45-year-old convicted of sexually abusing child

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a 5-day trial, Jessie Ezell was convicted of sexually abusing a young child.

The 45-year-old was convicted on sodomy and sexual abuse charges.

According to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the investigation began after Oregon DHS received a tip from a caller worried about the child. CARES evaluated the victim once in 2017 and once in 2018.

“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.

It was determined that Ezell had been using meth and was likely sexually abusing the child.

“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. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 8, 2019.

At this time, no further information is available.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.