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Multnomah Co. District Attorney's Office Portland, OR- Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Marshall today sentenced 35-year-old Jesse James Herold to life in prison after convicting him of Murder in the Second Degree. The terms of the sentence allow for a review by the parole board after 25-years in prison.   Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Kevin Demer and Deputy District Attorney Sam Wilton prosecuted the case for the state. After the sentencing Demer  said: “Mr. Watts was only 32 years old when he was murdered.  His family worried about him knowing that he was houseless and struggling while living on the streets.  I hope the anguish and heartache that this family went through is softened by knowing that Mr. Herold received the maximum possible sentence.” The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office  thanks the Portland Police Homicide Detail and particularly Det. Sean Macomber and Det. Eric McDaniel  for their excellent wo...

Albany Fire Dept. Albany Fire responded to Bryant Park on Tuesday, February 10, at 10:06 p.m. for a report of a man and woman in distress. Crews were advised that at least one person was down a river embankment.   AFD dispatched two Rescue Watercraft (RWC), three ambulances, and 13 firefighters to the scene. One patient was rescued from the bank of the Willamette River and transported to a local hospital for observation.   AFD water rescue personnel entered the Willamette River at Bowman Park and searched upstream to Bryant Park. A female and her dogs were located down a steep embankment. Before the woman could be moved, the dogs were secured. Rescue personnel then loaded the patient onto an RWC and transported her to waiting EMS crews. There was no safe exit from the river at that location other than climbing back up the embankment. The dogs were able to climb back into the park on their own.   Battalion Chief Ben Cooper stated, “Any water response, particularly at night...

Eugene Police Department  At 2:17 a.m. on February 7, callers to 911 reported a vehicle had crashed into a residence near the intersection of West 18th Avenue at Josh Street and the driver had run from the vehicle.  Multiple police units responded and found heavy damage to the home. The involved vehicle, a Toyota Rav4, had hit at least one street sign before crashing into the house, leaving large hole through the wall. Officers began to search the area for the driver, later identified as 41-year-old Aaron Edward McCloud and located him walking toward his residence, which was nearby.  Eugene Springfield Fire transported McCloud to a local hospital for evaluation, then EPD transported him to Lane County Jail where he is lodged on charges including DUII, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering, Hit and Run, and Criminal Mischief II. Case 26-01924

Grants Pass Police Department The Grants Pass Police Department has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to counter drug activity in Grants Pass and Southern Oregon. As part of this partnership, we provide a detective as a Task Force Officer in the local DEA office. Our detective conducts investigations into drug crimes in Grants Pass and has successfully managed numerous major interdictions. The detective is responsible for arresting major drug suppliers and other high-level drug criminals who target Grants Pass citizens. This past Saturday, the Grants Pass Police DEA Task Force Officer led an investigation that resulted in the seizure of roughly 40 pounds of methamphetamine. Also assisting in the case were the Grants Pass Police SWAT Quick Response Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement team, the Oregon State Police, and other members of the DEA Task Force. The Grants Pass Police Department is committed to tackling drug crimes i...

Salem Police Dept. SALEM, Ore. —  On February 6, 2026, Jorge Reyes-Suarez, 45, of Salem, was arrested in connection with a robbery that took place earlier in the parking lot of Costco located in the 4800 block of 27th Avenue SE.     At approximately 12:06 p.m. today, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, a woman, bleeding in the parking lot with an obvious head injury. She told officers she had just placed her Costco items into her vehicle and returned her cart when an unknown man armed with a handgun assaulted her and took her fanny pack.     During the incident, the suspect struck the victim in the head with the handgun. The victim was transported to the Salem Hospital by Salem Fire Medics for treatment of significant injuries to her head and face. Community members attempted to intervene, but the suspect fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla. Dispatch broadcasted the informatio...

Oregon Dept. of Human Services   (Salem) –  Michael M. Newton, age 16, went missing from Eugene on February 3, 2026.  The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division believes that Michael may be at risk and is searching for him to assess his safety.   ODHS asks the public to help in the effort to find Michael. Anyone who suspects they have information about his location should call 911 or the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).   Michael is believed to be with his mother, Ms. Aroya Newton, and/or with Ms. Newton’s partner, Noah Miller, in the Cottage Grove, Mapleton and Florence areas.   Name: Michael M. Newton Preferred Pronouns: He/him Date of birth: 12/22/2009 Height: 5’9” Weight: 240 Hair color: Dark Brown Eye color: blue/grey Law enforcement agency and case # EPD 26-026968 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children # 2076410   Sometimes when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and O...

