Springfield man arrested after cyber tip in child exploitation case

Lane County sheriff’s detectives arrested a Springfield man at a home in the 38000 block of Camp Creek Road around 9 a.m. May 19 after a cyber tip triggered a child-exploitation investigation.

Rowan Augustus Hockema was booked into the Lane County Jail on two counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree. The sheriff’s office said the case began when the Lane County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, then moved the investigation forward with help from the Oregon Department of Justice and the Lane County District Attorney’s Office.

The arrest is another example of how online reporting systems can turn into fast, real-world intervention. NCMEC says its CyberTipline, created in 1998, is the national reporting center for suspected child sexual exploitation, and it said it received 20.5 million CyberTipline reports in 2024. Oregon officials said in 2025 that cyber tips tied to online solicitation and sextortion rose 857% from 2020 to 2024, underscoring how quickly digital complaints can overwhelm investigators and how often they now lead to field work by local detectives.

Lane County’s task force brings together the sheriff’s office, Oregon State Police, Eugene Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Cottage Grove Police Department, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Oregon Department of Justice and the Lane County District Attorney’s Office. Sheriff’s office records show the county ended 2025 with 26 ICAC arrests and seven convictions so far, a sign that the cases are becoming a steady part of local enforcement rather than isolated events.

Under Oregon law, encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree is listed as ORS 163.684, and the second degree as ORS 163.686. Officials said the investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details about the underlying evidence were released.

The Lane County Jail’s public viewer notes that booking information reflects people who have been processed into custody, not necessarily people found guilty in court. For families, the case is a reminder that suspected exploitation can begin with a single digital report and move quickly once specialized investigators are alerted.