A Camas man who works for the Washington County, Ore., Sheriff’s Office made his first appearance Wednesday in federal court, where he’s accused of engaging in the coercion and enticement of a minor and distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.
Luke De Roy Krieger, 39, works at the sheriff’s office in Hillsboro, Ore., as a non-sworn information systems analyst, the U.S. Attorney said.
The investigation started when undercover police in the United Kingdom discovered a mobile application user had engaged officers in sexualized chats regarding young children, according to the U.S. Attorney.
The user, later identified as Krieger, talked about his sexual interest in children, and about traveling to the U.K. to engage in sexual activity with the undercover officer’s minor daughter, according to court records.
Working with the app maker and Frontier Communications, investigators tracked down two IP addresses Krieger allegedly used during the illicit conversation, according to the U.S. Attorney, which said one was traced to his home in Camas, another to an account registered to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators continued communicating with Krieger, according to the U.S. Attorney, posing as a man living in Boise and a 13-year-old girl the man supposedly lived with and abused sexually.
In those conversations, the U.S. Attorney said, Krieger revealed having sexual fantasies about children, including children who he had come into contact with regularly, and setting up a camera to take voyeuristic photos and videos of undressed minor girls.
The U.S. Attorney said Krieger shared child pornography with investigators, as well as nude photos of himself. In those conversation, Krieger allegedly confirmed he understood the child was a minor, and tried to arrange travel to Idaho to meet for sex.
Krieger was arrested without incident on Dec. 18 in Hillsboro, the U.S. Attorney said, before attempting to travel out of state.
The Department of Homeland Security and Vancouver Police Department were investigating, according to the U.S. Attorney.
