Wallowa Man Tried To Lure Autistic Boy, Sheriff Says

MEDFORD, OR — For allegedly trying to lure online an autistic teen boy for the purpose of sexual solicitation, a 50-year-old Wallowa County man was arrested this week and taken to Jackson County Jail to face charges.

John Delbert Stonebrink, of Wallowa, is charged with luring a minor, encouraging child sex abuse in both the first and second degree, and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. His bail is set at $285,000.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office began investigating Stonebrink's alleged crimes on Oct. 19, 2017, when the parents of a 14-year-old autistic boy contacted authorities to report "suspicious online activity," according to JCSO spokeswoman Sgt. Julie Denney.

The activity reported by the boy's parents reportedly involved an adult male who sent their son images depicting the sexual abuse of a child. Additionally, the man — later identified as Stonebrink — reportedly encouraged the boy to send back sexual images of himself.

Stonebrink, Denney said, used his real name as well as online usernames “JDStone,” “JDStone67,” and “codywest” on social media and email when communicating with the boy. He also identified himself as a firefighter working in Southern Oregon and tried to meet the boy in-person while there.

Later, detectives were able to confirm Stonebrink was previously employed as a sanitation truck driver working at the Miller Complex Fire in Jackson and Josephine counties between August and November 2017.

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Officers with the Enterprise Police Department, and detectives with the Wallowa and Jackson county sheriffs' offices on Jan. 9 reportedly served a search warrant at Stonebrink's home in Wallowa. There they found evidence linking Stonebrink to the family's allegations, including electronics that were sent to Oregon Department of Justice forensic examiners, Denney said.

A Jackson County grand jury on Sept. 19 issued an indictment for Stonebrink; he was arrested Sept. 25 at his home in Wallowa and taken back to Umatilla County Jail. Stonebrink was then transferred to Jackson County, where he was lodged in jail on Sept. 27.

Law enforcement encourages anyone who may have information about this case to contact Detective Steve Bohn at 541-774-6168.

Additional charges may be added later as the investigation continues, Denney said.

Image via Jackson County Sheriff's Office