Tip leads to raid, arrest of Alfalfa-area man on child pornography charges

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A tip from a law enforcement task force and a nonprofit led to a raid on a 22-year-old Alfalfa-area man’s home and his arrest Thursday on 20 counts of child pornography, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Last month, sheriff’s detectives received a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the man was in possession of images of child sex abuse, Sgt. Jayson Janes said.

Detectives began investigate the man and were granted a search warrant to seize his electronic devices in early July, Janes said. A subsequent search of the devices by sheriff’s office digital forensic detectives led to additional search warrants for his online accounts, which turned up numerous images of child sex abuse and the man’s involvement in distribution of child pornography.

The man was interviewed again by detectives on Thursday and lodged in the jail on 10 counts each of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, Janes said.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 4,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.