was detective; other possible victims sought

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A registered sex offender from Prineville, convicted of rape 17 years ago, was arrested Friday in downtown Bend, accused of arranging online to meet and have sex with a “14-year-old girl” – who actually was a drug team detective.

About a week ago, a Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team detective was randomly contacted by Patrick James Adams, 35, on social media as the detective was conducting an unrelated investigation, Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp said.

CODE Team detectives identified the registered sex offender, who was prohibited from contacting minors. Vander Kamp said Adams allegedly pursued the detective online over the past week, believing he was a 14-year-old girl, and began sending sexualized photos and messages on social media.

While detectives tried to confirm Adams’ location, he continued to solicit the “teen” (detective), asking to meet for sex and also offering methamphetamine, Vander Kamp said.

Drug team detectives accepted and arranged to meet Adams in Bend. Assisted by Bend police officers and detectives, they contacted Adams at the corner of Wall Street and Franklin Avenue and he was taken into custody without incident, Vander Kamp said. He was found in possession of methamphetamine “and other relevant evidence” in the case, the sergeant added.

Adams was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of luring a minor, first-degree online corruption of a child, attempted delivery of a controlled substance to a minor, meth delivery and attempted unlawful sexual contact with a child and a pending parole violation hold. Jail records showed he was being held without bail on an out-of-county warrant.

Vander Kamp said CODE Team detectives believe Adams may have been in contact with other Central Oregon juveniles on social media platforms. They asked parents and young people to report any contact with Adams to their local law enforcement agency, school resource officer or online with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at http://www.cybertip.org.

With the assistance of U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigations, the case will be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Eugene for possible federal charges, Vander Kamp said.

Online records show Adams received a four-year sentence in 2004 on rape, sex abuse and other charges. Seven years later, he was arrested again on sex abuse charges and eventually entered an Alford (conditional guilty) plea on the coercion charge, receiving a nearly six-year prison term, with credit for time served.

In 2017, Adams was arrested on charges of sending explicit photos and attempting to lure juvenile females on social media. He pleaded no contest to luring a minor, a Class C felony, and was sentenced to a year in prison, court records show. He pleaded no contest in 2019 to car theft and was put on two years probation, which was to end in March.