Halfway Man Faces Nine Felony Counts in Historic Child Sex Abuse Case

Nine felony sex abuse counts and a $500,000 bail have kept Zachariah Scott Peer, 42, in the Baker County Jail since July 9, 2025, as the Halfway man appeared in Baker County Circuit Court on April 6 still without a plea to charges alleging he abused three girls, all younger than 12, more than a decade ago.

Deputy Robert Henshaw of the Baker County Sheriff's Office arrested Peer at his Halfway home at 5:38 p.m. on July 9, executing a search warrant after an investigation that had opened just weeks earlier, in June 2025. Henshaw's probable cause affidavit states at least two of the three alleged victims were abused between 2011 and 2014. Eight days after the arrest, on July 17, a grand jury indicted Peer on the full nine-count package: five counts of first-degree sexual abuse, three counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of first-degree sodomy.

All nine charges are Oregon Measure 11 offenses, a designation that carries fixed mandatory minimum prison terms and strips judges of any discretion to sentence below the statutory floors. Each first-degree sexual abuse conviction carries a minimum of 6 years and 3 months. Each unlawful sexual penetration or sodomy conviction carries 8 years and 4 months. If convicted on all nine counts and sentenced consecutively, Peer would face more than 64 years in prison. Oregon voters established those mandatory minimums when they passed Measure 11 in 1994.

Peer could secure his release by posting 10 percent of bail, or $50,000, but has not done so. Defense attorney Damien Yervasi of Baker City filed a motion on September 9, 2025, seeking Peer's release from the Baker County Jail while the case proceeds. Peer also waived his right to a speedy trial in early August 2025, a move that extended the case's timeline indefinitely.

Court proceedings have moved in short intervals. A status hearing on October 31, 2025 lasted three minutes, with a follow-up scheduled for January 21, 2026. As of the April 6 appearance, no plea has been entered on any of the nine counts and no trial date has been set. The case remains in pretrial proceedings, with discovery exchange, further hearings, and plea negotiations still ahead for both Yervasi and the Baker County prosecution.

Halfway is a small rural community roughly 60 miles southeast of Baker City. Cases alleging historical child sexual abuse often involve forensic interviews, multiple witnesses, and expert testimony before reaching trial, and Baker County's criminal justice system, including the district attorney's office and victim services programs, typically remains engaged throughout that process.

Baker County residents seeking victim services can contact the Baker County Victims' Assistance Program at 541-523-8344. MayDay, Inc., a confidential advocacy organization serving all of Baker County, operates a 24-hour crisis line at 541-523-4134 and a toll-free line at 888-213-4134; its office is at 1834 Main Street in Baker City. The Oregon Department of Human Services Child Protective Services office in Baker City can be reached at 541-523-6423. Public court docket information for Baker County Circuit Court is available through the Oregon Judicial Department.