Oregon sex offender who attempted to use Facebook to sexually abuse teen sentenced

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Madras man, who is a registered sex offender, was sentenced to federal prison on Thursday for attempting to sexually abuse a child.

Ernesto Torres, 45, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and a 20-year term of supervised release.

“Torres used Facebook Messenger to chat with an apparent 15-year-old girl. The ‘child’ was an undercover deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. In the ensuing months, Torres requested sexual images, discussed sexual acts he wished to perform, and tried to set up a meeting with the decoy child,” officials said. “On December 1, 2024, Torres drove from Madras to Redmond to meet with the child. In the chat records, Torres expressed a desire to take the child to a cabin roughly 50 miles away.”

Torres was indicted by a grand jury in Eugene on Dec. 19, 2024, charging him with attempted coercion, enticement of a minor and attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct.

Torres was located and arrested by federal agents on Jan. 10. He pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor on July 15.