HILLSBORO, Ore.- On October 11, 2019, Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Hans Robert Eaton to 82 months in prison after he was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of felony hit and run, one count of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and one count of reckless driving. Deputy District Attorney William Stabler prosecuted the case against Mr. Eaton.
On February 18, 2019, Mr. Eaton was spotted driving erratically down Boones Ferry Road in Tualatin. Witnesses observed his vehicle weaving in and out of his lane of travel before he quickly accelerated, entered the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a second vehicle.
After the crash, witnesses observed Mr. Eaton exit his vehicle. He then staggered around the scene and repeatedly asked others what happened. Mr. Eaton then left the scene, despite being told to remain, and entered a nearby business complex. He then climbed approximately 20 feet up a tree in an apparent effort to elude police. Police eventually located him, and he was taken into custody.
Responding officers with the Tualatin Police Department observed numerous signs of intoxication, consistent with opioid use when they interacted with Mr. Eaton at the scene. The investigation ultimately revealed Mr. Eaton had methamphetamine, morphine, hydrocodone, and marijuana in his system.
The two victims in this case were severely injured in the crash, including multiple broken bones and a brain injury.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Tualatin Police as well as that of the Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART). This office would also like to commend the witnesses who assisted with the investigation.
In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Eaton was ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution. Mr. Eaton has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.