HILLSBORO, Ore.- On May 7, 2020, Austin Michael House pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct and first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. On June 11, 2020, Mr. House was sentenced to 280 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted the case before Judge Ted Sims.

In October of 2017, the defendant, aged 26 at the time, was caught engaging in sexually explicit conduct online with a 15-year-old girl living outside of Oregon. The victim’s grandmother searched the defendant’s social media accounts and determined he lived in Beaverton, Oregon. She then immediately contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office which launched an investigation into the incident.

Detectives obtained search warrants for Mr. House’s home and multiple electronic devices. They found evidence of similar crimes involving three additional minors, all living outside Oregon. Investigators also found multiple images and videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Over the course of two law enforcement interviews, the defendant admitted to detectives that he was aware of the victims’ ages and admitted to engaging in sexually explicit conversations with them via social media and other digital platforms.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office credits the victim’s family for making the initial report, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work on this case. This office also acknowledges Detective Tim Mateski for his detailed investigation and continuing efforts to identify the defendant’s additional victims.