La Grande repeat offender arrested for failure to register as a sex offender
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE — A 33-year-old La Grande man was recently arrested by Oregon State Police after failing to report as a sex offender in Union County and also allegedly lying.
OSP says that Ryan Alan Nelson was arrested at a residence on Russell Avenue and Spruce Street N. on Friday, May 17th. According to OSP, Nelson was arrested on probable cause on two counts of Failure to Report as a Sex Offender and two counts of False Swearing.
Oregon law states that False Swearing is when “A person commits the crime of false swearing if the person makes a false sworn statement or a false unsworn declaration, knowing it to be false.”
Both crimes are Class A Misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $6,250 for each charge.
Court records show Nelson was arrested in Union County in 2010 for multiple sex crimes, including Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree, Rape in the Third Degree, Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree and Contributing to the Sexual Delinquency of a Minor.
He made a deal where he pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, with the other charges being dropped. He received a 30-day sentence and had to register as a sex offender.
Other records show he has been arrested numerous times in the ensuing years, including arrests and convictions for possession of meth, fraud and failure to report as a sex offender. He has served time in the Union County Jail on multiple occasions.
