Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley reports that on March 6, 2018, his deputies served a child exploitation search warrant at a residence on North Second Street in Lebanon. The search warrant was the culmination of an extensive investigation into the online distribution of child pornography over the Internet.
Deputies served the search warrant and located four people inside the residence. Registered Sex Offender Mark Richard McKuhn, 41, was one of the subjects at the home and was arrested on 20 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and one count of Encouraging the Sexual Assault of an Animal.
During an interview with deputies, McKuhn admitted to searching for child pornography and collecting child pornography over the internet in addition to admission of internet communication with minors with the intention of obtaining explicit photographs of children.
Additional charges may be forthcoming following digital forensic examination of devices seized during the search warrant. Other convicted registered sex offenders reside in the home and this investigation continues.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is committed to protecting children and proactively investigates online child exploitation crimes as a component of that commitment to child safety.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office was assisted during the search warrant by the Albany Police Department, Linn County Parole and Probation and the Lebanon Police Department.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information relevant to this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Trenary at 541-917-6665.