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McMinnville man charged in child sex abuse probe

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 44-year-old McMinnville man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly being involved in an online child pornography exchange.

According to a press release from the McMinnville Police Department, Daniel Stewart was connected to the investigation. He has been charged with 10 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree, a class C felony.

The investigation started when detectives were tipped off in September that a person was uploading sexually explicit pictures of children to an online file hosting service.

The “cybertip” that led to Stewart’s arrest was originally sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and referred through the Oregon Department of Justice.

From there, McMinnville detectives said they obtained a search warrant for a house and seized numerous electronic devices. MPD did not state whether the house belonged to Stewart or someone else. However, police said forensic analysts found relevant evidence on the devices.

Authorities did not offer further detail in the press release on the alleged crimes, when they happened, the extent of Stewart’s involvement or how many victims there are.

Stewart has been lodged at the Yamhill County Jail. His case was sent to the county district attorney for review.