Workplace Accident At Woodburn Distribution Center Results In Fatality -06/04/25

WOODBURN, OR – At approximately 11:39 a.m., the Woodburn Police Department was dispatched to the Winco Distribution Center (400 S. Woodland Ave, Woodburn) following a report of a workplace accident involving a forklift operator.

 

Preliminary investigation indicates that the incident occurred when a semi-truck was moved while a forklift operator was still inside the container.  As a result, the forklift fell from the container. Tragically, the forklift operator, Christopher Ryan De Jesus (39) from Independence, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

 

The semi-truck driver remained on site and is fully cooperating with law enforcement. Both the forklift operator and the semi-truck driver were working for third-party contractors at the Distribution Center.

 

Police Seek Help Identifying Motorcyclist And Witnesses Following Hit-and-run Crash (Photo) -06/02/25

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Woodburn Police Department (WPD), along with the Oregon State Police, responded to reports of an erratic driver traveling northbound on Highway 99E toward Woodburn.

 

Callers reported that a maroon-colored minivan was weaving through traffic, entering oncoming lanes, and traveling at a high rate of speed. The vehicle continued into the Woodburn city limits, where it struck a motorcyclist in the northbound lanes of the 800 block of N Pacific Highway.

 

Following the collision, the minivan fled the scene but was located a short time later in the 1300 block of N Pacific Highway. The driver, a 32-year-old Salem resident, Brenda Alvarez-Gonzalez, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Hit and Run – Property. She was transported and lodged at the Marion County Jail.

 

Prior to the arrival of Woodburn officers on the scene, video surveillance captured the motorcyclist removing their damaged black 1997 Honda GL1500 (Washington license plate: “9J3036”) from the roadway with the assistance of an unidentified bystander. The rider then left the area and has not yet been identified. The previous owner of the motorcycle confirmed it had been sold, but no current ownership information is available.

 

The WPD is requesting the public’s help in identifying the motorcyclist and locating any witnesses who may have seen the crash or assisted at the scene.

For a video clip of the incident, please email PIO directly (See contact email below).  A photo of the motorcycle is attached. If you have any information, please contact Officer Josh Mitchell at 503-982-2345.  Case #: 25-6689. 

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Suspect Arrested In Deadly Hit And Run. -05/18/25

Yesterday, Saturday, May 17, 2025 at about 11:00pm Silverton and Woodburn Police arrested Kenneth Kolarsky, 58, of Portland who had an outstanding arrest warrant for felony hit and run which stemmed from a deadly incident that occurred in Woodburn on December 26, 2024.  See link for initial incident information: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AP32pBJjP/

 

Kolarsky, who is an employee at Silverton Hospital, was located outside the facility and arrested without incident. Kolarsky was transported and lodged at Marion County Jail.

 

Please contact Marion County District Attorney with questions on this case.