A special-education instructional assistant in the Central School District was arrested this week after investigators say he tried to share sexually explicit recordings involving a child. The arrest in Monmouth has left families and staff at nearby Talmadge Middle School on edge, and district officials say they are working closely with police as the case unfolds.
Arrest and charges
Officers took 24-year-old Franco Melgar Martich into custody at his Monmouth home and booked him into the Polk County Jail, according to KOIN. Court documents state that the alleged offenses, which investigators say date back to July 2024, involve attempts to share multiple visual recordings of sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Martich faces seven counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree.
The Central School District has placed Martich on administrative leave and opened an internal review. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact the Monmouth Police Department at 503-838-1109.
How investigators say the case began
According to investigators, the case began when a cloud-storage provider flagged suspicious files and reported them through the national CyberTipline, a system described by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The Oregon Department of Justice says its Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force has expanded in recent years to handle a sharp rise in online tips and sextortion investigations, Oregon DOJ reported.
That reporting chain, from the provider to NCMEC and then to state ICAC teams, is now one of the primary ways law enforcement uncovers and tracks online child-exploitation material.
District response and school context
The Central School District says it is cooperating with law enforcement while it reviews personnel and safety procedures. Talmadge Middle School, where Martich worked as an instructional assistant, serves students in grades 6 through 8 and lists its office contact information and hours on the school website.
District leaders say they have offered resources to staff and families while investigators review the evidence and the court process moves forward.
Similar cases and the wider picture
Oregon has seen other recent prosecutions of adults arrested after cloud providers or social platforms flagged possible child sex abuse material. One high-profile case in St. Helens resulted in an indictment on dozens of encouraging-child-sex-abuse counts, as reported by FOX 12.
Local prosecutors say investigations into online material often involve city police, regional ICAC teams and the NCMEC CyberTipline working together. They also emphasize that charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court.
How to report tips and what comes next
The criminal case against Martich is pending, and upcoming court dates and any additional charges will be determined through future filings. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Monmouth Police Department at 503-838-1109.
Members of the public can also submit reports online to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline. Authorities say they will continue coordinating across county and state agencies as they analyze the digital evidence in this case.
