PORTLAND, Oregon – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that John Thomas Damron III, 36, pled guilty to 27 charges related to child sex abuse. A Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge sentenced him to 22 years in prison with post-prison supervision and Sex Offender registration. Restitution will be determined at a future date.
Charges:
- 14 counts of Using a Child in Display
- Sex Abuse in the Third Degree
- Online Sexual Corruption
- Encouraging Child Sex Abuse in the First Degree
- 9 counts of Sodomy in the Third Degree
- Rape in the Third Degree
The charges stem from a series of incidents between 2018 and 2021 that involved 8 female child victims, aged between 14 and 17 years old. Damron used social media to target and groom victims. He lured minor victims with vape products, cannabis, alcohol, food, and money in order to receive sexually explicit photos and videos. He sent instructions and scripts for the victims to act out and read as they provided him sexual images and videos. He used common applications such as Snapchat and Instagram to identify and contact his victims.
He lured victims to his Northeast Portland home and to hotel rooms where he would then offer money, alcohol, cannabis, and other products manipulating them to engage in sex acts on camera. A search warrant executed by Portland Police Bureau at his residence identified multiple electronic devices which contained hundreds of images and videos collected by Damron.
“The wake of trauma that is apparent in each of these courageous victims’ lives and their families’ lives is immense. It was visible and apparent each time we met with them throughout this case. This sentence today does not make them whole or erase the pain Mr. Damron caused, but it is a good step towards closure and healing. These 8 young women are extremely brave and they have overcome and have endured much. There is a long road to their healing, but they should know that because of their willingness to bring justice to Mr. Damron they have prevented future harm in our community and held a child predator accountable.” Stated Senior Deputy District Attorney JR Ujifusa.
If you are involved in sex trafficking or know of someone who is being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or 9-1-1.
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