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OREGON CITY, Or. -- A Hubbard man was sentenced Monday, July 27, in Clackamas County Circuit Court to 215 months in prison for sex crimes involving children.
Malachi Samuel Kercher, 21, had previously pled guilty in three separate cases involving the sexual exploitation of children. A plea agreement resolved three separate cases and resulted in a prison sentence of nearly 18 years.
“The defendant’s sexually predatory behavior towards vulnerable children is truly shocking. His reprehensible conduct caused significant and lasting harm to these young victims, and this lengthy prison sentence is appropriate,” said Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino, who prosecuted the case.
In June 2025, the parents of two boys reported to law enforcement that Kercher had sexual abused the boys for several years. The family was involved with the same home-school program as Kercher and his family. The boys disclosed that Kercher often engaged in sexual activity with them in a wooded area behind Kercher’s home. The abuse began when one of the boys was six and the other was nine.
Kercher pled guilty to two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree and two counts of Sodomy in the Second Degree (Clackamas County Circuit Court case 26CR29240).
While in custody at the Clackamas County Jail, Kercher had multiple video visits with a girl. He encouraged her to expose her breasts during the visits. The girl is developmentally delayed and has the intellectual capacity of a 12-year-old.
After the jail blocked the girl’s account, she set up a new account using a false name. When that account was blocked, she set up a third account and exposed her breasts at Kercher’s direction.
The victim’s mother was aware of the girl had an ongoing online relationship with Kercher and had taken numerous steps to stop contact with him.
Kercher pled guilty to one count of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct (Clackamas County Circuit Court case 26CR21377).
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office opened a child-abuse investigation after a member of Kercher’s family reported Kercher was messaging underage females online. The family forwarded several concerning messages to the Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation found that he sent unrelated girls, ages 13 and 15, sexually explicit or nude photos of himself and asked them to send similar photos of themselves to him.
Kercher pled guilty to two counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct (Clackamas County Circuit Court case 25CR61683).
Kercher was on probation when he was charged with the sex offenses.
On Aug. 2, 2025, Kercher broke into the Zion Mennonite Church, 6124 S. Whiskey Hill Drive, smashed several windows and glass doors with a hammer and set the church on fire. He was convicted in Clackamas County Circuit Court in September 2025 of Arson in the First Degree and Criminal Mischief in the First Degree (Clackamas County Circuit Court case 25CR43186).
