Police: Newberg High student arrested for rape, illegal tattoos
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NEWBERG, Ore. - Newberg police arrested an 18-year-old Newberg High School student on charges of giving at least 10 fellow students illegal tattoos and having sex with underage girls.
Stephen Matt Lister, 18, was arrested after police started investigating him in late September following a complaint from the school's nurse to the Newberg High School Resource Officer, who is a member of the Newberg Police Department.
The nurse told police she had received information that a student at the school was giving other students tattoos.
Further investigation revealed Lister was having sexual relations with young girls who attended the school, police said.
Lister faces numerous charges, including 10 counts of performing services in a field of practice without a license, three counts of third-degree sex abuse, two counts of third degree sodomy and three counts of third degree rape.
Police said Lister gave fellow students tattoos at his Newberg apartment and was arrested after two 15-year-old girls confirmed having sex with Lister.
Police said over 20 photos on Lister's phone show he may have been given others tattoos as well and they are concerned Lister did not use correct sanitation when giving the tattoos, which can lead to infections or disease.
Police said the Oregon Health Division verified that Lister does not have a license to give tattoos.
Lister was taken to the Yamhill County Jail and is being held on $150,000 security. He initially appeared in court on October 4 and will be back in court on Oct. 11.
Police are asking anyone who has received a tattoo from Lister to contact the school resource officer or call detectives at 503-538-8321.
Lister, kiss your future goodbye. You'll have to be self employed cuz no one is going to be hiring a child rapist.
I'm not even if you'll even be able to get licensed as a tattoo artist after this conviction.
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What's left? Snow plow driver? Farm hand? Aluminum recycler (picking up beer cans from garbage)? Gay gigolo?
PARENTS teach your youth BEFORE they are 18 what is against the law. Ignorance of the law, is no defense! YES an 18 year old HIGH SCHOOL student IS breaking the law if they are having sex with a minor classmate. There is a 3 year age gap allowance  for consensual sex, however that does not apply if one is a legal adult and the other a minor. These laws are to protect the youth from someone manipulating them when they are vulnerable and stupid. I have seen 15 year olds more mature than 18 year olds, this is why the LAW must be taught instead of waiting for ignorance, emotions and hormones to change ones life forever.Â
As far as tattooing without a license... reckless endangerment.Â
 @Shaey Our consent law is the strictest, only 13 states have this LAW saying that you have to be 18 years old to consent. Far more states have a 16-17 year old consent law.
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Very sad when you also put in the fact that we have Measure 11. Double Whamy for these TEENAGERS in HIGH SCHOOL. This is 2012.
First of all let me just say that I don't condone the behavior displayed by the 18 year old giving tatoos or having sex iwth minors. However, I think it is funny that all the blame for the sexual contact with the 15 year old girls lies with the 18 year old. I have boys in high school and it is quite shocking how slutty some high school girls have become. They also know at 15 what they are doing. i think the 15 year old girls should also be punished for not keeping their pants up. The 18 year old not having the maturity to make wise decisions should not be blamed for everything. As far as the tatoos, yes, my concern would definitely be of the sanitation used on each individual. However, I firmly believe that this man found a way to make a little exta cash and didnt think of the end result of his art work. Labeling him a sexual predator is a bit much. I would rather see him get some counseling and guidance on how to further his education and life and find some tools to enable him to make better decisions
@allsevenofus obviously it is not your child who was exposed to very real blood borne pathogens... and having spoke to this kid he knew what he was doing with tatoos was illegal.
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 @Newberg Sister unless you are with your child 24/7 you don't know if your child has not had a sex adventure?Â
 @Newberg Sister Good for your child for helping.
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That said, we should never teach personal responsibility right?!? I'm sure all those that got tattoos from this guy didn't want or consent to them. It also sounds like the girl who had sex with him had no idea what she was doing and didn't consent to that either. All these kids made mistakes and now have to pay for them or learn the consequences. He should be punished, but I think they are going a little far with it.
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I think, like Bobcat said, they are probably just trying to get him to plea.
@DJK @Newberg Sister, I agree with DJK, the other participants need to own some level of responsibility for 1) getting tattoos out of some students apartment, and/or 2) greating cozy with him and not using protection. This kid is not an angel, but the other kids need to take responsibility for their decisions, as poor and reckless as they may be.
Dammit! This pisses me off. Gonna wreck this kids life by labeling him a rapist, a predator, a pedophile...
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 @Newberg Sister  @Lips What evidence do you have that he's infected students with hep C? And why is he solely responsible for the activities his fellow students participated in? I'm sure their parents taught them right from wrong, yet there they were, engaged in sex and getting tats. It was all fun and games until someone got caught, now he's the bad guy that should go to prison. And all the others are now victims. Newberg sis, remember, you don't need to have a tattoo to get hep, sex will do it just fine. Maybe your sibling already had it? Spread it himself/herself? Sounds like this little crowd of friends were fairly easy.
 @Newberg Sister  @Lips Newberg Sister what Lips said was "Dammit! This pisses me off. Gonna wreck this kids life by labeling him a rapist, a predator, a pedophile..." which is in reference to having had sex with girls as young as 15, who I am sure did not put up a fight .  It is not in reference to tattooing people without a license.  To label him as Lips said is ridiculous, Â
 @Lips Do you really think those silly little girls are going to be willing to testify in court that he "raped" them? Sounds to me like the cops are just trying to charge him with as much as possible (sodomy?) to pressure him to agree to some BS plea deal because he was giving his buddies illegal tattoos. One kid gets a skin infection from a tattoo, his parents find out when he says he needs antibiotics, and the cops tell every kid that they *might* have been exposed to hepatitis or HIV, and the same stupid girls who were thrilled to have sex with a kid only three years older (could have been sophomores when he was a senior) are scared enough to confess ("you might have a disease!!!!") and this kid is unjustly labeled a predator for the rest of his life. Not right.
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 @pdxd That hurt my brain.
@thatswhatshesaid @mechanic, and if that were the case, which it could be, then both parties could be facing trouble due to the fact that if both are under 18, neither can legally consent.
@Mechanic But if he was 17, which was probably just a few months ago I assume, he would not be a sexual predator, just a HS boy gettin mad kitty.
@Mechanic I am curious though about the law.
What is the age of consent in Oregon?
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In the majority of states, the age of consent is either 16 or 17; however, the age of consent in Oregon is 18 years.  Under Oregon law, a person is considered incapable of consenting to a sexual act if the person is:
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     (a) Under 18 years of age; or
     (b) Mentally defective; or
     (c) Mentally incapacitated; or
     (d) Physically helpless.
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It is a defense to some (but not all) sex crimes where lack of consent is based solely on being under age that the parties' ages are less that three years apart.
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Ie he was still in highschool. The rest of it sure he knew he was doing something stupid so he should be punished for the tattoo thing but come on! Â high school kids having sex isnt new and not something that should be used to ruin their life. If he was returning to the school after graduation. maybe then things are different.
 @Lips yep..no going back from that, one google search by a potential employer and he will be dropped off the potential list. At least in his sex crime prison term he will likely learn to be a better tattoo artist as there are few other professions that will accept him now. Absolutely insane, If it is rape for an 18 year old to have sex with a 15 year we are going to have tens of thousands of kids going through the prison system and becoming sex offenders.
It is, in fact, rape for an 18 year old to have sex with a 15 year old.
So this guy is a sexual predator just like the dude stabbing and raping the 10 year old at Wendy's? Gimme a break. I knew lots of 15 year old guys and girls having sex with 18 year old guys and girls. That does not make them predatory!
Statutory rape, a rape only because of the girl's ages, not because of force. Â I'll bet a large sum that it wasn't the first time for either one of them. Â I'd be more concerned about the unsanitary methods he used when doing the tattoos. Â A large variety of deadly or nearly deadly diseases can be transferred by a dirty needle. Â Of course, a lot of today's youth aren't known for common sense or even much intelligence.
@boomer probably was not the first time.... but where in the heck were these kids parents? I know for a fact these tatoos were given beginning in July....I saw the work but could not get the kids to tell me who did them... so I started asking... finally got some info,,, told the right people and got the ball rolling..... because I care about my offspring and their friends.
Funny to read the comments and see some of the conservative readers saying this kid is getting what he deserves for not having a licence to tattoo.....yet they are normally the first to complain and grumble about the government wanting to regulate and licence business to death!  *laugh*
Correct, it is funny! Plus this kid is going to get hung out to dry for something much of nothing, 18 years old is the age that really gets you in trouble.
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Now that would be an issue, but it has not been proven yet.
The new, boyish face of stupid! This kids life may never be the same. Possibly spreading infection or disease by possibly questionable sanitation of the tattoo equipment? Check, that's pretty stupid. Providing tattoo's without licensing? Check, that's a whole lot of stupid. Providing himself for sex to 15 year olds? That's hormonal, and pretty darned stupid. The fact that his boyishly cute face will likely be spending time behind bars with some people that may be less than pleasant, well, it will hopefully be a learning experience. I just hope that the other people involved weren't exposed to any infections or diseases, or pregnancy in the case of the girls.
Newberg is sure getting it's place in the media spotlight lately!
Wow, a high school student had the sex with another high school student? Somebody stop the presses...NOW. We have to get this story into all the major publications. People need to know. Isn't there some sort of three years age difference amnesty law, or does the younger person have to be 16 before that kicks in?
What the heck do these school expect when they're handing out condoms?
 @Jamie Yeah, that's the problem. You must really, really, really old.
@Jamie Having a condom, is not the same as using a condom. To this day, I recall a high school health teacher, she posed a rhetorical question that I think still bears some truth: If you're not mature enough to walk into a drugstore, and ask where the condoms are, then perhaps you're not mature enough to be engaging in sexual acts. Fast forward to 10-14 years later, if I'm at the drug store, and I'm feeling a bit embarrassed picking up a package of condoms, I'm reminded that if you're not mature enough to buy them, you're probably not mature enough to have sex.
