A Salem father has been sentenced to five years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of criminal mistreatment involving his six-week-old twin children.
Reece A. Sorenson, 29, was sentenced on September 25 in Marion County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to five counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment. The sentence includes 66 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections followed by 36 months of post-prison supervision.
The case began after Sorenson and his wife took their six-week-old twins to Salem Hospital on August 10, 2025. One of the infants was having difficulty feeding, and hospital staff identified several serious injuries involving both children.
Medical examinations found that one baby had four broken ribs along with an injury to the mouth. The second infant had 12 broken ribs, broken collarbones and bruising around the eyes. Medical professionals considered the eye bruising particularly concerning because the children were too young to move independently.
Investigators determined that the injuries did not all occur at the same time. Differences in the stages of healing indicated that the children had been injured during multiple incidents.
During the investigation, Sorenson admitted to using force against both infants. Authorities said he also forcefully placed a burp cloth into one baby’s mouth in an attempt to stop the child from crying. The incident resulted in an injury that interfered with the baby’s ability to suckle properly.
The investigation also found that the twins were severely malnourished when they arrived at the hospital. Medical staff described them as extremely hungry when they were fed, and the babies reportedly reacted fearfully during feeding.
Sorenson had previously worked as a math teacher at Parrish Middle School and resigned following his arrest. He also served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Prison sentence follows guilty plea
Sorenson faced a possible sentence ranging from probation to approximately 148 months in prison. Prosecutors asked the court to impose 125 months.
Judge Courtland Geyer instead sentenced Sorenson to 66 months, or about 33 months for each child. He may receive approximately six months of credit through Oregon’s good-time provisions, according to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple. The investigation involved Salem Police Department detectives, including members of the department’s Special Victims Unit, as well as medical professionals and child-abuse specialists.
Prosecutors raise concerns about Oregon law
The case has also prompted discussion about how Oregon’s criminal laws address serious injuries to infants who cannot describe their pain.
Marion County District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy said prosecutors faced limitations because nonverbal infants cannot explain the level of pain they experienced. Under Oregon law, proving a more serious physical-injury charge can depend in part on evidence describing the victim’s pain.
Sorenson was prosecuted for first-degree criminal mistreatment, a Class C felony, based on causing physical injury. Prosecutors said that if they could have established serious physical injury under the applicable legal standard, a first-degree assault charge could potentially have carried a substantially longer sentence.
Murphy said his office has previously sought changes to the law concerning severely injured nonverbal victims, but efforts have not advanced through the Oregon Legislature.
For now, Sorenson’s sentence stands at 66 months in state prison, followed by three years of post-prison supervision.
