A Sherwood man will spend just over seven years in prison after a Polk County judge sentenced him Friday for sexually abusing a 9-year-old child from Independence, according to county prosecutors. Malcolm Dean Cade, 29, entered no-contest pleas to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and Polk County Circuit Judge Timothy Park imposed an 85-month prison term. Cade will also serve 45 months of post-prison supervision and will be required to register as a sex offender once he is released.
As reported by KATU, the Polk County District Attorney’s Office said the punishment was set under Oregon’s Measure 11 mandatory minimum rules. According to the DA’s office, that means Cade will not qualify for early release or sentence-reduction programs. Court filings and the DA’s public statement describe the victim as a 9-year-old from Independence and list two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
Measure 11 and mandatory minimums
Under ORS 137.700, Measure 11 establishes fixed minimum prison terms for certain violent and sexual offenses and sharply limits a judge’s ability to cut those terms. First-degree sexual abuse is one of the crimes covered, which is why prosecutors and the court cited Measure 11 when setting Cade’s sentence. Judges can hand down a sentence that is longer than the Measure 11 minimum, but they cannot go below the minimum required by the law.
Sentence details and supervision
The Polk County DA’s summary of the case, as relayed by KATU, confirms that Cade received an 85-month prison sentence, to be followed by 45 months of post-prison supervision and mandatory sex offender registration upon release. Because the judgment falls under Measure 11, officials say Cade will not be eligible for standard early release programs while serving that court-ordered minimum. The DA’s office did not specify in its public release whether the two counts were imposed to run at the same time or back to back.
Local context
Measure 11 continues to shape how serious cases are handled in Polk County. Earlier this year, a different Polk County child sex abuse prosecution in Dallas resulted in a 75-month Measure 11 sentence in another first-degree case. Hoodline’s earlier coverage of Polk County sentencing has noted that prosecutors have repeatedly relied on Measure 11 to secure fixed minimum terms in first-degree sex abuse prosecutions, with those outcomes typically bringing additional supervision and registration requirements under Oregon law.
Resources
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or online at RAINN. Local victim assistance programs are also available through county and state agencies that work alongside prosecutors in these cases.
