OREGON
Oregonian
By Rebecca Woolington | rwoolington@oregonian.com
on December 08, 2014
A Vancouver man who volunteered at two churches and with a child abuse prevention group has been accused of sexually abusing three girls in Washington County, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher Joseph Gonzales, 44, was arrested Sunday on nine counts of first-degree sexual abuse, said Sgt. Bob Ray, a sheriff’s office spokesman. He was lodged in the Washington County Jail with bail set at $750,000.
First-degree sexual abuse is a Measure 11 crime that carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of six years and three months. Ray said Gonzales is suspected of abusing at least three girls, the youngest being 5 years old. The abuse, Ray said, began in 2008 and continued over several years.
The girls were known to Gonzales, Ray said, but not connected to his volunteer work.
Detectives are concerned that there could be more victims because Gonzales had access to children through his volunteering.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.