HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 20, 2023, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Jeremy Christopher Yandle, age 45, to 175 months in prison. This sentence comes after the defendant was convicted of four counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel prosecuted the case against Mr. Yandle. 

In August of 2021, the defendant was released from prison after serving a sentence for convictions in Multnomah County for Arson in the First Degree and Manufacturing a Destructive Device. The mother of the two young victims allowed the defendant, whom she had previously known, to move into their home so she could help him get back on his feet. While living in the home, Mr. Yandle, who was already a registered sex offender from a previous conviction, molested two minor children multiple times over several months. 

Once the girls reported the abuse the defendant fled the home. Police were unable to locate him until June of 2022 when he was arrested in Multnomah County for attacking and stabbing a stranger outside of a grocery store. Investigators with the Tigard Police Department confronted the defendant about the sex abuse allegations. He admitted to inappropriate touching but said he did not think a young girl touched by an older man would be harmed.

At the sentencing hearing, DDA Meisel described Mr. Yandle as a “highly dangerous person.” DDA Meisel told the court that the defendant is “violent, manipulative, unpredictable, and predatory.” She added that the defendant “took advantage of the one person who was willing to show him kindness and he has shown no remorse for his actions.”

The victim’s mother, who is currently battling cancer, also addressed the court at the hearing. She expressed her grief, feelings of betrayal, and lamented the challenges her daughters will now have to face as they come to terms with the abuse. 

The prison sentence handed down by Judge Butterfield will run in addition to the 70-month prison sentence the defendant received in Multnomah County. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to commend the victims and their loved ones for their strength and bravery throughout the legal process. This office also acknowledges the work of Tigard police and CARES Northwest.