August 16, 2019
Sexual abuse indictment issued as part of ongoing Untested Sexual Assault Kit Project
Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced that as part of the ongoing Untested Sexual Assault Kit Project, a grand jury has indicted Jesse Ryan Moser, 36, for allegedly sexually abusing a 17 year old female in 2013 and 2014.
This is the eighth case to be indicted under the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Untested Sexual Assault Kit Project.
The indictment charges Moser with seven counts of sexual abuse in the second degree.
It is alleged in the indictment that while in Multnomah County, Moser unlawfully and knowingly subjected the female, who was a minor, to sexual intercourse on multiple occasions between October 27, 2013 and July 31, 2014.
The victim in this case does not want media contact. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is requesting media respect her privacy.
This case was reported to the Portland Police Bureau on December 14, 2013 and was assigned to its Detective Division. During the pendency of the investigation, law enforcement remained in contact with the victim and attempted to locate the suspect in this case.
The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kit in this matter was tested as part of the Untested Sexual Assault Kit Project, which was initiated by a grant provided by the New York County District Attorney’s Office.
On August 14, 2019, a Multnomah County grand jury returned the seven-count indictment against Moser and an arrest warrant was issued.
Moser was located in Lane County and transported to the Multnomah County Detention Center on August 15, 2019.
Due to the ongoing investigation, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is not able to provide any additional details on this case.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime. Moser is innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Elimination Project
In 2015, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill, along with the Portland Police Bureau, Gresham Police Department, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory collaboratively initiated a project to process thousands of untested Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kits in Multnomah, Marion and Lane counties.
District Attorney Underhill and others quickly identified funding from the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) and worked collectively with the Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Crimes Unit after the City of Portland received a grant from U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Grant Program.
DANY awarded the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office a total of $1,995,453 in September 2015. Using those funds, a coordinated effort involving local law enforcement and the Oregon State Police was launched to send SAFE kits, dated 2014 or older from Multnomah, Lane and Marion counties, to a private lab in Utah for testing.
Under the DANY grant, nearly 3,000 sexual assault kits from around the state of Oregon were tested.
In 2018, Oregon became one of the first five states in the country to clear its backlog of Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) kits.
In Oregon, Senate Bill 1571, known as "Melissa's Law," was the Oregon Legislature's response to ensuring all sexual assault kits, except for anonymous kits, are sent to the Oregon State Crime Laboratory for timely testing.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Workgroup, which was created in 2015, is comprised of victim-centered and trauma informed members of the Portland Police Bureau and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Results from the kits continue to be investigated and survivors of sexual assaults are being notified. The Portland Police Bureau’s Sex Crimes Unit encourages those who have had a SAFE kit collected prior to 2015 to contact the roseproject@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0125.
Current Multnomah County SAFE kit criminal cases (as of August 16, 2019)
State of Oregon vs Jihad Eldeen Moore - 18CR13996 – Convicted Oct. 31, 2018
State of Oregon vs Chanh Van Tran - 18CR25167 - Convicted in November 2018
State of Oregon vs Curtis Clint Williams - 17CR37474 - Convicted in June 2018
State of Oregon vs Steven Guy Tubbs - 17CR08640 - Convicted in August 2018
State of Oregon vs Jose Oscar Rosales - 17CR29317 - Convicted in February 2018
State of Oregon vs Ricky Alexander Harrison - 18CR59141 - Pending arraignment
State of Oregon vs Richard Timothy Ward – 19CR25495 - Pending arraignment
State of Oregon vs Jesse Ryan Moser – 19CR53575 – Pending trial
#MCDA#
Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director
Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office
Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us