Portland middle school teacher accused of luring minor pleads not guilty

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland middle school teacher accused of luring a minor pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Wednesday morning.

The Portland Police Bureau first arrested 38-year-old Craig Douglas-Meyers on Aug. 23. Officials alleged the Hosford Middle School employee was caught having sexual conversations with a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Although Douglas-Meyers was indicted of just one felony, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Afton Coppedge wrote that the singular charge “underrepresents the number of crimes committed by [the] defendant.”

Court documents show PPB joined the investigation on July 18, when the Yuba City Police Department reported that Homeland Security Investigations helped identify Douglas-Meyers as the suspect.

Investigators found he “engaged in both grooming behavior as well as verbal depictions of sexually explicit conduct” with who he believed to be a young girl. According to officials, the math teacher told the undercover officer he had mapped a route to Marysville, Calif. — where he believed the teenager was located.

Portland police conducted a search warrant on Douglas-Meyers’ residence on Aug. 24, before the school year began. In an ensuing interview with detectives, authorities said the suspect admitted to using chat rooms starting in 2020 “to blow off some steam and chat with random people.”

Investigators alleged the Portland Public Schools employee initially denied initiating the conversations, but later confessed to having discussions he should not have.

“Defendant stated that he has become ‘addicted’ to chatting with minors and that he ‘hates this side’ of himself,” Deputy District Attorney Coppedge wrote. “Defendant admitted that he has struggled with his attraction to teens and did not want to talk to anyone about it.”

According to court documents, Douglas-Meyers also agreed there is concern for his teaching sixth- and seventh-grade students around the same age as what he is attracted to.

PPS previously stated there was no information indicating that students were impacted by Douglas Meyers’ actions.

His next hearing is in November.