The Drug Court is one of many specialty courts in Washington County. The mission of the Washington County Drug Court is change people’s lives, break the cycle of addiction, reunite families, and promote community safety. Steven Youngs is the 212th person to graduate from this program. We take you inside the emotional graduation ceremony to show how effective the program is.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On June 28th, 2019, a Washington County jury found Rondrae Devante Jefferson guilty of all charges brought against him. He was convicted of first-degree forcible rape, three counts of second-degree sex abuse and third-degree rape. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Chris Lewman in Judge Andrew Erwin’s courtroom.
Beaverton Police began investigating Jefferson in November of 2017 when one of his three known victims reported he raped her. During the course of the investigation, detectives discovered two additional victims who all reported similar attacks at the hands of Jefferson.
In all three cases, Jefferson met his victims through social media and arranged to meet in person. The first known attack took place in 2015. The victim in that case was only 16-years-old when Jefferson met her and invited her to a party. In this case, Jefferson violently assaulted her before he began to rape her. The victim reported the attack to several friends shortly thereafter.
The second victim was only 15-years-old when she met Jefferson online and agreed to meet with him. Jefferson took the victim to a nearby park and sexually assaulted her in his car.
The third victim was 17-years-old when Jefferson used social media to invite her to a house party. The victim became intoxicated. Jefferson then followed her into a bedroom where he sexually assaulted her.
Investigators fear there could be additional victims who have yet to come forward. We urge anyone with information about crimes involving Jefferson to call law enforcement.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Beaverton Police Officer Paul Fleckenstein and Detective Cindy Herring for their work on this case. We’d also like to commend the victims for having the courage to come forward and testify in court.
A sentencing hearing in this case is set for August 9, 2019.