Salem Police Dept. SALEM, Ore.  — On February 5, 2026, Jacob Braun, 32, of Salem, was arrested in connection with an attempted arson incident that occurred on January 30, 2026.     On the evening of January 30, officers responded to a report of attempted arson in the 5300 block of Landon Street SE. The investigation identified Braun as the suspect, who attempted to ignite a paper bag containing gasoline on the front porch. When that failed, he poured the gasoline on the porch and walls and attempted to ignite it with a lighter but was unsuccessful.     Crime Analysts from the Salem Police Department assisted in distributing a bulletin to law enforcement agencies in the valley and coastal areas to locate Braun. This morning at approximately 1:45 a.m., Newport Police arrested Braun during a traffic stop without incident and transferred him to detectives with the Felony Crimes Unit.    ...

Portland Police Bureau  On Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 1:04 p.m., Portland Police Officers assigned to Central Precinct were dispatched to a grocery store in the 1300 block of Northwest Lovejoy Street on a report of a threat with a weapon. They learned that a suspect had come into the store, approached two uniformed security officers, falsely identified himself as an agent from the United States Secret Service, pointed a handgun at one of security officers, and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire. The security officers scuffled with the suspect before he fled the scene with the handgun in his possession.  The suspect left behind an instrument case that contained a loaded shotgun. Officers seized the shotgun as evidence.  They found threatening messages written on the shotgun shells that specifically named President Donald Trump. Officers conducted an extensive search of the area attempting to locate the suspect, but he was not found. At the time, officers did not k...

U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Oregon PORTLAND, Ore.—A Lake Oswego, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for trafficking cocaine and laundering the proceeds through a business bank account to buy cryptocurrency.   Michael Wayne Frost, 47, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit over half a million dollars’ worth of assets involved in his money laundering offense, including cryptocurrency and cash.   According to court documents, law enforcement officers engaged in multiple controlled purchases of cocaine from Frost. On July 2, 2024, a federal search warrant was served on Frost’s residence in Lake Oswego. Agents seized a kilogram of cocaine and about $20,000 in cash from the residence. Agents later applied for additional warrants and seized more than $509,000 in cash and cryptocurrency tied to the cocaine sales. Frost deposited some of the cash into a business bank account he controlled...

Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team In the late night hours of Tuesday, February 3rd, detectives with the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team (DINT) arrested a man on multiple drug and weapons charges in the 1400 block of Booth Ranch Road, Myrtle Creek.     Detectives located 62 year old William Pease parked on the side of Booth Ranch Road in his vehicle.  Detectives believed Pease to be in the area for the purpose of dealing large amounts of methamphetamine.  With help from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, detectives contacted Pease in his vehicle.     A search Pease's vehicle, and the area right around it, led to the discovery of approximately 98 grams (3.4 ounces) of suspected methamphetamine.  Detectives also located a concealed firearm inside Pease's vehicle.  In addition to the firearm being illegally concealed, Pease is a prior convicted felon which prohibits him from possessing firearms.     Pease was detained wi...

Lane Co. Sheriff's Office   On February 3rd at 8 a.m., Lane County Sheriff’s deputies and Oregon State Troopers responded to a property in the 23000 block of W. Sheffler Road, Elmira, after determining Jack Weldon Baker, 41, of Elmira, was likely on the property. Deputies had been searching for Baker regarding a number of crimes committed in several recent incidents. Deputies also deployed a drone to assist in the search. After about an hour, Baker was located in brush on the property and detained without incident. A detective authored a search warrant for Baker’s residence and it was granted by a circuit court judge. During the search, deputies located two firearms. After additional investigation, Baker was arrested and lodged at the Lane County Jail on the following charges: - Failure to Report as a Sex Offender - Felon in Possession of a Firearm - Assault in the 4th Degree - Attempt to Elude a Police Officer by Vehicle - Reckless Driving - Criminal Trespass in the ...

Tigard Police   A man was stabbed in Tigard Tuesday morning, leading to a large search for the suspect.   At 7:14 AM, a person called 911 to report the stabbing, which investigators believe happened in an area behind a row of businesses on SW Cascade Ave south of SW Scholls Ferry Road, near railroad tracks. The victim, a 33-year-old man, was taken to the hospital by ambulance with injuries that are believed to be serious.   Several officers responded to the scene, including a K-9 handler and drone operators. The area next to the railroad tracks also has several encampments and a creek running through it. Officer searched in the marshy, wooded area for hours searching for the suspect or any evidence that may be connected to the investigation. The attached photos show how thermal imaging from a drone helped direct efforts in the search, as officers searched through trees, bushes, camps, debris and areas along the creek.    A man in the area was briefly detained in...

  Josephine Co. Sheriff's Office On February 3 rd , 2026, at 3:29 am, Deputies with the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of Highway 199 and Lone Mountain Road on a red GMC Sonoma pickup. The truck was not displaying a front license plate, and the rear license plate was partially obscured.     The driver, identified as Gavin Moore, was found to have a felony warrant for Distribution of a Controlled Substance (methamphetamine). When Moore was told he was under arrest and to turn off the truck, he sped off and attempted to elude Deputies out Lone Mountain Road.   Moore continued to flee on gravel roads until he slid off the roadway. He initially placed his hands out the windows to give up, but then backed his truck towards Deputy vehicles until his truck slid sideways and again got stuck in the ditch.   Moore subsequently complied with commands and exited the truck where he was taken into custody without further incid...

