Friday's arrest of a Coquille businessman on sex abuse charges stemmed from an incident involving a foreign exchange student.

Curtis Jack is charged with first-degree and third-degree sex abuse involving a female teenager who had been attending school locally through a foreign exchange program, Deputy District Attorney Karen McClintock said. The teenager was participating in an exchange program through AYUSA Global Youth Exchange and had been living with Jack's family.

Coos County sheriff's deputies arrested the 53-year-old Friday, after someone from the exchange program reported the incident to police on Wednesday. Jack is on the Board of Directors of the Coquille Valley Hospital and ran unopposed for re-election this week. He also is the owner of Coquille Supply and is serving as the president of the Coquille Lions' Club.

Jack did not return messages left on his cell phone Tuesday and this  morning seeking comment.

Danielle Grijalva, the director of the Committee for Safety and Foreign Exchange Students, said cases of abuse of exchange students are not uncommon. But many incidents are not reported to local law enforcement, she added. The U.S. State Department oversees the AYUSA exchange program and the program is required to report any incidents to federal officials.

"In my opinion the Department of State needs to strengthen its standards," she said.

Grijalva said her office is looking into the case. In general, she said, exchange programs don't always support students who report abuse. Lax placement practices also have put children in unsuitable homes, Grijalva said.

McClintock said the student's limited amount of time in the country will have an impact on the case, as the girl may be needed to testify in a trial.

"We will have to keep that in mind," McClintock said Tuesday.

The case will go to the grand jury this week and Jack is scheduled to be in court for an arraignment on the charges or a preliminary hearing next week. The hearing is scheduled at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday.