South Deschutes County man arrested on charges of posing as a minor online to receive explicit images of girls
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 51-year-old south Deschutes County resident has been arrested and indicted on nine felony counts of encouraging child sex abuse and luring a minor, accused of posing as a juvenile to entice young girls to send him sexually explicit images online over the past two years.
Last November, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit received an ICAC Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Deschutes County sheriff's Sergeant Thomas Lilienthal said in a news release Friday.
The Cybertip detailed an unknown user who shared imagery of child sexual abuse material on the chat application Discord within Deschutes County. The tip was investigated over the next several months by Oregon State Police and Deschutes County ICAC detectives.
Through multiple search warrants and subpoenas, Lilienthal said the ICAC unit was able to identify the user as Justin Noble Sayers, a resident of an unincorporated subdivision between Sunriver and La Pine.
Lilienthal said the investigation also revealed that Sayers would pose as either a female juvenile or younger male adult to entice victim female juveniles to send him sexually explicit images and videos since 2023.
On Friday, March 21, a joint search warrant operation was conducted to take Sayers into custody, as well as conduct a search of his home.
Sayers was ultimately lodged in the county jail in Bend on six first- and second-degree counts of encouraging child sexual abuse, two counts of luring a minor and one of using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct.
Investigators seized several digital devices from Sayers' home, and he was indicted Thursday by a grand jury on the charges. Court records show he was released after posting 10% of his $500,000 bail, pending an arraignment set for next Tuesday.
A judge set release conditions that include no use or possession of any online devices and having no contact with any minors or going to places they regularly congregate, such as schools, parks or playgrounds.
At this time, Lilienthal said the ongoing investigation has not revealed any victims in Deschutes County.
"As always, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind parents to monitor their children’s online activity and have open conversations regarding communication online," the sergeant said. "Just because someone says they are a 15-year-old female does not mean that they are actually a 15-year-old female."
The joint operation was conducted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office ICAC unit which is comprised of investigators from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations, The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Unit which is comprised of detectives from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Bend Police Department, and Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputies, and Sunriver Police Department Patrol Officers.
