Cybertip Sparks Rapid Bust Of Portland Man In Chilling Child-Exploitation Case

Portland police moved quickly this week after an online child-exploitation tip pointed to what investigators say was an immediate threat to a local child. Detectives arrested 29-year-old Justin M. Jespersen on Wednesday, taking him into custody and booking him into the Multnomah County Detention Center to head off what they described as potential harm. Jespersen is a Portland resident, according to authorities.

In a press release shared via Portland Police Bureau, detectives said the bureau's Internet Crimes Against Children unit received a CyberTipline report on March 30 that alleged distribution of child sexual abuse material. Investigators say they identified an "active threat" and believed Jespersen was planning to sexually abuse a young child, prompting the swift arrest "to prevent potential harm to a child." Police did not identify any alleged victim.

How the Investigation Started

The CyberTipline, operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, routes reports of suspected child sexual abuse material to local Internet Crimes Against Children task forces for follow-up. That pipeline is what brought the March 30 tip to Portland detectives, according to the organization.

Portland's ICAC team has run similar proactive stings before, including a multi-agency online mission that led to multiple arrests in January 2025, according to a Portland Police Bureau release. The bureau says its online operations are designed to identify and arrest suspects before they can meet or harm children in person.

Charges and Legal Context

According to Portland Police Bureau, Jespersen was booked on 13 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree and 13 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the second degree.

Under Oregon law, those two crimes are classified as Class B and Class C felonies, respectively, according to the Oregon Revised Statutes. The Multnomah County Detention Center serves as the county's primary booking facility, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

What Happens Next

The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office will review the police investigation and decide whether to file formal charges. Any charging documents and hearing dates will appear in court records.

Authorities are encouraging anyone with information about this case or similar conduct to contact local law enforcement or submit a report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline. Jespersen, like all defendants, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Part of a Broader Local Crackdown

Portland-area agencies have been leaning hard into online child-exploitation cases in recent years, with several major prosecutions and hefty sentences cropping up on local dockets. One recent case saw a Portland man charged with 385 felony counts related to child sexual abuse and privacy invasion, among others.

That pattern of big, complex cases helps explain why local law enforcement continues to pour resources into ICAC work and why detectives treated the latest CyberTipline report with such urgency.