TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man who rents a room in Tualatin, Ore., Mayor Lou Ogden’s home. They say 48-year-old William Dana Leverence is charged with 20 counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse.
Washington County Detective Gary Wright says that in a December 2008 search of the home, officers confiscated from one bedroom computer equipment that contained child pornography images.
Authorities say Ogden did not know of the alleged criminal conduct prior to the search.
Ogden was returning to Oregon on Tuesday from a government conference. He says he didn’t know of the arrest until contacted by a reporter. The mayor says he didn’t ask Leverence to move out after the home search, adding, “I think someone’s innocent until proven guilty.” The mayor says he’s been renting out rooms in his four-bedroom home to help with expenses since his divorce about 15 years ago.
