Oregon man on the run from child sex crimes charges for 7 years arrested in Syracuse

Syracuse, N.Y. - The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Thursday night who has been running from sex crimes charges in Oregon for seven years.

Patrick O’Connor, 39, who authorities have been looking for since 2018, was picked up by the sheriff’s office’s warrant squad after receiving a tip, said Thomas Newton, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

Both Seattle Police and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the O’Connor arrested in Syracuse was the same man wanted on a federal warrant in Washington County, OR.

According to Lawrence Gates, a corrections officer in the Onondaga County Justice Center, the warrant for O’Connor includes charges of:

• Using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct (felony)
• Luring a minor (felony)
• 3 counts of sexual abuse in the first degree (felony)
• 4 counts of attempted sodomy in the second degree (felony)

Gates also said the bail set in Oregon was $1.3 million.

O’Connor will have an extradition appearance at the Onondaga County Courthouse, said First Chief Assistant District Attorney in Onondaga County Joseph T. Coolican.

If Oregon does not follow procedure or takes too long, O’Connor could technically be released at a point if the judge sees fit, Coolican said.

For now, O’Connor will await his hearing in the Onondaga County Justice Center Jail.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone in the area who may have been a victim or know a victim of O’Connor to reach out at 315-425-2111.

Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has reached out to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon for further clarifications on the case and will update with more details.