Owner Of Happy Trails Feed & Tack Sentenced To 495 Months Prison For Repeated Child Sexual Abuse (Photo) -06/13/25

On June 3, 2025, Lincoln County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart sentenced Daniel Stuebgen (54-year-old) to 495 months (41.25 years) in prison for repeated sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child, who volunteered at Green Acres Beach & Trail Rides (Pacific City) and Happy Trails Feed & Tack (Lincoln City) in 2023, two businesses owned by Stuebgen and his ex-wife, Teresa Stuebgen.

Judge Bachart sentenced Stuebgen to a total of 495 months at the Department of Corrections for the convictions of 4 counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, 3 counts of Rape in the Second Degree, 2 counts of Sodomy in the Second Degree, and 4 counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, all ORS 137.700 Measure 11 offenses.

On May 1, 2025, after a five-day trial, Stuebgen was found guilty by a 12-person Lincoln County jury of nine separate incidents of child sexual abuse (five sexual assaults and four photographs of child sexual abuse material). This case began in August 2023 when the Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) received a tip from the Child Abuse Hotline, which raised concerns regarding a sexual relationship between Stuebgen and a child volunteer at Happy Trails Feed & Tack. On August 11, 2023, LCPD and Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) responded and began investigating the allegations. While the investigation was pending, Stuebgen was advised by LCPD to not have any contact with the child, however, approximately a month later, the child was reported as a runaway and located at Happy Trails Feed & Tack, Stuebgen’s place of business and residence. Evidence demonstrated that Stuebgen was actively trying to conceal the child from police and had assisted the child in running away.

At sentencing, Judge Bachart stated, “There is no sentence that I am going to impose today that is going to be proportionate to the harm that your actions inflicted on the victim in this case…This was a vulnerable child, and you exploited those vulnerabilities for a sexual purpose. You were able to get away with it for a very long time. I don’t know how long this would have gone on if she hadn’t found the courage to report. Even when you knew the investigation was pending, you still continued to pursue her.” Stuebgen declined to make any statement at sentencing.

This case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jenna Wallace and investigated by Detective Bud Lane, LCPD. The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Detective Lane for his relentless commitment to investigating crimes against children to ensure justice, accountability, and community safety. Detective Lane brings decades of experience in sexual abuse investigations that was vital to a successful prosecution. The District Attorney’s Office would also like to thank the Lincoln City Police Department for prioritizing sexual abuse investigations to not only end abuse, but to protect vulnerable populations from predators in our community. 

28-Year-Old Sentenced To 9+ Years For Recorded Sexual Assault Of Girlfriend (Photo) -06/03/25

On June 3, 2025, Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Amanda Benjamin sentenced Mason Klein (28-year-old) to 111 months (9.25 years) in the Department of Corrections for sexually assaulting his intoxicated and unconscious girlfriend in 2020.

Judge Benjamin sentenced Klein to 111 months at the Department of Corrections for the conviction of Sodomy in the First Degree and 75 months at the Department of Corrections for the conviction of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, to run concurrently to one another.

Sentencing came after a jury trial which concluded on May 8, 2025, where a 12-person-jury found Klein guilty of Sodomy in the First Degree and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree for forcing his then-girlfriend to perform oral sex on Klein, while he recorded the act. The jury found that the victim was both mentally incapacitated and physically helpless at the time of the act and was unable to consent.

During trial, District Attorney Jenna Wallace introduced evidence that Klein had video recorded the sexual assault on the victim’s phone, which recording was later discovered by the victim’s mother.  Upon locating the video, the victim immediately reported the sexual assault to law enforcement in August 2020. This case was investigated by then-Detective Abby Dorsey, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and, after being unable to locate Klein, the case was submitted to the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office for charging. A Lincoln County Grand Jury indicted Klein on criminal charges in May 2021 and a nationwide warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.

Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office Detective Martin Bennett diligently attempted to locate Klein given the outstanding warrant. Three years later, and with the help of the Yavapai Sheriff’s Office (Arizona), Detective Bennett located and arrested Klein on the outstanding Oregon warrants. At the time, Klein was on probation in Yavapai County for felony Marijuana Possession for Sale, Resisting Arrest, and felony Possession/Use of Drug Paraphernalia. Klein was extradited from Arizona to Oregon for trial.

At sentencing, DA Wallace expressed concerns regarding Klein’s inability to take responsibility for his criminal conduct and the harm that he caused. Klein’s only comment to the Court before sentencing was “I’m already damned, so smite me”.

The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Yavapai Sheriff’s Office (Arizona) for their investigation and assistance in this case. The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office would also like to thank retired DA Detective Bennett for his relentless pursuit of justice by dedicating time and resources to locating and arresting individuals with active warrants to assure prosecution is not stalled by the inability to locate the defendant. This is just one of the important roles a DA detective plays in prosecuting crime and holding offenders accountable in Lincoln County.    

