Medford, OR – A Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) investigation has resulted in a 30-year prison sentence for a White City man convicted of multiple child sexual abuse charges.
According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, 32-year-old Justin Atto pled guilty on November 6 to Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree, Sodomy in the First Degree, and three counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct.
Atto was sentenced to 370 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections and will serve the entire term day-for-day under Oregon’s Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentencing law. He will also face lifetime post-prison supervision and must register as a sex offender.
Authorities said the investigation began after a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) revealed that a sexually explicit image of a juvenile had been uploaded. SOCET detectives identified Atto as the uploader, and a later search by the Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force (SOHTCTF) uncovered additional evidence, including images showing Atto sexually abusing a child.
During court proceedings, Medford Police Detective Rogers and the victim’s mother were present. The mother addressed the court, sharing the ongoing emotional toll of the crime on her family.
The prosecution team included Senior Deputy District Attorney Lucy Durst and Deputy District Attorney Brannon Schwab. SOCET, formed in 2020, includes investigators from multiple agencies, including the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Medford Police Department, Oregon DOJ ICAC Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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