Washington County Man Arrested on 26 Child Sex Crime Charges
Washington Co. Sheriff's Office
On December 3, 2019, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies booked Michael William Hern, 42, on 26 sex crimes covering a span of more than two decades. Mr. Hern is from the Washington County area, but was last living in Cave Junction, OR. Detectives learned Mr. Hern abused at least seven girls, but due to the statute of limitations can only be charged with abusing six girls at this time.
Detectives first learned of the abuse after receiving a report on July 1, 2019. During that initial investigation, detectives learned of two previous investigations into Mr. Hern from 2005 that were then re-opened.
During the course of the investigation, detectives have uncovered cases of abuse from as long ago as 1994 and as recent as 2017. The ages of the victims in the case range between four and 15. Due to the length of time the abuse occurred and the number of victims involved, detectives believe there may be more victims. In addition to Washington County, Mr. Hern has been known to have lived in Yamhill and Josephine counties. If you have any information about Mr. Hern, Washington County Sheriff’s Office Detectives would like to hear from you at 503-846-2500.
Mr. Hern’s current charges include:
Rape in the first degree (two counts)
Sexual abuse in the first degree (14 counts)
Sodomy in the first degree (three counts)
Sexual penetration in the first degree (seven counts)
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Oregon State Police, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, and CARES Northwest for their help in this investigation.
On December 3, 2019, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies booked Michael William Hern, 42, on 26 sex crimes covering a span of more than two decades. Mr. Hern is from the Washington County area, but was last living in Cave Junction, OR. Detectives learned Mr. Hern abused at least seven girls, but due to the statute of limitations can only be charged with abusing six girls at this time.
Detectives first learned of the abuse after receiving a report on July 1, 2019. During that initial investigation, detectives learned of two previous investigations into Mr. Hern from 2005 that were then re-opened.
During the course of the investigation, detectives have uncovered cases of abuse from as long ago as 1994 and as recent as 2017. The ages of the victims in the case range between four and 15. Due to the length of time the abuse occurred and the number of victims involved, detectives believe there may be more victims. In addition to Washington County, Mr. Hern has been known to have lived in Yamhill and Josephine counties. If you have any information about Mr. Hern, Washington County Sheriff’s Office Detectives would like to hear from you at 503-846-2500.
Mr. Hern’s current charges include:
Rape in the first degree (two counts)
Sexual abuse in the first degree (14 counts)
Sodomy in the first degree (three counts)
Sexual penetration in the first degree (seven counts)
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Oregon State Police, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, and CARES Northwest for their help in this investigation.
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