The Lane County Sheriff’s Office arrested University of Oregon professor Andrew Edmund Goble Friday morning on 10 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the first degree and 10 counts of encouraging child sex abuse in the second degree.
The arrest follows a search warrant executed at a residence in Eugene on Thursday morning.
Goble, 72, is a professor of history and medieval studies in the UO College of Arts and Sciences. He is fully tenured and has been at the university since 1990, he was placed on administrative leave Friday pending the outcome of his charges, according to the university.
A statement from the university read, in part: “We understand that this news is deeply concerning to our community. According to law enforcement, the individual does not present any current threat to the university community, and the investigation has found no indication that any students were involved or at risk.”
Encouraging child sex abuse is defined by Oregon law as knowingly publishing, distributing, accessing or viewing a visual recording of sexually explicit content involving a child.
The search warrant stemmed from an investigation by the Lane County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force focusing on child exploitation. Lane County was aided by the Lane County District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.
The investigation is still ongoing.
This is a breaking story and will be updated with any developments.
