Oregon

Oregon reports sharp increase in tips about ‘sextortion’ of minors

Published

8 months ago

February 15, 2025

Oregon reports sharp increase in tips about ‘sextortion’ of minors

The Oregon Department of Justice reported a sharp uptick in tips about “sextortion” of minors since 2020 and shared updated guidance on keeping kids safe online for Safer Internet Day on Feb. 11.

The state’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force receives cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Tips related to sextortion, categorized as “online enticement of children for sexual acts,” have increased by 857%, from nearly 200 in 2020 to nearly 2,000 last year, the DOJ said.

The FBI said sextortion “occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t provide them images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money.”

“As a parent myself, these cases and the numbers we’re seeing in Oregon alone are deeply troubling,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. “Our investigators are dedicated to combating online threats. They are working with investigators across the country, and around (the) world in some cases, to get justice for these kids and their families.”

Oregon’s task force has received a total of 46,205 cybertips since it began in 2004, a spokesperson said. Tips have led to 353 arrests and 2,070 investigations, according to the DOJ’s 2025-2027 budget request.

There are 61 task forces throughout the country. NCMEC receives tips about sextortion and other child exploitation online and sends them to task forces.

Mark Williamson, assistant chief criminal investigator for Oregon’s ICAC, said sextortion is the “biggest issue that we’re dealing with right now when it comes to kids.”

Oregon’s task force was expanded last year after legislators approved nearly $2.7 million in additional funding for 14 additional positions to what was previously a staff of five. In addition to investigating tips, the ICAC gives education and prevention presentations and trains law enforcement on how to respond.

“That is a big component of what we’re doing — trying to prevent these incidents from happening, and educating everyone, from the kids to their families to law enforcement — so they know what to look out for and who to turn to,” said Williamson.

Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.

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Oregon

David Pollack reveals pick, score prediction for Oregon-Penn State showdown

Published

1 week ago

September 24, 2025

Press Room

David Pollack reveals pick, score prediction for Oregon-Penn State showdown

Ahead of a massive Week 5 showdown between two of the Big Ten’s primary contenders, Oregon visiting Penn State, college football analyst David Pollack broke down the game and explained which side he’s giving the edge to on Saturday evening.

An episode of Pollack’s podcast, See Ball Get Ball, dropped on Wednesday and featured the former All-American’s picks for the top games of the week, which he paired with some in-depth commentary behind why he’s selected the teams and final scores that he has. For the big one, Oregon at Penn State, he explained why the Nittany Lions could have a few aces hiding up their sleeve.

“Penn State ain’t hasn’t had show nothing yet, and they haven’t showed nothing yet,” Pollack said of PSU’s soft open to their 2025 schedule. “Listen, (Andy) Kotelnecki, with a preseason tune-up, he knows exactly who he is, he knows what he is, like, they’re going to score some points,” he added.

Penn State ran off wins against Nevada, FIU and Villanova before taking their bye week ahead of Oregon. En route to outscoring those poor souls by a 132-17 total score, Pollack’s right, Penn State didn’t have to dive deep into their bag. He referenced Georgia’s performance vs. Tennessee from a couple weeks ago, noting that the Nittany Lions have an established ground game to pair with whatever new tricks are introduced in the passing game.

“The run game beat up Oregon a year ago,” Pollack commented. “The run game can be exactly the same as it was, if not better. The receiving corps cannot be worse, and I just think, with all of that, I’m betting on Penn State and I’m betting on who they have, their experience.”

The heads of that strong ground game are senior running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, contributors since the day they stepped on campus, while quarterback Drew Allar is a veteran returning starter with NFL aspirations. That’s a lot of experience for PSU, whereas Oregon has a younger transfer leading the charge in former UCLA QB Dante Moore.

“I think Jim Knowles will have something for Dante Moore that he’s absolutely never seen before in an atmosphere that’s going to be absolutely ballistic,” Pollack emphasized. “I think Dante Moore is going to look more human than he’s looked, and because of that, they could struggle a little bit. They’re not going to get to 45 like they did a year ago in the Big Ten championship game.”

With the experience edge and having the Ducks migrate across all three time zones to touch down in a “ballistic” Beaver Stadium, Pollack sees too much evidence going in Penn State’s direction for the victory.

