Former Salem schools worker gets 3 years for sex abuse of Washington County teens

A Salem man was sentenced to three years in prison and five years of probation for responding to prostitution ads posted by two Washington County minors on social media.

Jonathan Tyler, 21, was found guilty in Washington County Circuit Court of second-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of online sexual corruption of a child and three counts of luring a minor during a four day trial in June.

He had pleaded not guilty to all counts.  

The crimes typically would be classified as Measure 11 crimes, meaning Tyler would have faced a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and 10 months, with a possibility of up to 21 years in prison.

But in this case, Judge Janelle F. Wipper found Measure 11 was unfair to impose.

"This is a case where the judge recognized the unique circumstances did not warrant a Measure 11 sentence," Defense Attorney Cameron Taylor said, because Tyler had no previous criminal background and there are no other known victims.

Investigators, however, believe there may be more victims because Tyler had been a Salem Keizer Education Foundation employee who had volunteered and worked at eight Salem-area schools and day cares since 2014. 

"It's unlikely these crimes were isolated incidents," Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown said in a memorandum to the court, asking for a lengthy sentence so Tyler would not be a threat to other children in the community. 

Prosecutors plan to appeal the sentence.  

Tyler was arrested last September, when he drove to meet a 15-year-old to have sex. The girl was acting under the direction of Beaverton Police Detective Chad Opitz. 

After his arrest, the school foundation fired Tyler.

Previous coverage:Former Salem day care worker convicted of sex abuse 

Four months earlier, in April 2018, the FBI and Beaverton Police Department were alerted to a social media ad from two young girls offering prostitution services. 

Prosecutors said Tyler — then 20 — was aware of their age and drove to Beaverton twice to have sex with the 13-year-old, paying her $230. 

Taylor, the defense attorney, said in a memorandum that Tyler met the 13-year-old on Grindr, where she claimed to be 18. Taylor said while the two were chatting on the online dating app, the girl admitted to being "16, almost 17," and though they ended up having consexual sex, Tyler never paid her. 

In September, the FBI was able to locate the girls through another social media app, Skout, where they had posted ads for sexual acts. It was then that Detective Opitz arranged for the 15-year-old girl to message Tyler on Snapchat and make plans to meet him at a Beaverton gas station. 

More:Keizer man arrested for raping girl put in his custody by DHS Child Welfare

When Tyler arrived, he was arrested by undercover police. Investigators said he had condoms with him and claimed he was there to meet a friend.

Speaking with detectives, Tyler admitted to having sex with the 13-year-old girl, but said he thought both girls were 18. Investigators say Tyler later admitted that he knew they were underage.

Brown said Tyler's lack of responsibility and repeated contradictions were concerning, reporting that in interviews Tyler said "sex is sex" and that he "browsed over the fact she was 15."

Brown said the girls were vulnerable and dealing with emotional and personal issues. 

The 13-year-old victim said she engaged in prostitution with seven men aged 17 to 24 over a three month period, and called the 15-year-old girl her "pimp."

Tyler must register as a sex offender. During his probation, he will be prohibited from having any contact with a minor. 

More:DHS seeks to hire more than 300 workers to improve child welfare safety, capacity

Reach Samantha Hawkins at shawkins@gannett.com or 503-798-1623