A 25-year-old Sunday school teacher at the Salvation Army Gresham Corps is being held without bail after prosecutors accused him of exchanging thousands of messages with a 15-year-old girl and meeting her in person multiple times, including at least once inside her apartment. Luis Cheley Barrientos was arraigned Monday on 15 charges that include several counts of luring a minor, third-degree sex abuse, online sexual corruption of a child, and second-degree encouraging child sex abuse.
According to KATU, prosecutors allege the relationship began after the girl started volunteering at the church, where Cheley Barrientos taught Sunday school. Court documents cited by the station say he exchanged more than 3,500 messages with the girl over 42 days, communicating most often through Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The two also called or attempted to call each other roughly 60 times between June 1 and July 4, according to the same records.
Charging papers say Cheley Barrientos met the girl at least twice in a parking lot outside her apartment in Gresham, while the girl told investigators he came to her apartment at least three times. Prosecutors allege he suggested visiting when her parents were not home, and charging papers state he kissed her during one of these encounters. Cheley Barrientos reportedly admitted there would be several photos of his and the girl's private parts on his phone, per the station's report.
Suspect Reportedly Changed His Story After Confrontation
When he was arrested, Cheley Barrientos initially denied the relationship, according to police accounts relayed by the station. He later changed his account after officers showed him the messages, and prosecutors say he told them, “We really do have to delete the messages.” He has no prior criminal history, per the same account. The Salvation Army fired Cheley Barrientos following his arrest, according to court documents.
Prosecutors asked a judge to hold Cheley Barrientos without bail rather than set a cash amount, and the judge granted that request pending a separate preventative detention hearing. That approach reflects a broader shift in Oregon pretrial practice: following the state's 2021 pretrial justice reforms under Senate Bill 48, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has prioritized motions for preventative detention over traditional bail schedules for defendants charged with violent felonies or child sex offenses believed to pose a community safety risk.
Why Prosecutors Skipped a Bail Amount
Under Oregon Revised Statute 135.245, a judge is required to make a release decision at a defendant's initial appearance unless prosecutors establish good cause to postpone that decision — such as by filing a motion for preventative detention, which triggers a dedicated hearing, according to the Oregon Legislative Information System. To ultimately hold a defendant without bail, ORS 135.240(4)(a) requires prosecutors to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the person is charged with a violent felony — a category that includes felony sex offenses — and poses a danger of physical injury or sexual victimization to the victim or the public, according to the Washington County District Attorney's Office.
The charges Cheley Barrientos faces carry varying degrees of exposure. Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the Second Degree and Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the Second Degree are both Class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, while Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree is a Class A misdemeanor, according to Crew Janci LLP. Luring a Minor, also a Class C felony under Oregon law, applies when an adult uses any form of communication to induce or attempt to induce someone under 18 to engage in explicit conduct or to meet in person for sexual purposes.
A Church With Youth Programs — and a Past Case
The Salvation Army Gresham Corps, located at 473 SE 194th Ave, runs regular youth programming that includes 9:30 a.m. Sunday school services along with summer camps and youth activities, according to the church's own Facebook posts. The organization also operates a mandatory national child safety program called Safe From Harm, first instituted in 2009 and updated in 2023, which requires criminal background checks, abuse-prevention training, web-based incident reporting, and supervision protocols for personnel and volunteers working with youth, per the Salvation Army.
This is not the first time a Gresham Salvation Army volunteer has faced this kind of allegation. In June 2012, 23-year-old volunteer Gene Olsen II was arrested on charges including luring a minor, online sexual corruption of a child, and sex abuse after allegations surfaced of an inappropriate relationship and explicit texting with a 15-year-old girl, as reported by KGW-TV at the time.
The case also arrives amid intensified statewide scrutiny of digital child exploitation cases. An August operation in Southern Oregon resulted in eight arrests on 71 felony counts including online sexual corruption of a child and encouraging child sexual abuse, according to Rogue Valley News. Cheley Barrientos remains held without bail as he awaits his preventative detention hearing.
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