Police on Tuesday arrested a Springfield man they say sent sexual photos and videos to a teen in Salem.
Prosecutors charged Edwin P. Johnson, 33, on Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court with luring a minor and second-degree online sexual corruption of a child.
The charges allege Johnson solicited and offered to physically meet with a child to engage in sexual conduct between June 9 and 25. He also sent sexual messages to a police officer posing as a minor during that same period, according to the charging document.
Detectives began investigating Johnson after learning he was having multiple sexual conversations and sending sexually explicit photos and videos to a 15-year-old girl in Salem on Instagram, the Salem Police Department said in a news release.
Salem police arrested Johnson in Springfield and booked into Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Wednesday, the jail’s roster showed. Both of his charges are Class C felonies which carry a maximum of five years in prison.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Marion County Criminal Court Annex.
Salem police said in its statement that the iRespect&Protect program includes training for parents to help their children “safely navigate the digital dangers online.” The program is run by Liberty House, the child advocacy center serving Marion and Polk Counties.
The police agency listed more resources for parents and teens:
- Marion County Youth & Family Crisis Services, 503-576-4673
- Polk County Behavioral Health, 503-623-9289
- Oregon YouthLine, 1-877-968-8491, or text “teen2teen” to 839863
- Sexting, Sending Nudes, and Digital Life
- Removing an inappropriate photo from the Internet or social media
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
