Man accused of molesting toddler in Salem store, fleeing to Illinois
A 28-year-old man snatched and sexually abused a toddler in a northeast Salem store before fleeing and being arrested nearly a month later in Illinois, according to the Salem Police Department.
A Marion County grand jury on April 19 indicted Jason P. Mikel of Salem on charges of attempted first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse and attempted first-degree kidnapping.
The sexual assault occurred on April 1 in a “variety store” in the 2700 block of Northeast Lancaster Drive, Salem police said in a news release on Friday. The victim was three years old.
The child’s mother reported that she was shopping and lost sight of her daughter before finding her in Mikel’s arms. “The mother confronted the unknown suspect, who put the child down and fled the store,” according to the police statement.
A forensic interview by Liberty House, a child abuse assessment center in Salem, found that the suspect had harmed the child.
Detectives identified Mikel as the suspect and determined he had fled the state to the village of Minooka, a small suburb of Chicago.
A joint operation involving the FBI’s Chicago office, the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Minooka and Channahon resulted in Mikel’s arrest on Thursday, April 25. He was booked into the Grundy County Jail and will be extradited to Oregon to face the charges.
Mikel previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to sexual harassment in Washington County. He was sentenced in that case to 10 days in jail and 18 months of probation. He was also ordered to undergo sex offender treatment.
He also has a warrant for his arrest in a pending case in Marion County in which he was charged in November with two counts of second-degree animal neglect. Prosecutors allege he failed to provide minimum care to two cats, according to court documents.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety 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.
