Oregon Police Say Man Recorded Himself Repeatedly Raping Baby Girl

An Oregon man allegedly recorded himself raping his infant child multiple times, prosecutors claimed.

Edd S. Lahar, 30, was accused of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct and first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. Covallis Police Department said in a statement that Lahar was arrested on nearly 100 sex-related crimes.

Benton County prosecutors said Lahar sexually abused the infant beginning in June 2018, when she was less than two months old, and as recently as January. Lahar appeared at Benton County Circuit Court on Friday and pleaded not guilty, KEZI reported.

Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson told reporters that some of the sex abuse charges Lahar faced fall under Jessica's Law and could land him in prison for life. Jessica's Law requires a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for anyone convicted of a first-degree sex offense against a child under the age of 12.

"As a prosecutor, one of our top priorities is to protect our most vulnerable citizens," Haroldson said. "It's hard to imagine anyone more vulnerable than an infant."

Authorities launched an investigation on Wednesday after receiving information that Lahar had sexual explicit images of a child on a cell phone. Corvallis Police Department said that during the investigation, a search warrant was served at Lahar's home, where investigators found evidence that "uncovered numerous incidents of sex crimes against Lahar's infant female child."

Investigators said Lahar initially claimed the images were taken accidentally, KEZI reported. Police found child pornography on Lahar's computer that had been deleted, court documents said.

Lahar was booked into Benton County Jail on January 31 on $6,699,500 bail, according to jail records. A Benton County Circuit Court order Lahar have no contact with the alleged victim or the victim's mother. He was also banned from accessing the internet or recording devices.

"I think the charges speak to themselves in terms of the risks that are concerned to the state and what might be at stake should he be released," Haroldson said, according to KEZI.

Corvallis Police Department asked that anyone with information about the case call Detective Greg Kantola at 541-766-6781.