A 20-year-old Umatilla, Oregon, man made more than 60 calls to schools, police and animal shelters in a dozen states over four months this year claiming he was sexually assaulting a child or threatening to do so, federal authorities said Friday.
Thomas L. Goatley faces federal charges of making interstate threats and possessing dozens of images of child sex abuse images. He was arraigned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland. He entered a not guilty plea and is being held in jail while he awaits trial.
His attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Tihanne Mar-Shall, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Court records say he made the hoax calls between January and April.
Authorities found Goatley also was the subject of multiple calls to a tipline at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting that he trafficked illicit images of children, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Goatley’s home last month and arrested him the same day. A search of his phone showed dozens of images of abuse, according to federal prosecutors.
His trial is set to begin Oct. 22.
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