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On Tuesday, July 16, 2019, Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office will begin targeting thieves who steal packages delivered to porches across the county.
Working closely with the United States Postal Inspection Service, detectives with the Property Crimes Unit will be setting up a bait package mission in hopes of catching package thieves in the act.
These decoy packages are equipped with electronic tracking devices that allow deputies to track them after they’ve been stolen.
Detectives use package theft data provided by the U.S. Postal Service to determine which areas have the biggest problems with “porch pirates.”
This mission coincides with special deals being offered by many of the country’s largest online retailers this week.
Detectives from the Property Crimes Unit work proactively throughout the year to combat the problem of package thefts in our community. For the last four years, detectives have placed numerous bait packages throughout Washington County to deter potential package thieves.
On Friday, July 12th, 2019, at 1056 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to an injury crash near the intersection of SW Farmington Road and SW 153rd Avenue. When deputies arrived, they located a serious crash between a 2012 Chrysler 300 and a 2013 Ford Fusion.
Deputies learned that before the crash, two vehicles, the Chrysler 300 and a 2005 Subaru Impreza, were apparently racing at a high rate of speed eastbound on SW Farmington Road. As the vehicles approached the intersection of SW 153rd Avenue, a 2013 Ford Fusion began turning onto SW Farmington Road.
The Chrysler crashed into the Ford causing significant damage to both vehicles. The Subaru continued traveling eastbound but was stopped shortly after by a Beaverton Police Officer near Hwy 217 on SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway.
The driver of the Ford, Patrick Ator, was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries and his wife, Janace Ator who was in the front passenger seat, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The driver of the Chrysler, 20-year-old Alejandro Maldonado-Hernandez, was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. After receiving medical attention, Alejandro was arrested and will be booked into the Washington County Jail for the following crimes:
?,? Manslaughter in the second degree
?,? Assault three
?,? Reckless Driving
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be added at a later time.
Sheriff’s deputies are asking anyone with information related to this incident to please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 629-0111.
Booking photo will be available for media once he is lodged in the Washington County Jail.
Six Men Arrested in Undercover Child Predator Sting
July 12, 2019
On July 11, 2019, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducted a child predator sting where investigators posed on a variety of social media platforms and dating web sites as 15-year-old boys and girls. The men contacted undercover deputies online and were arrested after arriving at a location where they believed they would be meeting a child in person for sex.
During this sting, multiple people immediately ended their conversations once they learned the person they were talking with was identifying as a child.
The Sheriff’s Office regularly conducts undercover operations targeting child predators. Parents are encouraged to help their children be safe online and to be aware of the sites and applications their kids are using. The Sheriff’s Office also provides online safety education for parents and community organizations.
All of the following men were arrested for the felony crimes of Luring a Minor and Online Sexual Corruption of a Child in the First Degree:
Mario Bautista-Perez, 26, of Beaverton
Alfonso Cuevas-Alvarez, 40, of Oregon City
Larry Liu, 22, of Bethany
Shawn O’Brien, 30, of Portland
Pavel Protopopov, 25, of Washington State
Daniel Yim, 37, of Bethany
On June 26, 2019, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man for placing false ads on Craigslist to rent his mother’s home. Deputies started investigating Bradley Samuel Philan, 40, of Beaverton after family members called the Sheriff’s Office to report his crimes. Mr. Philan’s family had already reimbursed two separate victims more than $7,000 from the rental scams.
Mr. Philan told investigators he would place ads on Craigslist for his mother’s house on SW 172nd Ave in the Aloha area of unincorporated Washington County. He would then offer his victims walkthroughs of the property and collect a deposit and first month’s rent, often totaling a few thousand dollars. Mr. Philan would sometimes refund his victim’s money back, but more often, he would gamble the money away.
Most of Mr. Philan’s victims paid him electronically using the “Square” or “Venmo” apps.
Mr. Philan has been lodged in the Washington County Jail on a charge of Aggravated Theft in the first degree and six counts of first degree Theft by Deception.
