Former Oregon Youth Authority Employee Indicted On Contraband And Misconduct Charges – KXL

SALEM, Ore. — A former employee of the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), Cherie MacDougall, was arraigned this week in Marion County Circuit Court on a series of felony charges stemming from alleged misconduct at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in 2022.

MacDougall, 42, faces a total of 10 charges, including:

• Three counts of supplying contraband

• Three counts of conspiracy to supply contraband

• Two counts of custodial sexual misconduct in the first degree

• Two counts of felon in possession of a firearm

The charges follow a joint investigation by the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Justice, focusing on activities that allegedly occurred while MacDougall was employed at the OYA facility.

Allegations Include Weapons and Sexual Misconduct

Court documents indicate MacDougall accepted payment from incarcerated individuals in exchange for contraband, including vaping devices. After one of those individuals was released into the community on conditional release, she allegedly provided them with two firearms. She is also accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with the same individual while they were in custody.

MacDougall’s employment with the Oregon Youth Authority officially ended on May 10, 2023.

Legal Proceedings Underway

Prosecutors requested $500,000 bail, citing the seriousness of the charges. However, Judge Pro Tem Matthew Tracey set bail at $100,000. MacDougall is scheduled to appear in court again on September 11, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. at the Marion County Annex, located at 4000 Aumsville Highway SE in Salem.

The case is being prosecuted under Marion County Circuit Court case number 25CR47112.

Part of Broader Criminal Inquiry

This indictment is one of several handed down by a Marion County Grand Jury amid a broader investigation into conditions and management practices at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, a closed-custody center operated by the Oregon Youth Authority.