La Center man sentenced to 10 years in prison for sex abuse, kidnapping attempt

A La Center man was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Oregon after he sexually abused a woman and tried to hold her against her will, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced Wednesday.

Douglas L. Braaten, 62, pleaded guilty March 22 to attempted first-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual abuse, according to a news release issued by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

The case started March 6, 2018, when the victim was eating in the parking lot of a Portland 7-Eleven near the intersection of Northeast 82nd Avenue and Northeast Sandy Boulevard. Braaten honked his car horn to get her attention. She went to his vehicle, where they talked, and she asked for a ride to somewhere in Portland, the news release states.

But instead of taking the victim to the agreed-upon location, Braaten drove her eastbound on Interstate 84 into the Columbia River Gorge. The victim sent a text to 911 and alerted emergency dispatchers to the attempted kidnapping, according to the news release.

Braaten drove the victim to the Bridal Veil exit and pulled into a gravel parking lot, where he began threatening and sexually abusing her. During the attack, the victim saw emergency lights in the area and kicked the car’s horn to get the attention of passing Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies, according to the news release and court records.

The deputies located Braaten’s vehicle and found the victim inside crying with her pants pulled down, the news release says.

The case was litigated by the district attorney’s office’s Human Sex Trafficking Team.

If you are a victim of sex trafficking, call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anyone wishing to speak with someone about safety planning or other resources, contact the Victim Assistance Program for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at 503-988-3222.