Three Bend men - Mitchel Joseph Gregg, Evan Matthew Hiatt and William James Kanehl - have been arrested this month in separate child sex abuse material investigations, according to Bend police. Two of the men were indicted by grand juries on multiple counts, while the third was taken into custody after a separate probe. Detectives say each case traces back to online tips and digital evidence seized during search warrants.
According to Central Oregon Daily, Gregg was arrested on Feb. 10 and is charged by a grand jury with one count each of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. The outlet reports that Hiatt was indicted in October 2025 on about 20 counts of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, while Kanehl was indicted on roughly 38 counts that include luring a minor and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. Bend police did not release arraignment schedules or bond details in the initial announcements.
Investigators say all three cases began after cyber-tips were submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which routes suspected online exploitation to local agencies for follow-up. The NCMEC CyberTipline helps law enforcement track uploads, identify accounts and develop geographic leads that can support search warrants. That national system has become a primary starting point for online child-exploitation cases across the country.
Court records and local reporting describe significant differences in the charges and alleged conduct across the three Bend cases. Gregg faces two counts of encouraging child sexual abuse. Hiatt faces about 20 counts of first- and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. Kanehl’s indictment lists dozens of counts that include luring, use of a child in sexually explicit material and allegations tied to encouraging sexual assault of an animal, according to Central Oregon Daily. Prosecutors presented evidence to a grand jury before the indictments were returned. At this stage, the charges are allegations, and all three men are entitled to a presumption of innocence.
Cases like these often hinge on painstaking forensic work on phones, computers and cloud accounts, where investigators look for chat logs, shared files and other digital traces that can support criminal charges. A Government Accountability Office review of CyberTipline use found that such referrals increasingly drive leads for local and federal cases and can lead to search warrants and detailed forensic exams. Officials note that kind of technical work can be especially time- and resource-intensive for smaller departments like Bend’s.
Recent local coverage shows Bend police have been handling a growing number of CyberTip-driven investigations. KTVZ has documented several other cases that began with an online referral and later led to arrests and indictments, underscoring how digital tips can expand into broader probe work in Central Oregon. Victims’ advocates and community members have urged investigators to keep releasing information in these cases in hopes of identifying any additional victims.
Legal Status and Next Steps
Grand jury indictments mean prosecutors believe there is probable cause to charge the defendants, but an indictment is not a finding of guilt, and defendants remain presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted at trial. After an indictment, the process typically moves to arraignment, pretrial motions and discovery, where both sides can challenge the legality of searches and the admissibility of seized evidence. For more detail on how indictments and arraignments work, see FindLaw.
Anyone with information related to these Bend investigations is asked to contact Bend Police non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911, according to the City of Bend police pages. Suspected child sexual abuse material encountered online can be reported directly to the CyberTipline operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Bend police say detectives are continuing to follow leads and will release additional details as the cases move through the courts.
