PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Eugene man with past felony convictions and a pending case where he’s accused of rape was arrested again last Thursday after police said he tried to meet up with a decoy 14-year-old girl whom he planned to tie up and have sex with.
On Monday, a Lane County deputy district attorney filed a motion for a hearing to deny the suspect, Kumeh Robert Barnes, release from jail.
Based on Barnes’ criminal history, Deputy District Attorney Elle McCall said she believes he could be a danger to the public or victims if he’s released.
However, Barnes’ attorney said this case has no victim.
“In this case, the state’s relying on danger to a ‘victim,’ but there is no victim,” Barnes’ attorney Laura Fine told KOIN 6 News. “In this case, it was an adult male police officer pretending to be a teenage girl. To the extent that cosplay is a prevalent practice, it’s not clear that my client was aware that he was actually communicating with a 14-year-old girl.”
In a probable cause affidavit, police said the latest investigation into Barnes began on Tuesday, Aug. 16 when he sent a message to a decoy teen account being operated by J.N. McGuire, a Eugene Police Department Detective.
McGuire said Barnes used the screen name “Quincy Goodmen,” but later revealed his real name was Kumeh Barnes when he sent the decoy teen a link to music he had posted on a music sharing platform.
Police said that on social media, Barnes and the decoy teen engaged in conversations related to sexual activity. The decoy asked Barnes how old he was and he said he was 25. He then asked the decoy her age and the decoy told him “I will be 15 in January.” Barnes responded by saying he thought she was older and later asked, “So your 14?” The decoy confirmed that was her age.
Once he learned her age, Barnes suggested they keep the relationship “low key.”
According to the affidavit, Barnes tried moving the conversation to a different social media platform known for greater privacy, but the decoy teen refused.
Over the next couple of days, Barnes’ conversations on social media became more sexually explicit and he requested to meet up. He asked the decoy to call him “daddy” and referred to the decoy girl as “my little rope bunny.”
On Thursday, Aug. 18, the two agreed to meet after 4 p.m. behind Monroe Middle School in Eugene.
Barnes told the decoy teen he planned to tie her up and described the sexual acts he wanted to perform with her. He asked her to bring alcohol to the meeting and said he would bring marijuana.
Shortly before 4:45 p.m., Barnes arrived at the middle school. Detective McGuire saw him arrive, contacted him and placed him in handcuffs.
To confirm Barnes had been the man messaging the decoy teen, McGuire called him from the decoy’s social media account and Barnes’ phone rang.
Police found Barnes was carrying a set of metal knuckles. He was booked in the Lane County Jail.
In 2017, Barnes was found guilty of attempt to commit a Class A felony – first-degree sodomy, attempt to commit a Class B Felony – first-degree sexual abuse, and fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
The Associated Press reported that on July 4, 2017, Barnes tried to sexually assault a teenager outside South Eugene High School. A prosecutor said Barnes met the girl in downtown Eugene after she snuck out of her family’s home. The two had never met before that night. The girl said they were walking to an apartment when Barnes dragged her to the high school and forced her to perform sexual acts. Neighbors arrived after hearing her screams. Barnes fled when they arrived.
The Register Guard reported that Barned had punched the girl repeatedly while sexually assaulting her.
On July 29, 2021, Barnes was indicted in another case on one count of first-degree rape. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to a probable cause affidavit for the 2021 case, DNA collected from a woman who was sexually assaulted in 2017 matched with DNA from Barnes that was collected after he was booked in prison.
The woman told police she was beaten and sexually assaulted along East 12th Avenue in Eugene. She was taken to the hospital with a right orbital fracture and several bruises and cuts on her face. She underwent a sexual assault examination at the hospital.
In 2018, Oregon State Police notified Eugene Police Department that the semen collected from the 2017 sexual assault matched with Barnes’ DNA.
Police questioned Barnes in prison about the attack. He initially said he did not know the victim, but later admitted he knew the people she hung out with. A detective collected DNA from Barnes at the prison and again it matched the DNA collected from the sexual assault examination, according to the affidavit.
As a juvenile, Barnes was convicted of second-degree burglary, second-degree disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal trespass, and second-degree theft. He’s also been convicted of interference with public transportation as an adult.
In the latest case, Barnes faces one charge of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child. He has not been indicted nor has he filed a plea. The
KOIN 6 News contacted Lane County deputy district attorney Elle McCall for additional comments on her motion to deny Barnes release from jail and for more information on the rape charge but did not hear back before deadline.
Barnes was released 12 months early from the prison sentence he received for his 2017 conviction. The Oregon Department of Corrections said this is because Barnes was eligible for a sentence reduction. He could earn time credits that would take up to 20% off his 60-month sentence. After the reduction, his sentence completion date was July 9, 2021. Because the courts authorized Barnes to be eligible for programs, he was approved by the Department of Corrections to be released on short-term transitional leave on April 12, 2021. The DOC said he completed his sentences on the calculated release date of July 9, 2021.
Anyone who’s a victim of sexual assault can contact the national sexual assault hotline at 800-656-HOPE.