An Oregon business owner has been arrested on charges of sex crimes against minors. The 45-year-old man owned a cafe which employed minor girls. According to reports, the man has been charged with 28 criminal counts including for sexual abuse, sodomy and third-degree rape. Police claim that the man exchanged drugs with minor employees and other young girls that visited the cafe in exchange for sexual activity. He is also facing drug charges for allegedly distributing nitrous oxide, marijuana and MDMA to the minors.
These charges are the result of a police investigation into the activity that was happening at the cafe. Police say that many of the alleged exchanges occurred at "after parties" hosted at the musical and performing arts venue. Police have claimed that they are still looking for victims in this case and that they do not intend to prosecute any of the minors involved.
The charges faced by this Oregon man are very serious. His bail has been set at $197,000. He could face years of punishment for these felony charges. Sex crime charges, in particular, are damaging because they often involve a person's reputation in the community. They can make it difficult for a person to find work or housing even after the person has finished serving a criminal sentence.
However, even those accused of sex crimes against minors have the right to defend themselves in court. In fact, this defense becomes all the more important considering the extreme nature of the punishments for sex crimes -- which can include prison sentences, probation and registering on a sex offender registry. The sex offender registry, alone, can have serious consequences including being under police supervision for years, restrictions on where a person can live, work or socialize and other punishments.
Source: KGW, "Former cafe owner arrested on sex, drug charges," Jan. 5, 2013
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