An undercover child predator sting in Washington County ended with five arrests on Friday, after investigators posing online as underage teens say several adults agreed to meet for sexual contact and then showed up in person. Undercover officers posed as underage boys and girls on a mix of apps and social platforms. Some people cut off contact once they were told the decoy’s age, but five suspects allegedly followed through on arranged meetups and were taken into custody. The arrests led to bookings on charges that include luring a minor and online sexual corruption of a child, and detectives say they believe there could be additional victims tied to the case.
The operation was a joint effort by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Hillsboro Police Department. Authorities released booking photos and the names of the five people arrested: Ashwin Chand, 23, of Beaverton; Brendan Cook, 22, of Portland; Craig Xiap-Jelkes, 28, of Hillsboro; Christopher Stone, 38, of Hillsboro; and Robert Gerdes, 60, of Hillsboro. All were booked on counts of luring a minor and online sexual corruption of a child, according to KATU.
How the sting worked
Investigators say they used multiple dating apps, social sites and messaging platforms while posing as underage boys and girls in order to strike up conversations, disclose the decoy’s age and, in some cases, arrange in-person meetings. When suspects arrived at those locations, they were contacted by law enforcement and arrested. The Sheriff’s Office has run similar undercover missions before and says these proactive operations are intended to identify alleged predators before they ever reach real children. For more on the tactics and past stings, see a release from the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Charges and next steps
The arrests remain allegations at this stage. Prosecutors will decide whether to file formal charges, and the five suspects are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court. Detectives say they suspect there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact law enforcement. KATU reported that investigators have provided a tip line for potential leads. The county maintains a custody roster and posts booking information along with public contact details on its sheriff’s office pages.
Parents and guardians are urged to keep tabs on which apps their children use, talk directly with kids about online boundaries and report any suspected enticement to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or by contacting local law enforcement. Federal and nonprofit resources offer guidance on how to talk with children about online safety and how to seek removal of exploitative content from the internet. Local investigators say community tips often play a crucial role in uncovering additional victims and building these kinds of cases.
