Authorities in Washington County have arrested a man for his alleged involvement in a multi-layered criminal saga, including domestic violence and sex trafficking. Jesse Lee St. Marie Blankenship, a 26-year-old resident of the Bethany community, is currently facing a slew of charges after a complex investigation unfolded following a domestic violence report on March 2. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the reported assault led detectives to uncover Blankenship's further illegal activities.
It appears Blankenship tried to quickly flee when authorities located him, but was apprehended after attempting to make an escape on the early hours of March 4. WCSO officials stated that Blankenship has been held without bail since his capture and is now indicted on multiple counts including compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution, coercion, and assault. It's clear that the situation was grave enough to swiftly garner the attention of grand juries in both Washington and Multnomah counties, leading to additional charges being filed subsequent to the ones in the initial indictment.
As reported by the WCSO, the charges in Washington County cover a wide range of criminal offenses, from sex trafficking to assault and harassment. Among the list, Blankenship is accused of compelling prostitution, promoting prostitution, multiple counts of coercion, second-degree assault, harassment, felony and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, menacing, recklessly endangering another person, causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, tampering with a witness, and supplying contraband. The seriousness of these allegations is compounded by a February warrant issued by the Gresham Police Department for assaulting and strangling the same victim, which adds to his legal woes in Multnomah County with charges including felony strangulation, misdemeanor assault, coercion, menacing, second-degree theft, and harassment.
While Blankenship remains behind bars, the investigation is far from over. Authorities are urging the community to come forward with any additional information that might be pertinent. Detectives strongly believe there could be other unknown victims caught in Blankenship’s criminal net and are actively seeking out witnesses who may have crucial details about his activities. For those with information, the WCSO can be reached at 503-846-2500, referencing case 50-25-3033. As noted in WCSO's statement, the release of Blankenship’s booking photo is aimed at aiding the identification of any further criminal activity associated with him, in line with Oregon House Bill 3273.
