Portland Man Arrested for 31-Count Sex Crimes Indictment

Luring a minor and encouraging child sexual abuse in the first, & second degrees are some of the charges looming against the accused.

Randy Shefstad, booking photo (Image: Multnomah Co. District Attorney's Office)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that a secret indictment filed against 52-year-old Randy Shefstad was unsealed.

The 31-count indictment, which was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on August 7, 2018, alleges three counts of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, six counts of luring a minor, 17 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree, four counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the second degree and one count of encouraging sexual abuse of an animal.

On August 8, 2018, detectives assigned to the Portland Police Bureau’s Child Abuse Team apprehended the defendant, without incident, pursuant to an arrest warrant approved by Multnomah County Chief Criminal Judge Cheryl Albrecht following the grand jury’s true bill decision.

Following the arrest, the defendant was lodged into the Multnomah County Detention Center and later appeared by video in Multnomah County Circuit Court for his arraignment before Judge Thomas M. Ryan.

The indictment alleges the defendant used graphic and sexually charged language to electronically communicate with four separate minor victims – in four different states – in 2017 and 2018 for the purposes of sexual gratification. It is further alleged in the indictment that Shefstad sent several videos and photos of himself engaging in sex acts to the underage victims. The indictment also alleges that Shefstad made multiple requests, and received, images of the minor victims in various stages of undress, to include images of nudity.

According to a search warrant filed in this case, which has been unsealed by the Court, this criminal investigation began on October 10, 2017 when the parents of one of the victims discovered sexually explicit content on their child’s phone. The parents reported that information to law enforcement in Texas. Once it was discovered this case had an Oregon nexus, law enforcement in Texas used the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program to alert the Portland Police Bureau’s Child Abuse Team.

All of the victims associated with this case were between the ages of 10-12 years old and lived in separate states outside of Oregon at the time of the alleged offenses. Furthermore, the search warrant affidavit filed in this case states the defendant used various digital devices to communicate online with at least one victim who is autistic.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is part of a multi-disciplinary team comprised of representatives from law enforcement, public schools, hospitals, courts, health departments, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Oregon Department of Employment Child Care Division who work collaboratively to identify and aggressively investigate and prosecute cases of child abuse and neglect.

The Victims' Assistance Program for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office provides support during the reporting of sexual assaults, domestic violence and other crimes and referrals to victim services and resources. They can be contacted by calling 503-988-3222.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.