Man denies molesting adopted son

Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)

What's next

William Delos Peckenpaugh's next court proceeding is a status conference set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 5.

BY CARA ROBERTS MUREZ

Statesman Journal

A man accused of sexually abusing the son he adopted from Romania pleaded not guilty to all of the charges Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court.

William Delos Peckenpaugh, 37, of Silverton remains in jail without bail.

He is charged with counts of sodomy, sexual abuse and using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct.

Peckenpaugh was somber as he listened from behind a thick glass window during the minutes-long hearing.

Two men who described themselves as family members watched from the audience but declined to comment after the hearing.

The 9-year-old boy remains in foster care, said Patricia Feeny, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Human Services.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office began investigating last month after a sexually graphic video of a man and a young boy was discovered in a camera that had been returned to Fry's Electronics in Wilsonville.

The district attorney's office thinks the video was of Peckenpaugh and the son he adopted five years ago from an orphanage in Romania.

Investigators believe that the alleged abuse has been going on for four years.

Defense Attorney Timothy O'Neill said that publicity in the case could prevent his client from getting a fair trial.

"I'm concerned with the implications in both the print and the visual media that there was an adoption that occurred with the intention of Mr. Peckenpaugh to violate this child," O'Neill said. "That kind of leap of logic has implications beyond this case and it makes it very difficult for Mr. Peckenpaugh to find an impartial jury in Marion County."

Peckenpaugh writes about himself and his family in detail on a Web site devoted to his work history, family, education and interests. How recently the site has been updated is not clear. On it, he mentions adopting a child as a single man, It features family photos of his son, and includes links to sites on adoption resources and nudism.

Peckenpaugh's case has received a lot of local and international interest.

The Jurnalul National, the second largest newspaper in Romania, is among the news media that have covered the case.

The newspaper has published three stories on this case, said Irina Cristea, foreign news editor, who corresponded with the Statesman Journal by e-mail.

Cristea said the boy was born to an extremely poor family in eastern Romania. His parents were heavy drinkers and had other children. The boy was brought soon after his birth to an orphanage in another town.

People in his native village say it's unfortunate that the boy has had no luck so far, but that it's good that all of the harm he has suffered been discovered, Cristea said. They also think it better for the boy to remain in the United States.

The case will not affect foreign adoptions because the laws in Romania regarding adoption have changed dramatically in the years since this child was adopted, Cristea said.

International adoptions now are approved only in very special circumstances, and the type of adoption in this case is no longer allowed, she said. The case is now being used as an example, she said, adding that the newer, stricter rules are designed to prevent this kind of alleged abuse from happening again.

carar@Statesman Journal.com or (503) 399-6750