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On January 4, 2021, the Cornelius City Council, in partnership with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, named Lieutenant Bob Ray the new Chief of Police for the city.
Chief Ray has nearly 23 years of experience in law enforcement, serving most of that time in leadership positions. In addition to his many years as a Patrol Sergeant, Chief Ray was the Public Information Officer for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office from 2012 through 2017. Recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Chief Ray supervised three of our municipal partners in Washington County.
According to Cornelius City Manager Rob Drake, “The City of Cornelius is pleased to have Bob Ray serve as our new Police Chief. He brings a broad depth of experience to the position, has supervised the other contract cities of Banks, Gaston and North Plains, and has a positive and approachable style to serving the public. Chief Ray is serving on the Sheriff’s Office Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team (DEI) and is very supportive of bringing his cultural outreach efforts and sensitivity to his work in Cornelius.”
The Sheriff’s Office has provided police services to the City of Cornelius since 2014. The department serves more than 12,000 residents with 13 employees, patrolling an area of 2.2 square miles.
Chief Ray replaces former Chief John Bennett, who has been promoted to Commander of the Services Division at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
On Thursday, January 7, 2021, at 1:25 a.m., Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a robbery near the 100 block of SW 138th Avenue in Beaverton, Oregon. When deputies arrived, they discovered the victim had been stabbed several times in the upper body and face by an unknown male.
The victim told deputies he had just arrived home and met his friend outside, 25-year-old Katherine Garrido. As the victim was unlocking his front door, a man ran up to the victim and demanded his wallet. When the victim explained he didn't have a wallet, the man began stabbing him in the upper body and face, then ran off on foot.
The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
Ms. Garrido told deputies she witnessed the attack and gave a brief statement, then left the scene on foot.
Deputies were able to view video surveillance footage from the victim's home that captured the incident.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m., deputies located a 2009 Hyundai Sonata registered to Ms. Garrido traveling eastbound on Highway 26. After observing multiple traffic violations, deputies stopped the vehicle on Highway 26, near SW Cedar Hills Blvd. As deputies approached the vehicle, they recognized the male driver, 25-year-old Stephen Jajeh, as the robbery suspect from the surveillance video. Ms. Garrido was also in the vehicle. Mr. Jajeh and Ms. Garrido were both arrested.
Deputies searched the vehicle and found a knife with blood on it located in the trunk.
Mr. Jajeh was arrested for robbery in the first degree, assault in the second degree, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Ms. Garrido was arrested for robbery in the first degree, assault in the second degree, criminal conspiracy, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Both Ms. Garrido and Mr. Jajeh were lodged in the Washington County Jail.
***The surveillance video is not releasable to the media or the public.***
On Tuesday, January 5, 2021, Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett was sworn-in for his third term as Sheriff. The ceremony took place during a morning work session of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.
Sheriff Garrett has been with the Washington County Sheriff's Office since 1988 when he started as a Recruit Deputy in the Patrol Division. Since then, he has held every uniformed rank and earned state certification in both police and corrections.
During the commissioner work session, Sheriff Garrett thanked voters for having confidence in him to continue serving as their Sheriff.
"It's important that as individuals, organizations, and communities, we know what's worth fighting for. 2020 made us all think about this, and we found ourselves fighting for equity, connections, community, safety, change, and the democratic process. As your Sheriff, I fight for our community's crime victims and survivors; for public safety services that are just, fair, and equitable; for community trust through professional public safety service, excellent training and partnerships; and for our staff who put their lives on the line daily with the community's best interests at heart." said Sheriff Garrett.
"One of many appreciated characteristics of Sheriff Garrett's approach to his job has been his successful use of a continuous improvement model in managing his multifaceted organization," said Board of Commissioners Chair Kathryn Harrington after the ceremony. "We are honored to continue to have Pat Garrett serving with us here in the community."
Sheriff Garrett holds a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University and a master's degree from Portland State University. He also served our country in the United States Army Reserve, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Sheriff Garrett was activated twice since 2003 and spent a year in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom on a provincial reconstruction team.
Sheriff Garrett lives in Hillsboro with his wife, Coleen. They have two children.
Tuesday morning's ceremony is available to view on the Washington County YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/WashingtonCntyOregon
In other command-level changes, Undersheriff Shawn Fischer is retiring on January 9, and will be succeeded by current Chief Deputy John Koch. Services Commander Al Roque will be promoted to one of two Chief Deputy positions, alongside Chief Deputy Karlyn Degman.
On Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a theft in progress near SW Crestdale Drive and SW Canyon Road in the West Slope area.
A resident reported to dispatchers that he caught a man on his doorbell security camera trying to steal some shoes and a hat from their front porch. The resident was able to yell at the man to drop the items, and he ran off. The caller told dispatchers the man appeared to be high on drugs and was speaking incoherently. The suspect was described as a white man with red hair and a goatee, wearing a black jacket, no shoes, and one sock.
