The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office reported on Thursday that they have made arrests in Oregon as a result of a months-long undercover operation aimed at identifying adults who victimize children online.
The report states that law enforcement officers led the SOCET operation by disguising themselves as minors online and waiting for suspects to approach them with propositions for sexual activities.
During the period of January to March 2024, the Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team embarked on a joint inter-agency task force operation. The primary objective of this operation was to identify and apprehend cyber predators. The team worked diligently to combat the rising issue of child exploitation.
SOCET has provided a description of the arrests mentioned below:
The first arrest came on January 30 when Gabriel Julian Harrison-Swinden, 29, of White City, attempted to meet and have sex with a juvenile. Harrison-Swinden is charged with first and second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, luring a minor, and attempted using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct. He was booked and lodged in the Jackson County Jail. Investigators have reason to believe Harrison-Swinden may have victimized children throughout Oregon and the United States. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-581.
Gabriel Julian Harrison-Swinden, 29, of White City, was arrested, as seen in his booking photo provided by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The second arrest on January 30 was Kelly Patrick Ramsey, 57, of Central Point, when he attempted to meet with a juvenile to have sex. Ramsey is charged with two counts of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child, two counts of second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, two counts of luring a minor, and using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct. Ramsey was booked and lodged at the Jackson County Jail. Investigators have reason to believe Ramsey may have victimized children throughout Oregon and the United States. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-587.
Kelly Patrick Ramsey, a 57-year-old resident of Central Point, has been arrested, as seen in his booking photo provided by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The third arrest came on February 3 when Steven Eugene Fitzgerald Buckner, 33, of Tigard, Ore., traveled to Jackson County to meet with juveniles to have sex. Buckner is charged federally with online coercion and enticement of a minor. Buckner was booked and lodged in the Jackson County Jail on a federal hold. Investigators have reason to believe Buckner may have victimized children throughout Oregon and the United States. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-680.
Steven Eugene Fitzgerald Buckner, 33, from Tigard, has been arrested.
On February 27th, Cayden James Vasquez, 25, of Medford, was arrested attempting to meet with a juvenile to have sex. Vasquez is charged with first and second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, luring a minor, and attempted using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct. He was booked and lodged in the Jackson County Jail. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-1124.
Last week, SOCET investigators traveled to Milwaukie, Ore. to arrest Andrew P Jones, 41, of Milwaukie. Milwaukie Police Department assisted with the March 12th arrest. Jones is charged with second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, and luring a minor. He was booked and lodged in the Clackamas County Jail awaiting transport to Jackson County. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-711.
The next day on March 13th, SOCET investigators traveled to Redmond, Ore. and arrested Steven Charles Newstrom, 66, of Redmond, as he attempted to meet with a juvenile to have sex. Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest. Jones is charged with second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, and luring a minor. He was booked and lodged in the Deschutes County Jail awaiting transport to Jackson County. If you have any information, call the JCSO Tip Line at (541) 774-8333 and reference case number 24-710.
Investigators suspect that the suspects may have targeted other individuals as well. If you have any additional information about these suspects, please reach out to your local law enforcement agency or contact the JCSO tip line at (541) 774-8333. Alternatively, you can also provide information to investigators by using the “Submit a Tip” feature on the Sheriff’s App.