EUGENE, Ore. — Geoffrey Cannon, the former director of the Oregon Coast Military Museum in Florence, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation Tuesday for second degree sex abuse of a 15-year-old girl — a sentence the victim and her mother say is not enough.
The abuse happened between August 2024 through July 2025.
Cannon, 27 years old at the time, was indicted in July on four counts of second degree sex abuse of the teen, who was a volunteer at the museum.
We spoke with the victim and her mother following the sentencing, on the condition of anonymity.
The victim’s mother said she discovered the abuse while volunteering at the museum herself.
She went looking for her daughter and found her with Cannon in the museum parking lot.
“He said, ‘I’ll never betray your trust like that, I’ll never break your trust.’ But you know, one of the things I want to say is sexual abuse of a teenager doesn’t usually look like you think it does. It looks like building their trust, becoming friends; he made her feel seen, validated, important, and she is. I mean she’s a pretty awesome kid,” the victim’s mother said.
During the sentencing, the victim, who described Cannon as her first boyfriend, detailed the emotional impact of the relationship — from losing friends and money to becoming a pariah in her small town.
While her mother painted Cannon as manipulative, remorseless and a danger to her daughter.
Though each of Cannon’s four counts carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison each, Cannon took a plea deal to avoid jail time.
Lawyers for Cannon said they believe Tuesday’s sentence was a fair outcome.
But the victim and her mother are frustrated by the sentence and concerned Cannon has no incentive to avoid contacting the teen.
“I told the district attorney that I said, look, you’re talking about a groomed teenager and I know that that sounds unfair, but you’re talking about a child who fell in love with their abuser,” the victim’s mother said. “Most teenagers will defend their abuser, many of them much longer than she did.”
“At this point, I’m like, I’m done. If I could just, like, erase it, it doesn’t exist, and we just move on with life, that’s what I do,” the victim said.
There were good reasons for negotiations in this case, according to Lane County District Attorney Chris Parosa, who said Cannon’s lack of prior criminal history could have led to less supervised probation time combined with prison time, if a plea deal was not offered.
“…we wanted both additional time for supervised probation over Mr. Cannon and the ability to significantly penalize him if he violates his probation,” Parosa said.
If Cannon does not comply with his probation, he is subject to a potential sentence of 34-36 months in prison, Parosa said.
As part of the plea deal, Cannon must undergo sex offender treatment and have no contact with minors.
Cannon took the stand and said he regretted his actions and the impact they had on the victim, her family, and the community.
A statement released by the museum’s board of directors states the museum has a new board and new board president after the resignation of former board president Gary Cannon, Geoffrey Cannon’s father.
The statement says, in part:
The newly appointed Board is committed to restoring the museum and strengthening its operations. The Board brings a range of strengths, including organizational experience, renewed oversight, and a deep dedication to preserving and sharing our military history. To ensure a successful reopening, the Board is currently reviewing records, organizing exhibits, and rebuilding internal processes — a necessary step that will take time but is essential to long-term success.
When the museum reopens, it will begin with limited operating hours, gradually expanding as staffing and resources allow.
The Board anticipates the need for volunteers and welcomes community involvement once the museum is ready for that next step.
Our goal is to reopen the museum in the best possible light. We want to ensure that when the doors open, the community is welcomed into a well-organized, respectful, and engaging space that honors the legacy of our service members.
