The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) joint inter-agency task force arrested a suspect today on multiple child sexual abuse charges. Joshua Remington Pettry, 28, is lodged in the Jackson County Jail on charges of using a child in the display of sexually explicit content, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, and incest.
The case began when SOCET received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that numerous images of child exploitation were uploaded from Pettry’s residence on the 300 block of Broad Street in Butte Falls. SOCET and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Patrol deputies served a search warrant July 26 and seized several digital devices.
Based on evidence uncovered at the scene, SOCET arrested Pettry on two counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force forensically examined the devices and uncovered further evidence of child exploitation with a local victim, leading to the additional charges. This case will be prosecuted by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office.
SOCET is a joint inter-agency task force that started in June of 2020 to combat child exploitation and human trafficking. The task force consists of investigators from JCSO, Grants Pass Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations; as well as prosecutors from our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in Jackson and Josephine County.
