A Prineville man was arrested in Bend Monday after believing he was meeting up with a 14-year-old girl for sex, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives with the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a weeklong child luring investigation with the arrest of 35-year-old Patrick James Adams.
Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp said a CODE Detective was randomly contacted by Adams via social media earlier this month while conducting an unrelated investigation.
CODE Detectives identified Adams as a Registered Sex Offender and is prohibited from contacting minors.
During the last week, Adams pursued the detective believing he was a 14-year-old girl and began sending sexualized photographs and messages via social media, Vander Kamp said.
While detectives tried to confirm Adams’ whereabouts, he continued to solicit the online detective, asking to meet for sex, and offered “her” methamphetamine.
CODE Detectives accepted and arranged to meet Adams in Bend on Friday.
Around 12:15 p.m., CODE detectives, with the assistance of Bend Police officers and detectives, contacted Adams in downtown Bend at the corner of Wall St and Franklin Ave.
He was taken into custody without incident, Vander Kamp said.
Adams was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and other relevant evidence in this case.
CODE detectives believe Adams may have been in contact with other juveniles in the central Oregon area via social media platforms.
Vander Kamp urged parents and young people to report any contact with Adams on social media to your local law enforcement agency, school resource officer, or online with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at http://www.cybertip.org
Adams was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and charged with first-degree online corruption of a child, attempted delivery of a controlled substance to a minor and attempted unlawful contact with a child among other charges.
With the help of the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, this case will be referred to the United States Attorney’s Office in Eugene for charging consideration.
