Jack Patrick Hauser, 47, pleaded guilty after forcing a man with intellectual disabilities to sell food and drink outside the Hillsboro Esplanade between 2023 and 2024. (File photo)

A Hillsboro caretaker will spend two years in prison after forcing a man with intellectual disabilities to sell snacks and drinks outside a local shopping center.

Jack Patrick Hauser, 47, pleaded guilty to charges of human trafficking and failing to report as a sex offender on Friday, June 13, according to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.

Hillsboro police arrested Hauser in August 2024 following a lengthy investigation sparked by reports from concerned community members, finding that he had exploited a 26-year-old man after the victim’s mother passed away.

Over the course of several years, Hauser controlled nearly every aspect of the man’s life: forcing him to live in unsafe, unsanitary conditions in the backyard of his Vernonia home while transporting him daily to the Hillsboro Esplanade shopping center to sell small items. The victim was made to work in extreme weather, with Hauser demanding and keeping most of the money.

Despite multiple attempts by community members to intervene, Hauser repeatedly blocked efforts, officials said. Law enforcement later executed search warrants on Hauser’s home and vehicle, recovering the victim’s identification, debit card and bank slips.

Investigators also found that Hauser, previously convicted of third-degree statutory rape in 2002, had moved into his parents’ Hillsboro home without notifying law enforcement — a violation of his sex offender registration requirements.

The district attorney’s office emphasized its commitment to combatting human trafficking and urged anyone concerned about potential trafficking to call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.

Hauser will serve his sentence in the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections.