A 46-year-old Philomath man was convicted of sexually abusing a teenage girl and sentenced to jail and probation.
Paul Raymond Gellatly was arrested in February 2024 and charged in Benton County court with three felony counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Gellatly pleaded guilty on two counts in August, and on Thursday, Nov. 6, Judge Matthew Donohue sentenced him to five years of supervised probation and 210 days in jail, to be served in segments during his probation. He was also to register as a sex offender.
If his probation is revoked, he faces 5½ years in prison.
A friend of Gellatly's reported the sexual abuse to a sheriff’s deputy, telling the deputy that Gellatly was bragging about having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim’s mother told law enforcement that her daughter was “shacking up” with Gellatly and could not be convinced to return home, the affidavit states. The deputy also spoke with the victim, who reportedly said she had sex with Gellatly once in June 2023.
At the time of his arrest, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release asking for anyone with “criminal information” about Gellatly to come forward, regardless of how long ago any alleged wrongdoing might have occurred, saying there could be more unreported victims.
The conditions of Gellatly’s probation are lengthy and include prohibitions on contact with anyone under the age of 18. He is not allowed to frequent places primarily meant for minors such as playgrounds, arcades, child care agencies, amusement parks, zoos and circuses, and barred from youth organizations such as 4-H and the Boy Scouts.
He is also not allowed to view or possess any physical or digital pornographic material and not allowed to access a computer or the internet without approval of his probation officer.
Court records show Gellatly was previously convicted of several assaults, as well as trespassing and driving while suspended.
Gellatly ran Gellatly Logging LLC, a Philomath-based company, according to state business records, which indicate he filed for administrative dissolution in April.
© 2025 Albany Democrat-Herald, Ore.. Visit www.democratherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
