Corvallis man drove to Newport to meet multiple children for sex, officials say

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Corvallis man is in custody after using social media to contact children and attempt to meet them in person for sex, authorities said.

Eric White, 48, allegedly spoke to multiple decoy children through accounts that were created by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to target child predators in early August.

According to deputies, White “engaged in sexually explicit conversations and attempted to arrange an in-person meeting for illegal sexual encounters” on Aug. 8 and again on Aug. 15.

Police arrested White on Monday after he drove to Newport to meet with the decoy children in a hotel room, authorities said.

White is currently being held in Lincoln County Jail on three counts of luring a minor and three counts of online sexual corruption of a child.

“We urge parents and guardians to stay actively involved in their children’s online lives and to foster open, ongoing conversations about the dangers of interacting with strangers on the internet,” LSCO said. “By combining education, awareness, and strong law enforcement, we can build a safer community for every child.”