Man found guilty in Umatilla County court, gets life sentence for child sex crimes

By Griffin Beach on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – A 45-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of child sex crimes in Umatilla County Circuit Court.

Kenny Ray Smith was found guilty of felony second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, felony luring a minor, and felony attempted use of a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. Those convictions resulted in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Smith was also found guilty of felony unlawful contact with a child, which carried the maximum sentence of 60 months. A charge of failure to report as a sex offender was dismissed.

Prior to this case, Smith was convicted of felony sex crimes in 2003 and 2020 following investigations by Pendleton police. Those convictions were factored into his sentencing.

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office said the conviction and sentencing resulted from a cooperative effort among its department, the Pendleton Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office.

“Because of law enforcement’s commitment to working these hard cases and keeping people safe, a true predator will never be able to harm anyone in our community (or any community) ever again,” said Umatilla County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jaclyn Jenkins.

Mugshot photo provided by Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office.