WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – A man was arrested in connection with a child predator sting which began in April of 2024, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 4, 2024, detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office began a sting where investigators used online platforms to pose as underage children to catch child predators.
During the sting, the sheriff’s office says investigators had been communicating with 33-year-old Joseph Lee Lyons, of Portland, but that he did not try to meet with a child on the date of the sting. Four other men were arrested at the time.
The sheriff’s office says Lyons continued sexually explicit conversations with a person he believed to be a child for several months.
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In Nov. 2024, a grand jury indicted Lyons on six counts of luring a minor and four counts of second-degree online sexual corruption of a child. Investigators were not able to locate him initially.
Last week, on Jan. 3, Lyons was arrested in Portland and booked into the Washington County Jail. According to the sheriff’s office, Lyons admitted that he has met in person with multiple children that he connected with online.
Anyone with information about Lyons or his online contact with children should contact detectives at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2500.
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