Oregon sex offender charged with possessing videos, photos of child sexual abuse

OREGON – A tip to the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children resulted in the arrest of a rural Oregon man and registered juvenile sex offender who now is charged with eight counts of possessing images of child sexual abuse.

Kris D. Stubblefield, 32, made his initial appearance Tuesday before Ogle County Court Judge Clayton Lindsey.

Stubblefield faces three to seven years in prison on each count, each of which involve images of children that, according to the charging document, he knew or should have known were younger than 13, with some as young as 3.

If convicted, he also would be required to register as an adult as a sex offender for life and could be fined $1,000 to $10,000.

According to the sheriff’s office and testimony Tuesday, Stubblefield’s home was searched Oct. 12 after a monthslong investigation.

He was arrested Oct. 21, and charged the next day with possession of six videos of children engaged in sex acts and two lewd photos involving children.

Stubblefield is being held in the Ogle County Correctional Center now that a petition to detain filed by the state’s attorney was granted Tuesday. He could appeal the decision.

His next status hearing is Wednesday.

Assistant Ogle County State’s Attorney Heather Kruse argued Tuesday to keep Stubblefield in custody, citing reports from the Illinois attorney general and the sheriff’s office that he is registered as a juvenile sex offender and was in possession of more than 1,500 images of children engaged in sex acts with adults and some with other children.

Photos and videos were found on his phone, Kruse said.

When police searched his home, he agreed to speak to law enforcement and told one Ogle County sheriff’s detective that he was a “purveyor of taboo material,” she said.

“The defendant also used file-sharing services to share files and to access ‘chats’ on how to find files,” Kruse said. “Because of his admissions to detectives about downloading and storing these images, he poses a real and present threat to the community and the public.”

Other cases when Stubblefield was a juvenile show “an ongoing problem, especially with younger children,” Kruse said. He should remain in jail because “there is no way to monitor him.”

Public Defender Kathleen Isley argued for Stubblefield’s release, citing his cooperation with law enforcement.

“We do acknowledge this is an extremely serious offense. He does have a juvenile record from when he was teen that has been adjudicated, and he has remained on the sex offender list,” Isley said.

“There is no indication that he has failed to report or to be monitored. He did not elude law enforcement in any way, and he has no history of violence. Any conditions for his release could be controlled by the court to mitigate any threat to the public.”

If released, Stubblefield agreed to comply with limitations restricting his access to the internet, Isley said.

Lindsey said the charges were too serious to allow his release.

“Over 1,500 files were found. There is a huge public concern over child pornography and human trafficking,” Lindsey said. “The recency of his alleged conduct is a concern to the court.”

Stubblefield’s juvenile convictions also weighed on the decision to keep him in jail, Lindsey said.

“It is disturbing that the victims in those offenses were also young children, the same of what he is downloading here. The community at large is under a threat,” he said.

The defense also did not offer an effective way to monitor Stubblefield’s computer use 24/7, Lindsey said.

The Illinois State Police and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, both of which work through the Illinois Crimes Against Children task force to target abusive crimes against children, assisted in the investigation.

To report or for information

There are various ways for people to quickly and easily report suspected incidents of child sexual exploitation that occur on the internet, including activities involving the possession, manufacture and distribution of images of child sexual abuse, online enticement of children for sexual purposes, child prostitution, child sex tourism, child sexual molestation and unsolicited obscene material sent to a child.

To report online child exploitation, email the Illinois Attorney General’s Office at Illinois.icactip@ilag.gov; to report anyone suspected of possessing or making images of child sexual abuse, email ReportChildPorn@ilag.gov.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also has a CyberTipline online at childhelphotline.org or by calling 800-422-4453.