After a twenty-seven-month period of investigation and prosecution, the Coos County District Attorney’s office (DA) announced that six adults were found or pled guilty or no contest to sexually abusing two children under the age of twelve.
Led by the Coos County Sheriff’s Office by Detective David Ritz, the investigation was assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with Special Agent Deane Davis being the lead agent.
Investigation began in April of 2024, when one of the young victims indicated to school officials that they had been sexually abused by Jesse Frank Reigard. This victim was an acquaintance of the Reigard family, who indicated that another child had also been abused and that they believed that some of the abuse had been filmed or photographed.
Following that report, Detective Ritz obtained a search warrant for the Mr. Reigard’s property near Bridge, Oregon. During the execution of that search warrant the cell phones of Mr. Reigard and his wife, Karissa Danielle Reigard, were seized. While no arrests were made at that time, the four children in the Reigard family were placed under a safety plan by child protective services. One of the Reigard children, the biological child of Karissa Reigard from a previous relationship, would later be revealed as the second victim in the case.
Later that month, the children were returned to the custody of Mr. and Mrs. Reigard without the knowledge of the investigators. The Reigard family would flee Oregon shortly after which prompted investigators to file charges and obtain arrest warrants against both Mr. and Mrs. Reigard.
In early May 2024, the FBI was located Mrs. Reigard and the children in Phoenix, Arizona. Karissa Reigard was arrested and the children were taken into custody of children services in Arizona and were shortly brought back to Oregon with Mrs. Reigard waving her extradition trial and also returning.
Thanks to a tip from a family member of Mr. Reigard, Jesse Reigard was found in vehicle that was stopped near Winston, Oregon and taken into custody without incident. Following the arrests, forensic computer experts with the FBI completed searches of the previously obtained phones. On Jesse Reigard’s phone, digital evidence was found showing both Mr. and Mrs. Reigard sexually abusing one or both of the victims. It also showed a third suspect, identified as Tallon McDonald, sexually abusing one of the children.
After a year of investigation, additional digital evidence was located on a portable hard drive hidden behind a wood panel in a travel trailer once owned by Jesse Reigard. The trailer had eventually ended up in Tennessee, where the current owner would turn the drive over to the FBI. The FBI were able to analyze that drive and discovered digital evidence showing another suspect, Erik Lee Mathew, sexually abusing the first victim.
The first victim was forensically interviewed at the Kid’s Hope Center in Coos Bay and described that they had been sexually abused by Jesse Reigard, Karissa Reigard, Tallon McDonald, and an individual she could not identify but identified as “Erik”, later confirmed as Mathew. The first victim also had witnessed Jesse Reigard and Karissa Reigard sexually abusing the second victim.
In interviews with the Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, both Karissa Reigard and Nathan Bennett confirmed seeing the second victim being abused by Gregory Scott, Karissa’s father and grandfather to the second victim. Nathan Bennett admitted to sexually abusing the second victim, and Karissa Reigard admitted to sexually abusing her biological child.
The second victim, upon their return to Oregon from Arizona, was placed with their biological father in Marion County. That victim was forensically interviewed. In their interviews at the Liberty House in Salem, Oregon, the victim confirmed being sexually abused by Jesse Reigard, their mother, Karissa Reigard, Tallon McDonald, Nathan Bennett and Gregory Scott.
On the prosecution side, former DA Paul Frasier, led the case which began before his retirement at the end of 2024. Mr. Frasier, at the request of the new District Attorney, Jody Newby, continued to handle the prosecution of all of the defendants. Mr. Frasier continued to prosecute these cases until they were completed, with the last closing on July 20, 2026.
Three criminal jury trials were conducted, one pertaining to Tallon McDonald and two as to Jesse Reigard. The state’s prevailing theory was that Jesse Reigard was “ringleader” of this group and that it was his efforts that involved the other individuals. Karissa Reigard, Nathan Bennett, Erik Mathew and Gregory Scott all entered into plea agreements.
The six defendants were sentenced as follows, with no eligibility for parole or early release:
1. Jesse Frank Reigard (45) was convicted on one count of Rape in the First Degree, two counts of Sodomy in the First Degree, and three counts of Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree. He was also convicted on one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and ordered to serve an additional two and a half years in prison, for a total of 152 1/2. Years.
2. Karissa Danielle Reigard (33), pled guilty of one count of Sodomy on the First Degree pertaining to her child. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
3. Tallon James McDonald (45) was convicted after a jury trial of one count of Rape in the First Degree and one count of Sodomy in the First Degree as to the first victim and two counts of Sodomy in the First Degree as to the second victim. This totals 50 years in prison.
4. Nathan James Bennett (41) pled guilty to three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree pertaining to the second victim. He was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison.
5. Erik Lee Mathew (34) pled guilty to two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree as to the first victim. He was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison.
6. Gregory Carl Scott (59) pled no contest to one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree as to his grandchild and was sentenced to 75 months in prison.
“We wish to commend the excellent investigative work done by the Coos County Sheriffs Office and especially the work of Detective David Ritz. We also wish to commend the assistance of the FBI and especially the work of Special Agent Deane Davis. The digital evidence found by the FBI computer experts was essential to these prosecutions. We also thank Mr. Frasier for seeing these cases to completion while being “retired”,” stated the DA’s office in their official release.