Who Is Luis Alberto Cheley Barrientos? Gresham Sunday School Teacher Arrest

Luis Alberto Cheley Barrientos is a 25-year-old former Sunday school teacher at the Salvation Army Gresham Corps in Oregon who was arrested on August 21, 2026, after police accused him of grooming and sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl he met through the church. Prosecutors say Barrientos exchanged thousands of messages with the teenager, met her outside and inside her apartment, sent and received sexually explicit images, and had sexual contact with her. He faces 15 criminal charges, including luring a minor, encouraging child sexual abuse, online sexual corruption of a child and third-degree sexual abuse. He was being held without bail while the case proceeded.

Luis Alberto Cheley Barrientos Arrest

Barrientos Was Arrested On August 21, 2026. Gresham Police said the arrest followed an investigation into alleged child sexual abuse and exploitation. [Gresham Police] [FOX 12 Oregon]

Barrientos Was Booked Into The Multnomah County Jail. Police identified him as a 25-year-old Gresham resident. [Gresham Police]

Barrientos Was Being Held Without Bail. Court reporting says he remained detained following his arraignment while awaiting further proceedings. [Hoodline]

Fifteen Criminal Charges

Barrientos Was Arraigned On 15 Charges. Court records cited in local reporting include multiple felony and misdemeanor counts involving the 15-year-old girl. [Hoodline]

Police Announced Five Counts Of Luring A Minor. Gresham Police specifically identified five luring charges when announcing Barrientos’ arrest. [Gresham Police] [FOX 12 Oregon]

Barrientos Also Faces Two Counts Of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse In The Second Degree. Those charges concern alleged possession or handling of sexually explicit material involving a minor. [Gresham Police]

He Also Faces Two Counts Of Third-Degree Sexual Abuse. Those charges were among the offenses publicly identified by Gresham Police. [Gresham Police]

Court Records Include Additional Online Sexual Corruption And Child Sexual Exploitation Charges. Reporting on the arraignment says the remaining counts include online sexual corruption of a child and using a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Was A Sunday School Teacher

Barrientos Taught Sunday School At The Salvation Army Gresham Corps. Prosecutors say he met the alleged victim through his role at the church. [Hoodline]

The Girl Began Volunteering At The Church. Court documents cited in reporting say Barrientos and the teenager became acquainted after she began volunteering at the Salvation Army congregation. [Hoodline]

The Salvation Army Fired Barrientos Following His Arrest. Court reporting says his employment or volunteer role with the organization ended after the allegations became known. [Hoodline]

More Than 3,500 Messages

Prosecutors Say Barrientos Exchanged More Than 3,500 Messages With The Girl In 42 Days. Investigators documented the volume of communication as part of the probable-cause case. [Hoodline]

The Messages Were Sent Through Multiple Apps. Court records identify Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram and ordinary text messaging among the platforms used. [Hoodline]

The Pair Also Made Or Attempted Approximately 60 Calls. Investigators identified roughly 60 phone or app-call attempts between June 1 and July 4. [Hoodline]

Meetings At The Girl’s Apartment

Prosecutors Say Barrientos Met The Girl Outside Her Apartment At Least Twice. Court records place some of the encounters in a parking area outside the girl’s Gresham residence. [Hoodline]

The Girl Told Investigators Barrientos Came Inside Her Apartment At Least Three Times. Those alleged visits occurred during the period when the pair were communicating frequently. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Allegedly Suggested Visiting When Her Parents Were Away. Prosecutors cite those messages as part of the alleged grooming conduct. [Hoodline]

Alleged Sexual Contact

The Girl Said Barrientos Kissed Her During One Of Their Meetings. Prosecutors included the alleged physical contact in the charging documents. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Is Accused Of Additional Sexual Contact Resulting In Third-Degree Sexual Abuse Charges. Gresham Police announced two counts of third-degree sexual abuse as part of the case. [Gresham Police]

Sexually Explicit Images

Prosecutors Say Barrientos And The Girl Exchanged Sexually Explicit Images. The alleged digital exchanges form the basis of several exploitation-related counts. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Allegedly Told Investigators Explicit Photos Would Be Found On His Phone. Reporting on the probable-cause affidavit says Barrientos acknowledged investigators would find images involving both himself and the teenager. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Allegedly Changes His Story

Police Say Barrientos Initially Denied The Relationship. According to reporting on the investigation, he first denied having the alleged relationship with the teenager. [Hoodline]

Investigators Then Confronted Him With The Messages. Prosecutors say his account changed after officers showed him evidence of the extensive communications. [Hoodline]

Barrientos Allegedly Said The Messages Needed To Be Deleted. The statement was cited in court reporting as part of the prosecution’s account of his interview with investigators. [Hoodline]

Police Investigate Possible Additional Victims

Gresham Police Believe There May Be Other Victims. Detective Mike Erickson, the lead investigator, publicly said he is concerned additional victims have not yet been identified. [Gresham Police] [FOX 12 Oregon]

Police Are Asking Other Potential Victims To Come Forward. Gresham Police asked anyone who was victimized by Barrientos or has information about the case to contact Detective Erickson. [Gresham Police]

Mugshot Or Booking Photo

Gresham Police Have Not Released A Photo Of Barrientos. FOX 12 reported that it specifically asked the department for a photograph and police declined to provide one. [FOX 12 Oregon]

Case Status

Barrientos Remains Accused Of 15 Criminal Charges. The case includes felony allegations involving luring, child sexual exploitation and online sexual corruption as well as sexual-abuse charges. [Hoodline]

He Was Being Held Without Bail In The Latest Public Court Reporting. No guilty plea, trial, conviction, dismissal or sentencing has yet been reported. [Hoodline]

The Investigation Remains Active. Detectives are continuing to seek information about possible additional victims. [Gresham Police]

The Charges Have Not Been Proven In Court. Barrientos remains accused rather than convicted while the criminal case proceeds.