A Hillsboro man is currently facing serious charges after his arrest by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office detectives. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Seth Michael Winkelhake, was taken into custody on Tuesday, June 10, and faces a slew of 23 felony and misdemeanor charges, including Rape in the First Degree, Sex Abuse in the Third Degree, and Luring a Minor. The case against Winkelhake relates to a young girl, just 13 when they first made contact online in 2018.
According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Winkelhake's arraignment was held in Clackamas County Circuit Court, and he is now being held without bail at the Clackamas County Jail. Reports from an outside agency that first surfaced in January alerted law enforcement to multiple sexual assaults occurring over four years. The victim described an individual who posed as a considerably younger person named “Jeff,” who managed to persuade her to send explicit photos which he then allegedly used to blackmail her into maintaining an online relationship that escalated to physical encounters.
Detectives indicate that the suspect eventually convinced the victim to meet him in person in 2021, when she was 16. These meetings involved him concealing his identity with a ski mask or cloth face covering, sometimes blindsiding her before driving to local parks in the Oak Grove area where the assaults happened. Despite attempts to sever contact, the investigators believe the assaults occurred multiple times from 2021 to 2024.
Following the lead, law enforcement officers, including the FBI and Hillsboro Police Department, served a warrant at Winkelhake’s residence on SE 7th Avenue, where he was arrested without any incidents. According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, there is a belief that there might be additional victims and have encouraged anyone with information about Winkelhake's criminal activities to come forward. Described as 6’03”, 200 lbs., with red hair and blue eyes, Winkelhake is also known to have gone by aliases like “Jeff”, “Don Jon,” and “Marc”.
Winkelhake had previously volunteered with local educational organizations, including Fernhill in Forest Grove, Friends of Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, and Tualatin Hills Nature Center. He's linked with two vehicles—a white 2019 Nissan Frontier and a black 2002 Volkswagen Golf. His social media activities seem to be spread across multiple accounts on platforms such as AntiLand, Facebook, and Instagram. The Sheriff's Office has released Winkelhake’s booking photo, in line with Oregon House Bill 3273, to aid in the identification of additional criminal activity.
