Three men from the Portland area now face felony charges after what police describe as an elaborate undercover sting in Milwaukie, in which officers posed online as teenagers to catch adults allegedly trying to arrange sex with children. A Clackamas County grand jury handed up indictments against all three this week, according to the Milwaukie Police Department.
The operation, which ran on October 29, had undercover officers posing as 14- and 15-year-old children, as well as younger children, in online conversations, as reported by KPTV. Police said three men ultimately set up a time and place to meet and engage in sexual acts with people they believed were children. Two of the men, according to the station's report, allegedly showed up at the meeting location and were arrested on the spot.
Those two men were identified as 62-year-old Portland resident Kelly Macomb and 48-year-old Portland resident Jose Martinez Mendoza. Per the same account, both were charged with first- and second-degree online corruption of a child, as well as luring a minor.
McMinnville Man Allegedly Agreed to Meet, Then Never Showed
A third suspect, 59-year-old McMinnville resident Kurt Olsen, agreed to meet for sex but did not appear at the arranged meeting, per police. He was instead arrested later at his home and charged with second-degree online corruption of a child and luring a minor, the station notes.
All three men were lodged at the Clackamas County Jail after the grand jury delivered a true bill for the charges this week, per the Milwaukie Police Department. Investigators believe the suspects may have had other victims, though no further details on that belief were provided.
Wider Enforcement Push in Clackamas County
The sting fits into a broader pattern of interagency enforcement in the area. A separate Milwaukie Police Department notice describes the department leading a joint mission with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office targeting purchasers and sellers of sex and human traffickers, though that notice does not specify whether it concerns the same operation described in this case. Another department posting referenced a Portland Police Bureau release stating that two males were arrested for online child-luring charges following an earlier mission.
Online sexual corruption of a child in the second degree has been classified as a Class C felony under Oregon law dating to 2007, according to the Oregon Legislature.
Tip Line Open for Additional Information
The Milwaukie Police Department has asked anyone with information related to the case to contact investigators at [email protected]. No additional details about the men's alleged conduct, the full scope of the operation, or the grand jury proceedings have been released beyond what KPTV reported.
