Hood River is a city in Northern Oregon of approximately 8,300 residents, and is the county seat of Hood River County, OR. It is situated along the border of Oregon and Washington, featuring a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city and surrounding areas. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates has resulted in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious problems associated with commercial sex in the area is child sex trafficking.

To combat prostitution and sex trafficking in the area, local law enforcement agencies have targeted consumer-level demand for commercial sex, which provides the revenue stream driving all commercial sex and trafficking. For example, in July 2018, four men, ages 23 to 44, were arrested and charged with online sexual corruption of a child in the first degree. In addition, a male 16-year-old male was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted sodomy. The operation was led by the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office and the Portland FBI – Child Exploitation Task Force with assistance from the Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team and Hood River County District Attorney’s Office. The Columbia Gorge Major Crime’s Team includes detectives from The Oregon State Police, The Dalles Police Department, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Hood River Police Department and Hood River County Sheriff’s Office. The identities and images of the four adult offenders were included in reports by local media outlets. The 16-year-old offender’s identity was not released by police.