Out Of State Child Abuse Advocacy Group Leads To Arrest Of Registered Sex Offender -03/21/25

 

The Albany Police take crimes against children very seriously. These types of reports must be investigated thoroughly and very intricately so they can be successfully prosecuted, and suspects are held accountable for their actions. There are policies, processes and specific laws we must follow to ensure we get the legal outcome we all want.

Today, we were approached by a group of people who were attempting to assist law enforcement by posing as a minor online and setting up meeting spots in Albany while filming for their social media channel. While this may initially sound like a quick and easy method to arrest criminals, it is imperative that proper procedures are followed so cases do not get compromised. The subject, Charles H Mellick, age 34, of Corvallis was arrested on an outstanding warrant, meanwhile we are actively investigating the new allegations brought to us today.

We have previously met with these groups to establish guidelines for jurisdiction, proper evidence handling and explain procedures. The group today did not follow these guidelines and called us after the incident was underway.  These situations put us at a perilous disadvantage. Of course, we will still take the information provided and detectives will work the case as a priority investigation.

This method of investigating a crime is not recommended for untrained and non-sworn people and can be particularly dangerous.  All our officers at APD are trained to investigate sex abuse crimes and unfortunately, do so on a daily basis. Officers are specifically trained to investigate registered sex offenders and make sure they are in compliance with Oregon laws.  In addition, we have a dedicated team of detectives that work these cases and are passionate about keeping our kids safe and making sure child predators get prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

These heinous crimes are the most serious we see in society, and we want to make sure our cases are high quality and result in successful prosecution. Deviance from accepted lawful procedures and practices could put these cases in jeopardy. If you want to report a crime against children please contact CyberTipLine.org, 1-800-THE-LOST or your nearest police department.

 

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