“I got the Nittany Lions, man,” he stated. “I got 30-24 Penn State, they take care of business. All of the guys on the front who can make plays, they can get to the quarterback, they can get TFLs. They can rattle Dante Moore and I think they take care of business.”

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Oregon

Why Dante Moore plans to reach out to Bo Nix before Oregon’s trip to Penn State

Published

1 week ago

September 23, 2025

Press Room

Why Dante Moore plans to reach out to Bo Nix before Oregon’s trip to Penn State

EUGENE — Oregon’s current starting quarterback could reach out to one of his predecessors ahead of the biggest road game of his career.

Dante Moore visited Penn State as a recruit on Sept. 18, 2021, when the Nittany Lions hosted Auburn and then-Tigers quarterback Bo Nix for a White Out game at Beaver Stadium.

“At the time I didn’t know much of Bo as a person and of course as a player,” Moore said. “He was there throwing a lot of great passes … he was a competitor. The stadium was really loud of course.”

Nix was 21 of 37 for 185 yards and had six carries for 29 yards in a 28-20 loss to Penn State, which has extended its win streak in White Out game to six entering Saturday’s game with No. 6 Oregon.

“It was one of those that once you play in you know why everybody talks about it and speaks so highly of it,” Nix said in an interview with The Next Round days following that game. “It was fun. It was loud and it was exactly what an away game should feel like.”

Moore was reminded of the experience of visiting Happy Valley and seeing his high school teammate, former Penn State safety Jaylen Reed, play against Nix four years ago. He plans to talk to Nix this week about what it was like to play in what is widely considered the toughest road environment in the Big Ten and one of the toughest in college football.

“The stadium was really loud,” Moore said. “Understanding how Bo, how composed he was. Of course, I hope I have the chance to talk to him and hear his thoughts. It’s going to be a great week; it’s going to be a great game. It’s going to be a hostile environment. But I’m going to reach out to Bo for sure to see what things he has to tell me.”

Moore is completing 74.7% of his passes this season for 962 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception and added 87 yards rushing. But Penn State is the best opposing defense he will have ever faced and a crowd of over 100,000 makes it even more challenging.

Penn State coach James Franklin said Oregon’s offense is operating similarly with Moore as it did last season with Dillon Gabriel, who led the Ducks past the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship game.

“He’s a throw-first guy,” Franklin said. “Is very accurate. Can extend plays. Obviously, has a ton of play playmakers around him. … I think Dante sitting behind Gabriel was really valuable for his development.”

No. 6 Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 3 Penn State (3-0)

When: Saturday, Sept. 27
Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
TV channel: NBC/Peacock
Watch: You can watch this game live for free with Fubo (free trial), with DirecTV (free trial) or streaming live on demand with Peacock.
Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers) or Peacock ($10.99/month) or Sling (college football season pass is just $199). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.

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Oregon

Ducks stay put in US LBM Coaches poll after 34-14 road win at Northwestern

Published

3 weeks ago

September 14, 2025

Press Room

Ducks stay put in US LBM Coaches poll after 34-14 road win at Northwestern

It was quite the uneventful week in college football, at least for the top teams in the US LBM Coaches poll, including the Oregon Ducks after their 34-14 road win at Northwestern.

The top seven teams in the poll didn’t go up or down from last week. Oregon is still No. 5 in the country as they now prepare for the annual rivalry game with Oregon State at Autzen Stadium. But everyone is pointing to the next game after the Beavers, however.

Oregon goes to Penn State, which is ranked No. 2 in the poll and will likely stay at No. 2 as the Nittany Lions have a bye this week. The Big Ten dominates the poll with Ohio State on top at No. 1 after its 37-9 win over Ohio. Illinois is also in the Top 10 as the Illini are No. 9 in this week’s version of the poll.

Indiana moved up two spots at No. 17 with its 73-0 win over Indiana State.

The biggest move came from Georgia Tech after the Yellow Jackets stunned Clemson 24-21 on a last-second field goal. As a result, the Tigers, previously ranked No. 11, dropped to 1-2 on the season and completely out of the poll.

Besides Georgia Tech, Missouri (No. 22), Vanderbilt (No. 23) and Auburn (No. 25) are newcomers to the poll.

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