A Salem barber accused of molestation during haircuts at his home barbershop now faces felony charges alleging similar conduct with three other teenagers.
A Marion County grand jury on April 4 indicted Eron D. Griffin, 42, of Salem, on felony charges of second-degree sexual abuse, third-degree sodomy and two counts of luring a minor. He also faces misdemeanor charges in four counts of third-degree sexual abuse and commercial sexual solicitation.
The charges allege that Griffin subjected two teen boys to sexual contact in 2022 as well as a third boy between 2009 and 2010. One of the victims was 14 at the time of the abuse, according to the indictment.
He is also accused of offering a boy money to engage in sexual contact and on another occasion providing a minor “a visual representation of sexual conduct, for the purpose of inducing the minor to engage in sexual conduct,” the indictment said.
Griffin’s four most serious charges are all Class C felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000.
Brendan Murphy, Marion County deputy district attorney, did not respond to a written question about whether the abuse alleged in the new case also occurred during haircuts.
The new accusations come five months after Marion County prosecutors in a separate case charged Griffin with three counts of third-degree sexual abuse and commercial sexual solicitation, all misdemeanors.
Police began investigating the barber in October after teen victims reported he had subjected them to sexual contact during haircuts, the Salem Police Department said in a news release in February. Police said at the time that they suspected there may be other underage victims of Griffin’s abuse.
Griffin was arrested following the earlier charges, booked into the Marion County Jail and later released in December, according to court documents.
Court records did not show a warrant issued for his arrest since the new charges were filed.
Griffin’s hair design and esthetician licenses remained active as of Wednesday, according to the state Heath Licensing Office’s website.
Additional court proceedings are scheduled for May 22.
Griffin previously pleaded guilty in 2004 to two counts of delivering a controlled substance to a minor in Marion County, court records showed.
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Salem man charged with molesting teens at home barbershop
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.