Any questions can be directed to DA Jenna Wallace at jwallace@co.lincoln.or.us.

59-Year-Old Man Sentenced To 12+ Years For Online Crimes Against Children (Photo) -05/29/25

On May 29, 2025, Lincoln County Circuit Court Senior Judge Thomas Branford sentenced Danny Hicks (59-year-old Polk County resident) for eleven counts of felony sex crimes that were discovered during several undercover law enforcement child luring investigations. During these investigations, officers used online social media platforms to pose as 5 different underage children to investigate online crimes involving children.

A Lincoln County jury listened to evidence presented during a three-day trial and on May 16, 2025, found Danny Hicks guilty of five counts of Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the Second Degree, five counts of Luring a Minor, and one count of Purchasing Sex with a Minor. The jury also found the conduct included five separate incidents or criminal episodes which occurred over the course of three months. This case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jenna Wallace. Following the guilty verdict, Senior Judge Branford held Danny Hicks in custody pending sentencing.

Hicks was previously convicted in 2021 of Online Sexual Corruption in the Second Degree and Luring a Minor (Lane County) and was placed on three years of supervised probation. Hicks’ probation ended in July 2024 and he began chatting with the Lincoln County undercover law enforcement profiles in September 2024. Through the course of the communications, Hicks repeatedly expressed his desire to meet up and engage in sexual conduct with individuals he believed were children under the age of 16. Hicks also sent sexually explicit photos and videos, including videos of others engaged in sexual acts, bestiality, and home-made masturbation videos. In one chat thread, Hicks offered to pay the minor to engage in group sex with Hicks and two of his friends at a local hotel. Ultimately, the evidence showed that Hicks communicated sexually with five different undercover law enforcement profiles in Lincoln County, and he was arrested in November 2024.

At sentencing, DA Wallace emphasized the need to hold Hicks accountable with a significant prison sentence given his prior conviction for similar conduct and his persistent sexualized engagement with five separate purported children. Defendant asked the Court to sentence him to the minimum sentence of 2 years, arguing that because the accounts were controlled by law enforcement and not real children, the harm was not as great.

Senior Judge Branford disagreed stating, “Yes, it wasn’t a 14-year-old-girl, but [you] thought it was and [you] thought it was on five different occasions.” Senior Judge Branford went on to state, “Children need to be protected from this type of behavior because it is terribly harmful to children…You knew there were police stings out there, you alluded to that in your statements to police, but this behavior was enticing enough to you that disregarded that because you needed the thrill”. He then sentenced Hicks to a total of 12.6 years in prison. Hicks will not be eligible for any alternative incarceration program and will have to register as a sex offender upon his release.

These crimes were investigated by Lincoln City Police Sergeant Hayden Tolzman, as well as Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective Christopher Marks and Deputy Garret Brawdy. The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge and thank both agencies for recognizing the importance of these undercover operations in protecting our children from online predators and dedicating already limited resources to proactively fighting crime. 

The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office encourages parents to monitor their children's social media activity and discuss with them the possible dangers of communicating with strangers online. These investigations are conducted in a continuing effort to protect our children from predators who target children for sexual exploitation and to reduce crime and further enhance the safety of our community.

Any questions can be directed to DA Jenna Wallace at jwallace@co.lincoln.or.us.

Owner Of Happy Trails Feed & Tack Found Guilty Of Sexually Abusing 12-year-old Volunteer -05/20/25

On May 1, 2025, Daniel Stuebgen (54 years old), was found guilty by a Lincoln County jury of five separate incidents of child sexual abuse, conduct he perpetrated in 2023 on an twelve-year-old who was volunteering at Happy Trails Feed & Tack (Lincoln City) and Green Acres Beach & Trail Rides (Pacific City), two businesses owned by Stuebgen and his ex-wife, Teresa Stuebgen.

After a five-day trial, a Lincoln County jury found Stuebgen guilty of three counts of Rape in the Second Degree, two counts of Sodomy in the Second Degree, four counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and four counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct. All of these offenses are subject to mandatory Measure 11 prison sentences under ORS 137.700.

This case was investigated by Detective Bud Lane of the Lincoln City Police Department and prosecuted by District Attorney Jenna Wallace.

The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Lincoln City Police Department and the Children’s Advocacy Center for their excellent work and perseverance in helping this child receive justice.

Stuebgen is scheduled to be sentenced by Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Sheryl Bachart on June 3 at 3:00 PM.

Any questions can be directed to DA Jenna Wallace at 541-265-4145.