 @pdxd Maybe you're not aware but the kids can grab them by the handful in school, and nothing says they have to be responsible in how they're used. Point in fact, just giving the kids access to them increases the chance they'll be used. I'm all for eliminating unwanted pregnancies but when it comes to the kids its like a license to have sex without consequences.
@Jamie Just because a kid grabs a handful of condoms, doesn't mean they are going to be used. When I was 19 years old, I visited a clinic for a seminar, they had free condoms, and I had put them in the glove box in the car, guess what, there wasn't a need for one of those to be used. More likely than not, kids are going to goof off with condoms, or the kids that are actually going to put a condom on their banana, probably would have used their banana with or without a condom.
 @Jamie I had condoms in HS, and unfortunately didn't get to use them nearly as frequently as I would have liked.  Actually, now that I think about it, this holds true to this day.  Damn.
He knew that what he was doing was wrong, he got caught, now he needs to serve his time...simple really
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 @Just Lookin I don't really see anything morally wrong with either the sex or the tats.  Some of us hold ourselves to different standards than what is legal.  Morality trumps legality in my ledger.
What he did was wrong, each person has their own guidelines as to what is right or wrong. If he infected one person, and they die from it...then what? It is morally right to infect people?
In the state of Oregon the girls were too young legally. He was wrong and knew he was wrong. They knew he was wrong. So all get to share the blame.
 @darren vandervort  @Just Lookin I find this sort of "logic" really frightening. Sounds like part of the "if it feels good, do it" generation. Leaving the sex out of the picture, giving tattoos without proper sanitation can lead to a lifetime of medical problems. To me, that easily makes it morally wrong, without even a second thought. Most laws are based on what rational people term as morality. They are put in place for the immoral people (I won't mention any name examples.)
@darren vandervort The question of proper sanitation regarding the tattoos is the larger issue here, and operating without proper licensing. The age difference pertaining to sex, I'm not sure what the laws are regarding 15 year olds and 18 year olds in Oregon, I think some 15 year olds may have higher maturity than some 18 (or 21 year olds for that matter) but since maturity is subjective, and age is objective, the law is the law for a reason, like it or not. At 18 this kid is an adult, and will have to toughen up as adults do and the pay the price for his crimes.
No sympathy here, from me. He's 18 and considered an adult. There are consequences for his behavior, as an adult as he is about to learn. He is no longer a kid.
 @Saltire He's still a damn high school student(so in my book he's still a kid).  Think back and how many stupid things did you do?  Yeah it's a bad idea to start poking people with needles without the right gear, but so is drinking and driving among the other things that kids do without thinking of the consequences.  That is the idea of being a kid-  make mistakes, get caught, learn and repeat......
 @Firestarter74  @Saltire Gee, I don't know. I joined the military when I was 18. It was either that or be drafted.
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I don't agree...18 is still an adult. And, is considered so by law. 18 year olds can enter into contracts. 18 year olds can vote. It doesn't matter whether the 18 year old is in high school or not.Â
 @Tony D I don't think being in high school changes whether an 18 yo is considered an adult or not under the law. Does Oregon law give an 18 year old that is still in high school a pass from being considered an adult? http://youngadults.about.com/od/legalissues/a/turning18.htm.
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Also, at 18, he cannot be forced to complete high school (although I would recommend it). And, since he is 18 and may have a police or criminal charges, if he is convicted the military may be out even if he completes high school. And, at this time GED is not acceptable for enlistment in most services.
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He is off to a sad start. Hopefully, he will be able to pull things together. A report I saw on the new tonight said he was just released to his mom from a youth corrections facility and started Newberg High about three weeks ago.
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actually your almost right... high school students do NOT have the same rights as adults and are not viewed that way while in HS. to join the military now you need a high school diploma, no more waivers. I also consider people u21 kids to a large degree too but thats another storyÂ
having sex with your Girlfriend or boyfriend once you make 18 if they were 17 1 week later is against the law then right? Its not going to stick and the DA knows it its all fear used to make the guy cave in on the other lesser charges.Â
Whoa - if he is AIDS infected - you wanna change that tune, John Bain Boy?Â
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Just think what is going on here. Just think.... he is going to ratchet it all up. He is aware of how illegal he is acting and engaging. Just think for a minute or two here. Instead of presume he is just a 18 year old little boy and he has no control over his adult, legally accountable actions of choice.Â
@englishdaisy ...WE got confirmation he spread Hep C.
@englishdaisy where are you getting that he is infected with AIDS? Are you just making that up? If so.....Why?
 @oh4FS Daisy hyperboles a lot.
@Mikey @oh4FS At least it's not a "Daisy chain"
@oh4FS I don't commonly agree with englishdaisy, but "IF" this 18 year old has HIV, or herpes, or genital warts or any of the other STD's that are on this earth, there is certainly a chance that it could have been spread through unprotected sex, or by unsanitized tattoo instruments.
Wow, a senior had sex with a sophmore........CUT OFF HIS BALLS!!!!! Really???? I guess half the high school I went to is filled with sexually deviant perverts. Please, let's not ruin this poor kids life because of a ridiculous law. As far as the tattoos go, that can be dangerous. I hope he was well trained in safety and sanitation and used that training when giving tattoos. Not likely, but let's hope.