AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1245
POLICE OFFICER SHOT
Police: Suspect who shot Ore. police officer indicted
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) — Police say the man who shot a police officer after a late-night traffic crash has been indicted on attempted aggravated murder charges.
Police said in a news release Thursday that David Allen Charlton is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons possession by certain felons, and charges including heroin and methamphetamine distribution.
Police say they responded to a report of a man fleeing a vehicle crash April 27 and say when Officer Scott Shropshire of the Fairview Police Department and other officers found Charlton, he immediately shot at them, hitting Shropshire.
Officers say they returned fire, hitting Charlton multiple times.
Shropshire has been treated at a hospital and released. Charlton remains in custody while recovering in a hospital.
Police say a grand jury has also cleared the three involved officers from any wrongdoing. They can return to active duty.
LANE COUNTY MURDER TRIAL
Man found guilty in Lane County capital murder trial
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A 26-year-old man faces the death penalty after being found guilty in the 2012 slaying of a Eugene man.
The Register-Guard reports that A.J. Scott Nelson was convicted of aggravated murder and more than a dozen other felony charges Thursday. A second trial phase to decide if Nelson should be sentenced to death will start Tuesday.
Nelson is the third and last defendant to be found guilty in the kidnapping, robbery and murder of Celestino Gutierrez Jr.
Co-defendant David Ray Taylor is now on Oregon’s death row and Mercedes Crabtree is serving a life sentence.
Nelson’s attorney had previously asked a judge to rule out the death penalty for her client, arguing that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury from his time in the Army.
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PORTLAND DRIVE-BY SHOOTING
2 injured in Portland drive-by shooting
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police say two men have been seriously injured in a drive-by shooting outside a Portland apartment complex.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that officers had responded to the scene Thursday to find the victims with gunshot wounds. Both men, one in his 20 and the other in his 30s, were hospitalized and are expected to recover.
No arrests have been made.
Police Sgt. Pete Simpson says the shooter had been riding in a dark blue sedan with tinted windows. The vehicle was believed to be carrying three males.
Police are urging anybody with information about gun crimes to come forward.
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ESCAPED INMATE-CLARK COUNTY
Man escapes Clark County jail by posing as another inmate
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate at the Clark County Jail has escaped after posing as another inmate scheduled to be released.
The Clark County’s Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that 30-year-old Michael Diontae Johnson escaped the jail Thursday morning by working with the other inmate to switch identities.
Authorities didn’t say how the inmates switched identities.
The sheriff’s office says Johnson was in jail facing charges of harassment, assault, intimidating a witness and bail jumping. He has kidnapping and assault convictions in Arizona and was serving time on those charges when brought to Clark County to stand trial for local charges.
The release says Johnson is black, 5 feet 4 inches tall, 140 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.
Local and federal authorities are searching for him.
ABDUCTION ESCAPE-SENTENCING
2 teen boys sentenced for kidnapping great-grandmother
(Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com)
KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — Two teenagers have been sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison for abducting one of their great-grandmothers and driving with her in the trunk of her car for about 200 miles before she escaped.
The Tri-City Herald reports a 17-year-old boy was sentenced Thursday to 9-1/2 years for his role in kidnapping his great-grandmother.
In court, the teen apologized, saying it was the worst decision he has ever made.
A 16-year-old boy who admitted to executing most of the plot to gag, bind and kidnap the woman, was sentenced to just over 10 years. He also apologized during sentencing.
A statement by his 87-year-old grandmother was read telling the teens she’s sorry for what they’ve been through in the recent months and that they should behave in prison.
A third co-defendant was ordered to serve up to 2-1/2 years in a state juvenile institution. She is appealing.
Both boys pleaded guilty to kidnapping, burglary and theft of a motor vehicle charges.
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KATHERINE DUNN-OBIT
“Geek Love” author Katherine Dunn dead at 70
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Writer Katherine Dunn, who was famous for her novel “Geek Love,” has died at her Portland, Oregon home. She was 70.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Dunn died Wednesday of complications from lung cancer.
The 1989 book “Geek Love” told the story of a house full of circus sideshow performers. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and became a best-seller. In addition to writing books, Dunn was also a journalist for Oregon newspapers and other media outlets.
Her son, Eli Dapolonia, told The Oregonian that his mother considered writing “a real craft that required constant effort.”
Dunn was born Oct. 24, 1945, in Garden City, Kansas, and moved to Oregon as a child.
She attended Portland State University and Reed College.
RANCHING STANDOFF-GUILTY PLEA
Oregon standoff defendant pleads guilty in theft case
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who joined the security team during the takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon has pleaded guilty to stealing government property.
Scott Willingham was with occupation spokesman Robert “LaVoy” Finicum on Jan. 15 when Finicum took down surveillance cameras at a substation near Burns.
Willingham’s the first refuge defendant to enter a guilty plea, but he’s not one of the 26 people scheduled to go to trial later this year in the larger conspiracy case stemming from the 41-day takeover.
Under a plea agreement, Willingham’s expected to face six months in prison. He’s agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and spend up to several months at a residential re-entry program.
The Oregonian/Oregonlive reports that Willingham said “absolutely, without question” when a federal judge asked Thursday if entering the guilty plea was the right decision.
FAKE BOMB-PLANE
Passenger gets probation for placing fake bomb on plane
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A passenger who placed a fake bomb in a restroom during an international flight has avoided a prison term.
Instead, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman sentenced Sean Davies to five years on probation and ordered him to pay restitution to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Prosecutors recommended the sentence because the Warrenton, Oregon, man had no prior arrests and has been getting treatment for alcoholism.
The plane was headed to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, from Amsterdam in 2014 when Davies alerted a crew member to the device.
He later confessed he built it with a wine bottle, an iPhone charging cord and other materials handy on the flight. Davies told investigators had been feeling down and wanted to appear heroic by reporting the presence of a bomb.
He apologized Thursday to the airline, the passengers, the government and his family.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
