Redmond man arrested on 20 counts of distributing child sex abuse material online, one involving animal

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Redmond man was arraigned Friday on 20 felony counts of encouraging child sex abuse and one misdemeanor count involving an animal after tips from a national organization led to a raid on his home Thursday and arrest at Odell Butte on charges of distributing sex abuse material online.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit had received several “cybertips” from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding accounts on several social media platforms that were distributing child sex abuse material, Sergeant Thomas Lilienthal said in a news release Friday.

After several subpoenas and search warrants Max Wayne Hite, 67, of Redmond was identified as the operator of the accounts, Lilienthal said.

On Thursday, detectives with the ICAC unit, along with detectives from the Criminal Investigations, Street Crimes and Digital Forensics units, Oregon State Police ICAC detectives, the FBI, Redmond Police Digital Forensics and the U.S. Marshal’s Service served a search warrant at Hite’s home in the 6000 block of Southwest Jaguar Avenue.

During the raid, law enforcement learned Hite was working on Odell Butte, in the Deschutes National Forest west of Crescent in Klamath County, Lilienthal said.

Several digital devices were seized from his home before detectives traveled to Odell Butte, where they located and arrested Hite.  He was taken to the county jail in Bend and booked on 21 charges: 10 first-degree counts, Class B felonies, and 10 second-degree charges, a Class C felony, along with a misdemeanor count of encouraging sexual abuse of an animal.

Hite was arraigned Friday afternoon on the initial charging document, an attorney was appointed Circuit Judge Raymond Crutchley set his bail at $150,000 and scheduled a July 18 arraignment on an expected grand jury indictment, court records show.

The charging document says the alleged crimes occurred between Nov. 23, 2022 and Thursday of this week.

More digital devices were seized from Hite after his arrest, the sergeant said. More search warrants will be sought for analysis of the seized devices which could result in more charges.