Depoe Bay Man arrested Following Child Pornography Investigation
John Lorentz Wiegardt III of Depoe Bay was indicted on Aug. 13 in Lincoln County Circuit Court on encouraging child sexual abuse. Oregon Department of Justice Investigators had seized a computer and hard drive from his home last year after a tip that he had uploaded sexually explicit photos of children. (Photo: Lincoln County Jail)
By Larry Coonrod/Lincoln County Dispatch
DEPOE BAY—A 58-year-old Depoe Bay man is in the Lincoln County Jail charged with 20 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse related to a child pornography investigation. John Lorentz Wiegardt III was indicted in Lincoln County Circuit on Aug. 13, 2015.
Wiegardt was the target of an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC) that began more than a year ago.
According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Lincoln County Dispatch, ICAC was tipped off by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2014 after Microsoft passed information to NCMEC regarding a user of its Hotmail email service uploading sexually explicit images of children on multiple occasions.
Wiegardt used his last name and the initial of his first name on the account email address. One email dated March 24, 2014 contained 18 sexually explicit photos. The ICAC agent requesting the search warrant wrote that three of the images were of a female child of about 8-years-old engaged in sexual acts with an adult male.
According to the affidavit, Microsoft and NCMEC identified 100 photos sexually explicit photos of children associated with Wiegardt's internet activity.
Investigators quickly determined that the internet IP address associated with the Hotmail account belonged to Wiegardt.
Wiegardt’s home was placed under surveillance on May 20, 2014. The ICAC agent called Wiegardt on the pretense of interest in a boat for sale in his yard. Through the phone call and a text message, Wiegardt confirmed that the East Collins Street home under surveillance was his residence.
Police raided Wiegardt’s home on the morning of May 24, 2014. Investigators seized a computer, three external hard drives and a cell phone from the residence.
Wiegardt is lodged in the Lincoln County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
Contact Reporter Larry Coonrod by emailing editor@lincolncountydispatch.com