U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Oregon PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warm Springs, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison today for sexually abusing two minors on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.   Harold Charley, 39, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release.   According to court documents, in January 2024, Charley, a prior sex offender, engaged in sexual abusive contact with two minor victims between the ages of 12 and 16 over the course of several weeks on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.   On September 23, 2025, Charley was charged by superseding information with two counts of abusive sexual contact.   On October 7, 2025, Charley pleaded guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact.   This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Warm Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pamela Paaso.   This case was brought in collaboration with Project Safe Childho...

Medford Police Department  We are actively investigating a large, high-dollar theft that occurred during the early morning hours of January 19, 2026 , at the Medford School District 549C Facilities Yard. During this incident, a suspect broke out the rear window of a van and stole 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 $𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Surveillance video captured the suspect; however, their face was covered at the time of the theft. As part of the investigation, Medford Police Detectives distributed informational bulletins to ten south Medford markets and gas stations. On 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, a Dakota Street resident contacted police after recognizing the suspect from a bulletin and provided additional information that led detectives to a residence. Later that day, detectives executed a search warrant at a residence in the 𝟳𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗮𝗸𝗼𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁. As a result, officers recovered multiple stolen items from several unre...

Coos County Sheriff's Office  On January 20th, 2026, at around 10:40pm, Coos County Deputies, along with officers from the Coquille Police Department, and the Myrtle Point Police Department, responded to the area of Arago Fishtrap Rd in Myrtle Point, to the report of a man that was screaming and breaking the windows of a house while wielding an axe.  North Coos Dispatch received numerous 911 calls from residents in the area regarding the axe wielding man as he went from house to house causing damage to property.  As a result of the investigation, it was discovered that the involved male, William Kite (48), had used an axe to damage numerous different residences and vehicles in the area. Kite was quickly located and arrested, and transported to the Coos County Jail.  On January 22nd, 2026, William Kite was indicted on the charges of: Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing (X3), and Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree (X5).  

Sweet Home Police Department  On February 3, 2026, at about 1:06 a.m. Sweet Home Police received a 911 call of a physical disturbance near the Foster Elementary School building.  The initial report indicated that one of the two subjects involved was being restrained on the ground.  As officers were responding, the caller stated that the male being restrained on the ground had gone unconscious and was not breathing.   Officers arrived to find 47-year-old Joe Parkins of Sweet Home not breathing and without a pulse.  Officers performed CPR on Mr. Parkins until relieved by members of the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District.  Emergency personnel continued life-saving efforts but were unable to revive Parkins.   Additional staff responded to the scene, including the Sweet Home Police Department detective.  The investigation revealed that Mr. Parkins was in a physical altercation with 49-year-old David Johnson of Sweet Home.  Mr. Johnso...

Coos County Sheriff's Office  On February 2, 2026, early in the morning, North Coos 911 got a call about a disturbance at a home near Highway 42 in Coquille. Deputies arrived and found one person had been shot. The first responders secured the area and tried to help the victim, but Bryce Randall, 25, of Myrtle Point, did not survive. An investigation showed a conflict had led to shots being fired by George Jones, 31, of Coquille, who was arrested and taken to jail later that morning. Thank you to our partners with local police departments and ambulance teams for their support.

Marian County Sheriff's Office   Early this morning, members of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team served arrest warrants in the area of 6th Street Northwest in Salem, resulting in the safe arrest of two suspects connected to a recent shooting investigation. Marion County Detectives arrested 20-year-old Alvaro Velasco-Crane Jr of Salem on the following charges: • Attempted Assault in the Second Degree • Unlawful Use of a Weapon • Possession of a Firearm • Unlawful Possession of a Firearm • Reckless Endangering • Criminal Mischief in the First Degree A second suspect, 20-year-old Edel Ivan Hernandez of Salem, was also arrested at another location in connection with this investigation. Hernandez was arrested on the following charges: • Attempted Assault in the Second Degree • Unlawful Use of a Weapon • Unlawful Possession of a Firearm • Felon in Possession of a Firearm • Reckless Endangering The SWAT team was utilized due to the violent nature of the crimes and associated s...

Salem Police Dept. On February 2, 2026, detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit made an arrest in connection with a suspicious death investigation, now deemed a homicide.     The investigation began on January 30, 2026, at a residence in the 4600 block of Dark Forest Place NE, when a woman, 70, of Salem, was found deceased under suspicious circumstances.     Aaron White, 43, of Salem, the son of the victim, was arrested and formally charged with Murder in the Second Degree. This marks the first murder case investigated by the Criminal Investigation Section in 2026.     Additionally, the second suspicious death investigation, in Wallace Marine Park, reported in the original media release, remains ongoing and no further details are available at this time. There is no ongoing threat to the public related to either of these investigations.     The Salem Police Department would like to thank the Oregon State Police Cr...