Scappoose woman turns herself in to jail for alleged child exploitation crimes

Published 11:30 am Thursday, July 24, 2025

A Scappoose woman turned herself in to the police after a grand jury indicted her for crimes related to child exploitation.

Scappoose resident Carter Hamilton Pace, 20, was indicted by a Columbia County grand jury on eight counts of first-degree encouragement of child sexual abuse, according to a press release from the Scappoose Police Department.

The charges came after the Scappoose Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force officer received a tip alleging Pace had child sexual abuse material in her possession. Pace’s residence was searched Oct. 17 and multiple items of evidence were seized, including digital devices that investigators also searched later on.

Investigators sent their findings to the Columbia County District Attorney, leading to Pace’s indictment. Pace turned herself into the Columbia County jail and pleaded not guilty to all eight charges.

Investigating abuse

Multiple Columbia County law enforcement agencies have officers dedicated to investigating child sexual abuse.

“Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a grave issue that affects children worldwide,” the Scappoose Police Department said in the release. “The exploitation of children through the creation and distribution of CSAM causes long-lasting harm to victims, who are revictimized every time a file is shared.”

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offers resources like the CyberTipline to help prevent and combat these crimes. The hotline can be accessed online or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST. The center also provides resources to remove explicit images of minors from the internet through its free Take It Down service.

“Every report helps protect vulnerable children and bring offenders to justice,” the department stated in the release. “Let’s work together to keep children safe online.”