Corvallis man sentenced to prison on Lebanon sex crimes

A Corvallis man was sentenced to 18 months in prison on sex crimes charges in Linn County Circuit Court on Friday.

Elias Gonzalez Perez, 35, pleaded no contest to attempt to commit first-degree sex abuse and two counts of private indecency.

A charge of first-degree sex abuse was dropped as part of the negotiated settlement. That charge is a Measure 11 crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of more than six years in prison.

The crimes occurred between October 2014 and January 2016, and the victims were two adolescent girls who Gonzalez knew. The Lebanon Police Department arrested Gonzalez in November 2017.

Prosecutor George Eder said that Gonzalez, who will be on post-prison supervision for nearly three years and must register as a sex offender, hadn’t before been convicted of crimes. Eder had no objections to Gonzalez potentially being eligible for alternative incarceration programs.

Defense attorney Joan Demarest said that Gonzalez faces deportation.

After the hearing, Demarest said that if someone is not a United States citizen, they are at risk for deportation if they make a guilty or no contest plea to any crime, misdemeanor or felony.

Demarest advised non-U.S. citizens to consult with an attorney who is an immigration law expert if they are accused of a crime.