Tag Archives: District Attorneys

Multnomah County DA candidate Nathan Vasquez tells voters man ‘murdered’ 4 women even though he has not been charged

Nathan Vasquez referred in his statement in the Oregon Secretary of State Voters’ Pamphlet to the case of convicted felon Jesse Lee Calhoun, 39, though he did not identify Calhoun by name. Source: Multnomah County DA candidate Nathan Vasquez tells voters man ‘murdered’ 4 women even though he has not been charged

With addiction bill passed, now Oregon faces biggest challenge

Counties have to build new treatment facilities to deflect people away from the criminal justice system but they only have a few months before possession is recriminalized. With the Legislature done, local agencies will start to work on programs to reach people in drug addiction and keep them out of jail. This session, lawmakers culminated […]
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Man wanted on rape charges released when Oregon refuses to request transfer from Florida; then Gov. DeSantis steps in

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis personally intervened to make sure that a man wanted on rape and sexual-abuse charges in Oregon was arrested after Washington County officials in Oregon declined to request his transfer from Florida. Juan Jose-Sebastian, 26, was on the cusp of release from a Martin County, Florida, jail when the local sheriff’s office […]
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After serial blunders by Portland city attorneys, Oregon public records laws likely to remain unchanged

Oregon public records advocates appear to have prevailed in their drive to prevent the Legislature from passing what they feared would have been an overly broad new exemption to state transparency laws. A provision of House Bill 4031 had aimed to change Oregon’s public records law to prohibit local governments from disclosing virtually any “taxpayer […]
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Skip Your Court Date? That’ll Now Land You a Misdemeanor

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office instituted a new policy last fall of tacking on additional misdemeanor charges for people accused of felonies who failed to appear at their court date. DA Mike Schmidt’s office acknowledged the new policy after WW obtained records showing the number of defendants charged with “failure to appear” has skyrocketed […]
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Legislature approves richer taxpayer-funded pensions for district attorneys, fire and police officers, other state workers

The Oregon Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would increase retirement benefits for public employees who work in crime- or mental health-related environments, including district attorneys, state police forensic scientists and some state psychiatric hospital workers. The biggest boost in collective retirement benefits would go to police and firefighters who were hired after the late 1990s […]
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What Should the Criminal Penalty Be for Drug Possession?

With Oregon’s pioneering drug-decriminalization Measure 110 on the chopping block, the state’s Democratic lawmakers are pushing a compromise. They want to restore criminal penalties for possession of hard drugs—but less severe penalties than those on the books prior to the passage of 110, approved overwhelmingly by Oregon voters in 2020. Source: What Should the Criminal […]
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Portland man facing local charges committed to Oregon State Hospital

Mathew Todd, deemed ‘extremely dangerous person with a mental illness,’ has pleaded not guilty to charges in alleged assault A Portland man with a history of mental illness who is facing charges in Jackson County Circuit Court was committed Monday to the Oregon State Hospital, where he will stay for two years so he might […]
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Chief prosecutor under Multnomah DA Mike Schmidt joins staff departure list

One of Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s highest ranking prosecutors is planning to leave his job for another that pays about $120,000 less per year – saying the move has nothing to do with election politics, though the announcement is coming just three months before voters will decide whether to re-elect Schmidt or wave […]
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Governor Nominates Top Multnomah County Prosecutor for New Job on State Parole Board

Gov. Tina Kotek has nominated a top Multnomah County prosecutor to serve on the state’s parole board. Chief deputy district attorney Don Rees currently runs the Multnomah County District Attorney Office’s division overseeing sex and violent crime prosecutions. His new gig would be a full-time job, raising the question of who will replace him. Despite […]
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