MEDFORD, Ore. (Sep. 18, 2026)— A Medford man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the second degree, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced.
David Lee Hurd, 56, pleaded guilty Sept. 14 in Jackson County Circuit Court. Pro Tem Judge Paul Moser sentenced Hurd to a total of 20 years in prison, followed by two years of post-prison supervision.
The case began after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child sexual abuse material had been exchanged through a specific email address. Further investigation identified Hurd as the suspect.
On Aug. 2, 2023, members of the Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Taskforce, Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies executed a search warrant at Hurd’s home.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Hurd told investigators that he owned several electronic devices on which he had saved child sexual abuse material for his own viewing. Investigators also reported that Hurd made statements indicating he was attracted to girls between the ages of 8 and 10.
A subsequent search of Hurd’s electronic devices found more than 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Hurd was a registered sex offender before the offenses in this case. He previously served a prison sentence in 1994 for sex offenses involving a child and another sentence in 2011 for possession of child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors.
The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office credited the Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Taskforce and Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force with their work on the investigation.
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