by STUART TOMLINSON
WOOD VILLAGE -- A former missionary at the Wood Village Baptist Church will serve 28 months in an Oregon prison after pleading guilty to first-degree sex abuse.
Mark W. McIntire, 43, began serving his sentence Feb. 25 at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. He was placed on 10 years post-prison supervision, said Perrin Damon, spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Corrections. A Multnomah County grand jury indicted Mark W. McIntire last May for a 1992 incident involving a girl.
McIntire remains under investigation on charges of sexual abuse of other children in Lincoln County, Washington state and Brussels, Belgium, during the past 10 years, said Lt. Brett Elliot, a spokesman for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
McIntire and his family joined the 400-member congregation in the late 1980s, using it as their home base while traveling around the world performing missionary work. Financing for McIntire's travelscame from CP International, a philanthropic organization that sponsors international missionary work.
"The whole experience has been wrenching, and worse," said Bill Ehmann, senior pastor for the church. "The church is moving forward . . . the victims are the hurting ones."
McIntire and his family lived in Troutdale, Gresham and Boring but moved away in early 2001.
Ehmann said McIntire was never employed by the church but volunteered when he wasn't overseas.
In early 2001, he said, McIntire lost his status as missionary while in Belgium, and shortly afterward the church severed its ties with McIntire and his family.
McIntire was arrested in San Jose, Calif., by detectives from the Multnomah County Child Abuse Team.
Ehmann said he has done his best to keep church members informed since the charges came to light last May, but had not heard about McIntire's plea until contacted by The Oregonian.
"I knew his sentence wouldn't be very big because the incidents were pre-Measure 11," Ehmann said. "It doesn't seem like it's a long enough sentence . . . I thought he would get at least five years."
McIntire's scheduled release from prison is Dec. 7, 2003, Damon said, but he could get out sooner for good behavior.