WCSO 2021 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 23
CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS:
A COMMITMENT TO
CLOSURE FOR VICTIMS
The Violent Crimes Unit consists of full-time detectives
dedicated to investigating various violent crimes, including
child abuse. Child abuse crimes may include sexual
abuse, serious physical injury, drug exposure, or child
pornography. While Patrol Division deputies investigate
more straightforward child abuse cases, detectives handle
more complex cases. The detectives’ goal is to solve cases
and expedite justice for victims; however, the nature of
these cases is difficult and complex. A typical investigation
can take 6-18 months, from initial report to case closure.
One disturbing child sexual abuse case began in May
2019 and ended with the final conviction in September of
2021. The case involved three family members who were
ultimately convicted of child sexual abuse of five victims,
with the youngest being five years old at the time the
abuse began and sentenced from 55 to more than 81 years
in prison for their crimes. One subject was already serving
time in prison on another conviction of child sex abuse
when they were indicted. The subject’s brother and ex-wife
were also indicted and convicted in the case. The abuse
carried out by these three began when the children were
young and continued for many years.
*Overall crime rate for five most populous counties in Oregon
according to most recent data published by FBI National
Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
According to Detective Mark Povolny of the Washington
County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), the case began with a call to
law enforcement from one of the victims in May 2019. The
call set off a series of investigations. Detectives worked in
partnership with the Department of Human Services (DHS),
Patrol, Detectives, Cares Northwest, and a civilian support
translator. The initial investigation led to the arrest of the
first suspect, and over the next six weeks, there were two
more arrests. The investigation included a trip to Salem
to interview the suspect, who was already incarcerated
on another sex abuse case. Victims’ advocacy through
the District Attorney’s Office helped the child victims and
was pivotal in supporting them through the long trials,
including initial grand jury proceedings. Three separate
jury trials let to three individual convictions. Our partners at
Hillsboro Police also took a report and connected it with this
case at WCSO. We are very proud of the victims for having
the courage to come forward and testify multiple times. We
are grateful for our detectives’ hard work and the incredible
partnerships that, in the end, resulted in justice for these
very deserving victims.
WCSO 2021 Annual Report | 21
