A Washington County judge has thrown the book at 41-year-old Joshua Cory Nealy, handing down a life-without-parole sentence on May 7, 2026, after his latest conviction stemming from an incident at Washington Square Mall. Prosecutors said Nealy exposed himself to a store employee during a January 2023 encounter, and under Oregon’s repeat-offender sentencing rules the conviction qualified for a true-life term. The sentence effectively removes Nealy from the community for the rest of his life under state law.
According to the Tigard Police Department, the case started when a woman shopping at a clothing store reported that a man followed her into a dressing room, exposed himself, and solicited sex. Officers quickly tracked and arrested a suspect, then booked him on a felony public-indecency charge tied to the Washington Square area. That arrest set in motion the prosecution that ended with this week’s life sentence.
In court, Washington County prosecutors laid out Nealy’s extensive criminal record. They said he has been arrested 166 times and has dozens of prior convictions, including seven felonies and roughly 48 misdemeanors, according to reporting by KGW. His history includes prior convictions for first-degree attempted rape and third-degree sexual abuse, and he was on parole when the January 2023 incident occurred. Those details formed the backbone of the district attorney’s argument that Nealy is an incorrigible repeat sex offender who qualifies for a true-life term.
How Oregon’s Repeat-Offender Law Comes Into Play
Under Oregon law, a person convicted of a felony sex crime faces a presumptive life sentence if they have previously been sentenced for felony sex crimes at least two times, as set out in ORS 137.719. A judge can impose a lesser sentence only by making formal findings that there are substantial and compelling reasons to depart from that presumptive life term. Prosecutors argued that Nealy fit squarely within the statute, and the judge imposed a true-life sentence using that framework.
Precedent, Proportionality, and What Could Happen Next
Oregon appellate courts have both upheld and closely examined life sentences issued under the recidivist statute, weighing whether a true-life term is proportionate in each case. The state’s high court has taken up those questions in cases such as State v. Davidson, focusing on how a defendant’s criminal history and current offense stack up against the severity of a life sentence. Any appeal or post-conviction challenge in Nealy’s case would likely probe the same constitutional and proportionality issues, using that body of precedent as a roadmap.
The Washington County District Attorney’s office prosecuted the case, and the sentencing hearing is documented in early May court records. Nealy will serve his sentence in state custody. The outcome has renewed debate over how Oregon balances public safety and proportionality when it uses enhanced penalties for repeat sex offenders whose records stretch back years.
