Oregon DOJ Secures 27-Year Sentence in North Bend Child Exploitation Case

Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced today that a North Bend man has been sentenced to 27.5 years in prison for sharing sexual images of children online, including photos he took of a 7-year-old child.

"The facts in this case are unspeakably heinous," said Attorney General Rayfield. "Nothing can undo the harm of these crimes, but our team will work every day to stop perpetrators from continuing to hurt children. The work of our ICAC investigators and prosecutors, partnering with local law enforcement, is critical to keeping our kids and our communities safe."

Kyle Clinton Foster pleaded guilty in Coos County Circuit Court. The case began with a tip from the messaging app Kik and was investigated and prosecuted by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force at the Oregon Department of Justice.

Apps like Kik are required to report child sexual abuse material when they find it on their platforms. Kik flagged an account that was sharing it, and the tip was sent to ICAC.

Investigators traced the account to Foster. They found he had sent more than 90 files containing sexual images of children to other users on the app. Some were photos he had taken himself of a 7-year-old child. He also sent material to, and had sexual conversations with, a 15-year-old in the United Kingdom.

Because of the seriousness of the crimes, Oregon law requires Foster to serve at least 25 of those years in full, with no time off for good behavior and no early release.

Foster pleaded guilty to 15 charges: two counts of Using a Child in a Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, 11 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse, and two counts of Luring a Minor.

During the last two years, the ICAC Task Force has increased from 5 ½ full-time members to 20. This statewide task force has agents stationed across Oregon and has executed more than 90 search warrants involving child predators in the last year and half.

Special Agent Steven Bohn of the Oregon Department of Justice led the investigation. Senior Assistant Attorney General Elijah C. Michalowski prosecuted the case. Attorney General Rayfield also thanks the Coos County DA's Office, Coos Bay Police Department, Coos County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations for their help in delivering justice to this perpetrator.