Three Bend residents arrested for child sex abuse offenses
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Bend Police arrested three local men over the past two months in connection with separate investigations into child sexual abuse material. The arrests followed tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The investigations were handled by the Bend Police Department detective division and were initiated as CyberTips. Officials noted that these cases are often complex and can take months or years to complete, frequently requiring the execution of multiple search warrants.
William James Kanehl, 42, was arrested on Jan. 28 on suspicion of 12 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse and 13 counts of second-degree encouraging child sex abuse. The investigation into the Bend resident began on Feb. 14, 2025, after a tip indicated a suspect uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Detectives served a search warrant at Kanehl's home in the 20700 block of Tango Creek Avenue in August 2025. He also faces 11 counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, as well as charges for luring a minor and encouraging the sexual assault of an animal.
Evan Matthew Hiatt, 20, was also arrested on Jan. 28 following a search warrant at his residence in the 1300 block of NE Hidden Valley Drive. Police initially investigated Hiatt in May 2025 for allegedly soliciting a child for sexually explicit images, but that tip did not lead to an arrest at the time because detectives could not verify the victim's age. On Jan. 21, 2026, the department received a second tip involving the upload of images that led to Hiatt's identification. He faces 10 counts each of first and second degree encouraging child sex abuse.
In a separate case, Mitchel Joseph Gregg, 23, was arrested on Feb. 10 at his home in the 2000 block of NE Holliday Avenue. The investigation into Gregg started on March 6, 2025, after a tip suggested a suspect was using Snapchat to save, share or upload child sexual abuse material. Gregg was charged with one count each of first- and second-degree encouraging child sex abuse.
