Pandora’s Blog

I don’t know what it is lately… I guess the cops are slow. Certainly there can’t be a shortage of creeps on the Internet… maybe they just got wiser or better at evading cops. Either way, it boils down to the fact that I have only one story to share this week.

A 49-year-old man was arrested in Oregon for attempting to solicit what he thought was a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old girl online. He even took steps to meet the 11-year-old in person (which landed him being arrested). The saddest part is that he is a prominent businessman and leader of the community (Medford, OR), he is a member of the Rotary club and volunteers for a local high school sports broadcasting company. Until a year ago, he also volunteered with religious youth groups.

… And then he gets arrested for going down the path of attempting to have sex with minors he meets on the internet. Great.

This is just one more reason for parents to be vigilant, cautious and always monitoring. It appears that physically no kids were hurt, but we don’t know if he actually was talking to real kids. We do know that without a doubt he tried. That is the key. Your kids may not be a victim of internet predators, but that doesn’t mean that predators aren’t working hard to make them a victim… But you can be absolutely sure and 100% certain that your kids are safe when they go online in your house if you have PC Pandora monitoring software.

Here’s the story:

Rasmussen Released From Jail; Faces Internet Sex Charges Involving Children

OREGON CITY — A 47-year-old Medford man who is vice-president of a local travel agency, a Rotary member and a prominent local golfer has been arrested in Clackamas County on charges that he was trying to meet two girls he’d been communicating with online.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says Kelly Ray Rasmussen is currently charged with two counts of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child. Several other related charges have been dropped.

Rasmussen was released from jail at about 7 p.m. Wednesday on his own recognizance, without being required to post bail. His bail was intially set at $155,000 after he was arrested Tuesday.

Deputies say they believe he began communicating online with undercover police officers posing as a 13-year-old girl in July and an 11-year-old girl in September. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Clackamas County “while he was poised to meet with his 13-year-old female victim.”

Investigators say that he had traveled to Portland and had taken “substantial criminal steps” to meet with the 11-year-old on Monday.

After his arrest, police searched his rental car, his Portland hotel room and his home in Medford.

Rasmussen is a well-known resident in the Rogue Valley: He’s vice-president and a co-owner of Jackson Travel Agency and figures prominently in local golf tournaments and was a champion raquetball player. He is a member of Medford Rogue Rotary Club and was affiliated with the Rogue Valley Country Club.

He has also been a long-time volunteer for South and North Medford high football and basketball broadcasts for Table Rock Sports. The company says until further notice, Rasmussen will no longer be involved with any future high school broadcasts. In a statement, Table Rock Sports adds “Like others in the community, we are shocked by today’s news.”

Rasmussen’s case was investigated and the arrest conducted with the assistance of the Interagency Child Exploitation Prevention Team (“Intercept”), comprised of criminal investigators representing the Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties as well as the Oregon Department of Justice and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Intercept was created to protect children from online predators by arresting and prosecuting them. Members of the Southern Oregon High-tech Crimes Task Force executed a search warrant at his Medford home looking for evidence in the case.

Anyone with information about Rasmussen and this ongoing criminal investigation is encouraged to contact the Clackamas County sheriff’s confidential tip line at 503-723-4949.

A second story on the arrest is here: Local Cops Helped in Rasmussen Arrest

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 12:24 PM and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.