Benton County Sheriff’s Office detectives would like to hear from potential victims of a 45-year-old Philomath man as part of an investigation into multiple sex crime cases, the agency posted this week on social media.
BCSO arrested Paul Raymond Gellatly at his Philomath home Feb. 23 on a felony charge of second-degree sexual abuse.
According to the agency, its investigation into Gellatly began earlier that month following allegations that he had sexually abused an unrelated minor child as recently as the end of 2023. The investigation led to law enforcement developing probable cause for his arrest.
Gellatly appeared in court and was released on the day following his arrest, BCSO reported. Since then, the case was amended to include two more counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Court records show that John C. Rich was retained to represent Gellatly. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 1.
The sheriff’s office said that during follow-up investigations, other potential victims and witnesses were identified. Investigators believe that there may be other victims that have not made reports to law enforcement.
“Detectives would like to hear from anyone with criminal information about Gellatly, regardless of the length of time it has been,” BCSO said.
For anyone with information, contact the BCSO tip line at 541-753-TIPS (8477) or email BentonCoSheriff@bentoncountyor.gov.