Man charged with 44 counts of sex crimes against youth in Deschutes County

Published 4:30 pm Thursday, April 6, 2023

A 42-year-old man faces 44 counts of sex crimes for allegedly abusing a girl in Deschutes County from the age of 4 through 18.

A Deschutes County grand jury indicted Jeremy David Blair on charges of first-degree rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, incest and other crimes, according to court records.

Court records list Blair as having an address on Glacier Avenue in Redmond. Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels, however, said Blair is from Prineville.

Oregon State Police arrested Blair on March 17 in Prineville and he was booked in the Deschutes County jail, Gunnels said. His arraignment on an indictment occurred on March 27. The court has set his bail at $1 million.

If convicted, Blair could face 25 years in prison under the state’s mandatory sentencing law, Measure 11, Gunnels said.

“Forty-four counts is a large number of counts, but it reflects the frequency of the abuse and the period of time over which the abuse occurred,” Gunnels told The Bulletin on Wednesday.

Gunnels said the alleged crimes started in 2005 and ended in 2018. He declined to elaborate on the allegations.

The Bulletin does not generally name victims of sex crimes and will not in this case.

Blair’s plea hearing is scheduled for April 17.