Former
Vernonia police officer arrested on child luring charges
By
FOX 12 Staff
VERNONIA,
OR (KPTV) -
A
62-year-old former police officer in Vernonia is accused of sending a sexually
explicit message to a 13-year-old girl.
Gene
Baska was arrested Wednesday on felony charges of luring a minor and attempt to
commit sex abuse.
According
to investigators, Baska sent a "sexually explicit message transmitted
digitally" to the girl.
Deputies
obtained a search warrant Wednesday for his home on Keasey Road and seized
electronic equipment related to the ongoing investigation. The warrant was for
digital images, videos, photos, audio recordings, text messages and call
records.
According
to the Vernonia Police Department, Baska served on the force full-time starting
in 1990 and did volunteer work prior to that. He retired from the department in
2003.
He
bailed out of jail Wednesday night with a no-contact order for the 13-year-old
girl and her family.
Deputies
said there could be more victims. Anyone with information about this case is
asked to call the Columbia County Sheriff's Office tip line at 503-366-4698.
