Portland Protest Leader Micah Rhodes Arrested For Sex With A Juvenile
Portland protest leader Micah Rhodes was arrested for having sex with a juvenile.
Protester Micah Rhodes Arrested
Portland, Oregon – A leader of Portland’s anti-Trump resistance movement, Micah Rhodes, age 23, has been charged with four counts of second-degree sex abuse.
According to KGW Portland, Rhodes had a first appearance in court on Monday morning, January 30, 2017. His charges are for statutory, non-forced rape. He is a self-proclaimed leader of Portland’s Resistance, which is a group that led violent and disorderly anti-Trump protests.
An affidavit for the current charges refers to Rhodes having sex with a teenage boy but does not give the victim’s name. These charges result from allegations that occurred after Rhodes was arrested on January 25, 2017, during a protest in downtown Portland for unrelated charges.
Police interviewed Rhodes on January 25 and also on January 28, 2017. He waived his Miranda rights both times. During the January 25 interview, Rhodes admitted to police that he had had sex with an underage male and an underage female. He also said that he did not know how old either victim was at the time but later admitted in the January 28 interview that he “probably knew the victims were 17 when he engaged in sexual acts with them.”
Rhodes admitted meeting the male victim through Grindr, and also acknowledged that the victim told him he was 17 years old. Rhodes said that he does not remember if he had sex with the victim in Gresham but said that he might have had sex there and that they did have sex in Troutdale. Also in the affidavit, the Oregon Youth Authority said that in 2015 Rhodes had told them that he sex with the male victim, and that he was on probation at the time for First-Degree Sex Abuse and First-Degree Sodomy.
According to KOIN 6, the Oregon State Police confirmed on Monday, January 30, 2017, that Rhodes was a registered sex offender. The OSP said that Rhodes’ name does not appear on the state sex offender registry because he was not considered “predatory” and because his conviction was as a juvenile. Details of those convictions are not available because juvenile cases are confidential.
In a statement, Portland Police said that they are looking for additional victims and that the investigation is ongoing. Sgt. Pete Simpson has asked for anyone that is a victim or has information to please come forward. Rhodes is a well-known activist, and has led several protests, including one that included dozens of high school students. He is also a former member of Don’t Shoot PDX, a movement sanctioned by Black Lives Matter. On Monday, January 31, 2017, that group denounced Rhodes and said that he has not had a formal leadership role in the group since November, 2016.
It’s interesting to know Rhodes’ previous criminal history and current charges, as well as the fact that he was a registered sex offender in light of the fact that he has been working with high school students. It is also interesting to note that he was part of a Black Lives Matter-sanctioned group. Registered sex offenders leading violent protests against President Trump. I guess it’s the new political correctness in America.
Do you think that Black Lives Matter will support Micah Rhodes as he’s charged for having sex with juveniles? We’d like to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts on our Facebook page or in the comments below.
