Walker Adam Hackett sentence to 180 days in custody on sex abuse charges
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, August 20th, 2026 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
LA GRANDE —(Press release from the Union County District Attorney’s Office) On August 8, 2026, Walker Adam Hackett was sentenced to 180 days in custody following his convictions for Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, and Sexual Misconduct. Hackett was not eligible for a prison sentence based on the severity of the crimes for which he was convicted. These convictions are not expungable, and the defendant will be required to register as a sex offender and not possess any weapons.
On June 25, 2026, after a trial to the court, Judge Thomas B. Powers held that the victim did not consent to the sexual contact, she additionally was too young to consent and that the defendant was aware of both of these facts. The court found the victim to be a credible witness
The defendant also took the stand to testify on his own behalf at trial and the Judge Powers found that the defendant had “zero credibility” in his testimony. Judge Powers went on to say that he sat through the interview with the detective which was submitted into evidence by the State, describing it as “2 hours and 18 minutes of the defendant lying non-stop” to try and avoid prosecution.
At sentencing, Judge Powers ordered the defendant to submit to mental health, sex offender and substance abuse evaluations and treatment, with supervised probation for 36 months.
Judge Powers referenced the fact that after the sexual assault, the defendant reached out to the victim’s mother on social media. He said: “[i]t’s not just the conduct of the sexual assault that happened but Mr. Hackett’s conduct, after that, all the way up to trial. It was just striking.”
The defendant was acquitted on counts of Rape in the First Degree and Sex Abuse in the First Degree, with the court finding that the evidence regarding the level of force required for conviction did not meet the extremely high standard.
District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel, who tried the case for the State, would like to thank the victim for her bravery and resiliency in reporting this sexual assault and testifying against her attacker. DA McDaniel would also like to thank Detective Sergeant Scott Norton of the La Grande Police Department for seeing the case through. The office also extends its support to victims of sexual assault and abuse and encourages anyone who has experienced sexual violence to seek assistance from appropriate law enforcement and victim- support resources.
