A Lincoln County business owner was sentenced to over four decades in prison for sexually abusing a young girl, according to several local news reports. Daniel Stuebgen, owner of Happy Trails Feed & Tack in Lincoln City, and Green Acres Beach & Trail Rides in Pacific City, was handed down a sentence of 495 months after being convicted of a series of charges related to the abuse of a 12-year-old girl who had been volunteering at his businesses, according to KPTV.
The sentence, amounting to 41.25 years, includes convictions for four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, three counts of second-degree rape, two counts of second-degree sodomy, and four counts of using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct, KGW reported. Presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart told Stuebgen during sentencing, "There is no sentence that I am going to impose today that is going to be proportionate to the harm that your actions inflicted on the victim in this case."
Stuebgen's case began when the Child Abuse Hotline alerted the Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) to a possible sexual relationship between Stuebgen and the child volunteer in August 2023. An investigation ensued by the LCPD and the Oregon Department of Human Services, which led to his convictions. Despite being advised to have no contact with the girl, Stuebgen assisted her in running away approximately a month later and tried to "actively trying to conceal" her from the police, as stated by the Lincoln County District Attorney's Office and reported by KGW.
This conviction arrived after a five-day trial which concluded with a Lincoln County jury finding Stuebgen guilty on May 1, concerning nine separate incidents of child sexual abuse. "This was a vulnerable child, and you exploited those vulnerabilities for a sexual purpose. You were able to get away with it for a very long time. I don't know how long this would have gone on if she hadn't found the courage to report," Bachart added, according to a KOIN report. Stuebgen did not make a statement at his sentencing.
The District Attorney's Office highlighted the efforts of LCPD's Detective Bud Lane, who was recognized for his "relentless commitment to investigating crimes against children to ensure justice, accountability, and community safety," as KGW outlined. District Attorney Jenna Wallace prosecuted the case, which also included charges for photographs of child sexual abuse material.
