Two Men Arrested for Online Sexual Corruption of a Minor

 Springfield Police Dept

In February, a Special Investigations detective was conducting proactive work regarding child prostitution and posed online as a teen girl. Two men, responded separately to the posting and made an agreement to meet the “girl” who identified herself as age 15, and then showed up at the designated meet-up location. 

Donald Jeffery Randall, age 58, of Springfield, was arrested on February 11, after he responded to the undercover juvenile prostitution ad and solicited the “15-year-old” girl for intercourse and sending pornographic images of himself. He was lodged at the jail for Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the First degree. Case# 21- 02217.

Mark Alan Ewing, age 53, of Eugene, was arrested on February 2. He was lodged at the jail for Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the First degree. EPD Case 21-01781

According to Eugene Police Captain Shawn Adams, “Both cases highlight the problem with online corruption of vulnerable children. This happens in our local area and we will continue our efforts to combat online predators, and continue to raise awareness of this crime to prevent child sexual exploitation.”

Tips for Parents and Guardians:

Monitor your child's devices remotely and control access

Be aware of communications between your child and others

Beware of unexplained absences and behavior or sudden gifts or items they can’t afford or cash

Understand cyber-crime and that “no one online is anonymous”

If you child has a new game or app, spend time with them on it

Set up an area where children can use their technology with a parents presence

Consider not allowing your child to take a phone or computer with them into their room at night to sleep

Understand appropriate protocols when a child discloses issues of sexting, or sextortion. Let your child know they can report concerns to you or another trusted adult

Teach your child that it is o.k. to block users who make them uncomfortable

Understand applications such as SnapChat, TikTok, Facebook, Google Hangouts, Instagram and more