Investigators believe Mr. Philan scammed his victims out of more than $13,000 since the beginning of May. They also believe there are more victims who have not contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to report the fraud. If you have any information about Mr. Philan or believe you may be one of his victims, please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency dispatch number: 503-629-0111.
On Tuesday, July 2, 2019, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a man entering a 7-year-old girl’s bedroom window at the Court Yards at Springville apartments. This is in the 17000 block of NW Springville Road in the Bethany area of unincorporated Washington County.
The father of the girl woke up to the sounds of his daughter screaming. When he arrived to her bedroom, he saw a man crawling out of her window. The father ran out the front door and saw the man running away. The man was wet and appeared to have just left a nearby hot tub.
Responding deputies located a wallet on a plastic chair near the hot tub and were able to identify its owner as 30-year-old Kord Knudsen, also a resident of the apartment complex. Several articles of his clothing were also found along the way.
Mr. Knudsen admitted to having alcohol and marijuana prior to the incident.
Mr. Knudsen was arrested on charges of burglary in the second degree and criminal mischief in the second degree.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and Oregon State Sheriff's Association (OSSA), will be conducting enhanced impaired driving patrols on Independence Day and the days surrounding the national holiday.
The Fourth of July is a wonderful time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and fireworks, but all too often the festivities turn tragic on our nation’s highways. Unfortunately, this iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to impaired-driving crashes.
During the 2017 Fourth of July holiday period (June 30 – July 5), 237 people were killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. These deaths accounted for 39 percent of the total motor vehicle crashes that occurred over the holiday period.
There are many other ways to ensure a safe ride home from Fourth of July festivities besides relying on a friend. The options include using public transportation, calling a taxi, or using a rideshare program such as Uber or Lyft. In addition, NHTSA’s SaferRide Mobile App, available in the app store, is another resource to help find a sober ride home – by identifying their location and helping to call a taxi or a friend to pick them up.
The Sheriff’s Office wishes everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July, and asks the public to celebrate responsibly. Remember: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.
On June 23, 2019, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a complaint from a bicyclist who said a passing motorist tried to cut him with a knife while he was riding west on Northwest Hornecker Road , near Northwest Leisy Road, in Unincorporated Washington County
According to the bicyclist, a 2001 Toyota Corolla approached him from the rear while he was riding on the right side of the road on June 22 at 2:10 p.m. The bicyclist said the Corolla did not move to the center of the road to give the bicyclist room as it passed. The bicyclist felt the Corolla get closer to him as it went by him. The bicycle had two cameras attached to it during the incident; one facing forward and the other facing the rear.
The bicyclist reviewed the video when he got home and realized the male sitting in the front passenger seat of the Corolla stuck his right arm out the window and had a knife in his hand. The bicyclist told deputies he thought the passenger was trying to slash him.
Deputies later reviewed the video and noticed the Corolla initially began to move to the center of the road when it was approximately 100 feet behind the suspect but then changed the angle of the car towards the bicyclist. In the video, deputies can see the passenger put his right arm out the window with a knife in his hand as the Corolla gets closer to the bicyclist. The passenger raises his hand towards the bicyclist and exposes the knives’ blade as the vehicle passes dangerously close to the bicyclist. Once the vehicle passes, the passenger pulls the knife and his arm back into the vehicle.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 846-2700.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnkfyX2wz_Q
On Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at 5:02 a.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant related to a shooting that damaged a vehicle in the Rock Creek community in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 16th.
Detectives arrested Brian Toru Matsuo, 39, at his residence in the Aloha area on charges of first degree attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon, first degree criminal mischief, and menacing.
(Original Media Release Below)
Vehicle Damaged, No One Injured in Rock Creek Shooting
June 16, 2019
On Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 3:22 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the report of a shooting at NW Rock Creek Drive and NW Landing Drive in the community of Rock Creek.
When deputies arrived, they learned that a 2007 BMW 3-series sedan had been struck by at least two gunshots. The shots penetrated the BMW’s rear window and trunk. Fortunately, no one inside the vehicle was injured.
