Cornelius man charged with child sex abuse after victim flees to police station

Daniel Le Brun, 42, faces attempted murder and sex abuse charges after a child fled to police. A hidden room was found inside a local business complex.

Hidden room found in Oregon business linked to child sex abuse investigation

Google News MT — Crime (en) reports that the Washington County Sheriff's Office is actively seeking additional victims in connection with an investigation into Daniel Le Brun, 42, of Cornelius, Oregon, who faces charges including attempted murder in the first degree, first-degree assault, first-degree sexual abuse, and unlawful use of a weapon.

On Thursday, 27 August, a victim under the age of 18 ran to the Cornelius Police Department and reported an assault that had taken place near the 1600 block of North Adair Street. WCSO Public Information Officer David Huey described the call as deeply troubling.

"This is a really disturbing call," Huey said. "There was some obvious injuries. This child was asking for help, and then what they learned was they had been physically and sexually assaulted by the suspect."

Deputies located Le Brun barricaded inside Crossroads Gaming, part of the Plaza Grande business complex. He was armed with several weapons described by law enforcement as "less-lethal-style," along with knives, and refused to surrender.

The sheriff's office called in a tactical negotiations team, a crisis negotiations unit, and additional crisis-response specialty units. A drone monitored Le Brun's movements within the building while negotiators attempted to communicate with him. Shortly after 1 a.m. on Friday, the tactical team took him into custody. He was subsequently hospitalised after ingesting a potentially lethal amount of medication.

Detectives searching the crime scene discovered a hidden room inside the business complex where Le Brun is alleged to have committed the offences. Investigators believe he gained access to children through his connection to a memorabilia business at the plaza. Huey declined to provide specifics about the room but said, "What the investigators found was pretty concerning."

Le Brun was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and transferred to Washington County Jail.

A WCSO spokesperson confirmed to KATU News that Le Brun had previously been in a long-term relationship with the owner of Crossroads Gaming. Aaron Slater, operational manager of Crossroads Gaming, said Le Brun was known to have struggled with mental health.

"There was bad demons in his head, and we believe his medication did not work," Slater said. "He was not getting the mental health that he needed from the system. Him being houseless and everything, he just fell through the cracks, and we truly believe he had an episode that caused him to change."

Slater told KATU that Le Brun's actions during the standoff resulted in approximately $50,000 worth of inventory being destroyed. The incident also accelerated Crossroads Gaming's departure from Plaza Grande; the business received a 72-hour termination notice tied to the location where Le Brun had barricaded himself, though Slater noted the shop had already been in the process of serving a 30-day notice at the time of the incident.

Employees at neighbouring businesses said Le Brun was a familiar presence at and around the plaza. The sheriff's office has not confirmed whether he retained any formal stake in one of the businesses there. Acquaintances described him as typically having a "reddish beard."

Detectives believe further victims have yet to come forward. Huey praised the young victim's response to the assault.

"What he did — coming forward and running, fighting off his attacker, and then coming to the police — that's exactly what he should have done," Huey said. "I think there's certainly that possibility that we stopped it before anything else happened."

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the assault or has any information about Le Brun — whether through the business or elsewhere — to come forward, and they urge parents to speak with their children about any contact they may have had with him. Anyone with information can contact VCU detectives at 503-846-2500, referencing case number 50-26-12158.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)