Jessie Ezell Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Child, Sentencing Set For November 8, 2019 -09/03/19

September 3, 2019

Jessie Ezell convicted of sexually abusing child, sentencing set for November 8, 2019

On August 30, 2019, upon the conclusion of a five day trial, a Multnomah County jury convicted 45-year-old Jessie Ezell for repeatedly sexually abusing a female child.

The jury convicted Ezell of two counts of sodomy in the first degree and four counts of sexual abuse in the first degree.

This investigation started in February 2017 when the Oregon Department of Human Services received a child abuse tip. The caller expressed welfare concerns about the child victim because she was reportedly being exposed to abuse and neglect. During the investigation, DHS received information that Ezell was using methamphetamine, impairing his judgement and impulse control, likely contributing to the sexual abuse of the child victim, according to trial testimony.

The child victim was evaluated at CARES Northwest on two occasions – once in 2017 and again the next year – and disclosed the sexual abuse during the 2018 evaluation.  

“Jessie Ezell was supposed to be someone this child could trust. Instead, he targeted and sexually abused her because of her age and her vulnerability,” said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Amber Kinney, who litigated this case. “She endured repeated abuse and was trapped in a cycle of exploitation. As a result of her courage to come forward and disclose her story, she is now safe and is receiving intensive trauma-informed care and therapy.” 

Ezell was arrested on September 21, 2018 after law enforcement located him in Gresham, Oregon. He was arrested on a warrant that had been issued by a Multnomah County grand jury.

Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for November 8, 2019 at 1 p.m.

At this time, no additional information on this case can be released.

It was through the coordination, communication and collaboration of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team that this case was investigated and prosecuted. The Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team includes representatives from local law enforcement, public schools, hospitals, courts, health departments, the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Oregon Department of Employment Child Care Division.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Team is responsible for reviewing and managing child abuse and neglect cases in Multnomah County. The team also handles all child homicides, felony child physical abuse cases, felony child abandonment cases, custodial interference cases, and felony sex crimes where the victim is currently under the age of 18 and where the perpetrator is determined not to be a stranger to the child.

CARES Northwest, Multnomah County’s child abuse assessment center, is a community-based medical program for the assessment, treatment and prevention of child abuse. The organization is one of the largest child abuse assessment centers in the nation and serves more than 5,000 children annually.

The jury acquitted Ezell on one count of rape in the first degree and one count of sexual abuse in the first degree.

#MCDA#

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Contact: Brent Weisberg, Communications Director

Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Phone: 503.988.6567 | Email: Brent.Weisberg@mcda.us