Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that Ryan Poffenberger, 37, has entered a new plea in six cases. Five cases stem from repeated instances in which he targeted local retailers, and one from a separate incident in which he fired a gun into a crowd in May 2024.
Case Details
Poffenberger was involved in a retail theft mission conducted by the Portland Police Bureau. On December 21, 2023, he was arrested for Theft in the First Degree. This operation took place in North Portland, resulting in multiple arrests and the recovery of thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise.
Ryan Poffenberger is well-known to retailers in our county and neighboring jurisdictions. Poffenberger has targeted a number of retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Sierra, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Plaid Pantry, Jacksons, LensCrafters, New Seasons, and Dicks Sporting Goods. Combined, retailers have alleged that Poffenberger has stolen over $100,000 in merchandise. There have been over 50 documented incidents totaling over $70,000 in Multnomah County alone.
Plea and Sentencing
Deputy District Attorney Theresa Turner represented the state in this case. Poffenberger pled guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, two counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, three counts of Theft in the First Degree, Aggravated Theft, and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle. On September 24, 2024, Poffenberger changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced by Judge Adrian Brown to 54 months in prison at the Department of Corrections with an additional 36 months of post-prison supervision to be overseen by the Department of Community Justice. This plea resolves the following cases against Poffenberger:
Poffenberger will remain in the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections for the remainder of his imposed sentence. Thank you to the dedicated work of the Retail Theft Task Force, and specifically Investigator Rebecca Lauderdale and Portland Police Bureau North Precinct Officers.