The investigation revealed that immediately preceding the shooting, the suspect and victims spoke briefly at a nearby business. The suspect complained about how the BMW had been parked.
Officers from the Hillsboro Police Department assisted deputies at the scene.
No arrests have been made. Detectives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit will continue to investigate.
Investigators would like to speak to anyone with information about this shooting. Please call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700.
On June 19, 2019, a Washington County Grand Jury indicted Adam Michael Wallace, age 39, on 19 felony charges related to the sexual abuse of underage males and luring minors online. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office began its investigation into Wallace after receiving information from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office about possible victims in the Washington County area. Wallace is currently in custody at the Marion County Jail on similar Marion County charges and is currently facing similar cases in Linn County, Oregon (Albany Police Dept.) and Cowlitz County, Washington. Wallace is a registered sex offender who was last living in the City of Aurora in Marion County.
Wallace is known for using social media apps, such as Instagram, SnapChat, Grindr, Hornet, and text messaging to contact his victims. Wallace would often use “phishing” techniques, such as posing as a person younger than himself to make contact with juvenile males. He would then meet them in person and promise to buy the boys gifts, such as clothing, before sexually abusing them.
Due to the number of victims, the widespread locations of his victims, and the amount of photos retrieved from the suspect’s phone, detectives believe there may be many more underage males who have yet to come forward.
Adam Wallace’s charges from Washington County are listed below:
- Using Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct (x4)
- Sodomy in the Third Degree (x2)
- Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree (x4)
- Online Sexual Corruption of a Child (x2)
- Luring a Minor (x7)
The abuse is believed to have happened between 2015 and March of this year when Wallace was most recently arrested.
Anyone with information about Adam Wallace, who sometimes goes by his middle name of Michael, is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700 or Detective Emanie Bravo with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 503-566-6910.
The Sheriff’s Office would also like to remind parents to keep a close eye on their children’s social media accounts and cell phones as sexual predators use these as ways to contact their victims.
Detectives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit continue to investigate a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning at the intersection of NW Rock Creek Blvd. and NW Landing Drive in Rock Creek.
Investigators are interested in identifying a man who was inside the Arco AM/PM store located at 6301 NW Cornelius Pass Road prior to the shooting.
It is believed the man is associated with a Nissan Frontier pickup truck.
Anyone with information on this person or vehicle is asked to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700.
The victims are not interested in speaking to the media.
The previous media release is included below.
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On Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 3:22 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the report of a shooting at NW Rock Creek Drive and NW Landing Drive in the community of Rock Creek.
When deputies arrived, they learned that a 2007 BMW 3-series sedan had been struck by at least two gunshots. The shots penetrated the BMW’s rear window and trunk. Fortunately, no one inside the vehicle was injured.
The investigation revealed that immediately preceding the shooting, the suspect and victims spoke briefly at a nearby business. The suspect complained about how the BMW had been parked.
Officers from the Hillsboro Police Department assisted deputies at the scene.
No arrests have been made. Detectives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit will continue to investigate.
Investigators would like to speak to anyone with information about this shooting. Please call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700.
On Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 7:50 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the report of an attempted child abduction in the 15600 block of SW Blanton Street in Aloha. When deputies arrived, they contacted family members of a three-year-old child.
The family members reported they were enjoying a family gathering when they realized they hadn’t seen the boy for about five minutes. When they went looking for him, they saw him being led away by the arm by an unknown Caucasian male in his thirties. Family members yelled for the child and the man released the boy, unharmed, before running west on SW Blanton Street. The boy’s father chased the man on foot, but lost him. Deputies also searched the area and did not locate the suspect.
Other witnesses saw an unknown African-American man in the area at the same time. He ran off when the other man did and his involvement in the abduction attempt was uncertain. Deputies contacted a man matching the description and arrested him on an unrelated warrant.
Detectives would like to speak to anyone who has information that could assist this investigation. Please contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 503-846-2700.