Man Arrested for Sharing Images of Child Sex Abuse (Photo)

MEDFORD – A joint investigation between the Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) led to the arrest of a Medford man on charges related to online sharing of images of child sexual abuse.  Jeffery Andrew Ford, 54, was arrested at his residence on Wednesday morning. 

On March 27, 2019, detectives served a search warrant at Ford’s home in the 300-block of DeBarr Avenue, with assistance from the JCSO SWAT team.  Ford was taken into custody without incident.

Following the service of the search warrant, Ford was lodged in the Jackson County jail on six counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and six counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree.  Total bail at lodging was $105,000.

In January 2019, an investigator with the Oregon DOJ Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force contacted JCSO detectives after initiating an investigation into the online sharing of multiple images depicting the sexual abuse of children.  Ford was identified as the suspect in the case. 

The case will be referred to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  Anyone with information on the case can call Detective Steve Bohn at (541) 774-6168.  

Case # 19-4412

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