As deputies began to swarm the area, the driver of a nearby garbage truck told deputies that he had just been attacked by a man with a similar description. A Sheriff’s Office K9 unit was in the area and joined in searching for the suspect as more reports came in that a man was running through people’s yards.
At approximately 1:15 p.m., alert neighbors, including a group of bicyclists and people out walking their dogs, were able to point deputies to the location of the suspect. He was arrested without incident.
The suspect has since been identified as Austin Roach. Mr. Roach was booked into the Washington County Jail on charges of theft in the third degree, unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, and harassment.
On Sunday, December 20, 2020, just before 1 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a man who had threatened a FedEx delivery driver with a gun.
The FedEx driver was delivering packages near SW Cascadia Ct. and SW 188th Av. in Aloha when a man came out of his house and stood in the street, blocking the FedEx truck. Deputies identified the suspect as 68-year-old Rodney Bryant of Aloha.
The investigation showed Mr. Bryant stood in the street and made racial slurs toward the FedEx driver, who identifies as a Black man. The FedEx driver was able to drive off but Mr. Bryant got in his car and pulled along side the truck, with his car door open. The FedEx driver could see Mr. Bryant had a gun in the car. Mr. Bryant continued to make racial slurs and then said he was “not afraid to use it.”
The FedEx driver was able to get away and then called 911. Deputies arrested Mr. Bryant and recovered a pellet gun, which had no orange tip and was indistinguishable from a real gun. Mr. Bryant was lodged at the Washington County Jail on charges of bias crime in the first degree, unlawful use of a weapon, and menacing. His bail was set at $10,000.
Oregon law states a person commits Bias Crime, a felony, if a person intentionally, because of the person’s perception of another person’s race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin, places another person in fear of imminent serious physical injury.
On Sunday, December 20, 2020, just after midnight, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a stabbing in the 20600 block of SW 65th Av. near Tualatin in unincorporated Washington County. A man showed up at an area hospital and said he had been stabbed at a house.
Deputies surrounded the house while the suspect, 48-year-old Astella Smith of Tualatin, was still inside. The interagency Tactical Negotiations Team and Crisis Negotions Unit were activated and came to the scene. A judge signed a warrant ordering deputies to take Ms. Smith into custody and search the home for evidence.
Ms. Smith surrendered just before 7 a.m. She was booked into the Washington County Jail on charges of assault in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon. Ms. Smith’s bail is set at $250,000.
The stabbing victim was treated at the hospital and is expected to survive his injuries. Additional charges are possible as the investigation continues.
On Saturday, December 19, 2020, at 1:50 a.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a head-on crash at SW Farmington Rd. and SW Riggs Rd. A 2013 Subaru Impreza was on fire after it crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a 2019 Dodge Caravan.
The woman driving the van had just finished her shift as a nurse and was able to get out of her van. She realized the Subaru was on fire and the driver was still trapped inside. She was able to flag down other people and together they pulled the man out of the burning car and away from the flames.
Deputies arrived along with emergency medical crews but that driver, 24-year-old Dagoberto Flores Ramirez of Cornelius, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Flores Ramirez’s family was notified of his death.
The interagency Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART) responded to the scene. The investigation showed Mr. Flores Ramirez was driving the Subaru and crossed over the center line where he hit the Dodge head-on.
On December 18, 2020, just before 12:30 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a custodial interference call in the 21000 block of NW Rock Creek Blvd. in the community of Rock Creek.
37-year-old Stephen L. Johnston, of North Plains, was with two children during a DHS-supervised custody visit when he got in his Jeep with the kids and left, in violation of a judge’s order. When the DHS employee attempted to follow Mr. Johnston while also calling 911, he discovered Mr. Johnston had flattened one of the tires on the DHS vehicle.
Multiple deputies responded to the area to start looking for Mr. Johnston. They learned he had been previously arrested in Multnomah County and was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet. Mr. Johnston was arrested in Multnomah County in May 2020 based on a child sex abuse warrant issued in Texas. In June, a Multnomah County judge approved Mr. Johnston’s release with several conditions, including a GPS ankle monitor.
During this incident, a deputy at the Washington County Jail was able to give real-time GPS updates on Mr. Johnston’s location as he drove into Portland.
Washington County deputies requested help from the Portland Police Bureau, and their officers detained Mr. Johnston just after 1 p.m. near SE 82nd Av. and SE Johnson Creek Blvd. Both children were unharmed and were returned to DHS custody.
WCSO deputies went to that scene and arrested Mr. Johnston. He was booked into the Washington County Jail on two counts of custodial interference in the second degree, unlawful possession of heroin, and criminal mischief in the third degree. His bail for those charges is set at $100,000. Mr. Johnston is also on felony probation in Washington County for theft and is being held without bail for violating his probation.
The Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the Portland Police Bureau officers for their quick help to find Mr. Johnston and ensure the safety of the children. Expecting it would go unnoticed, the officers also took it on themselves to buy Christmas presents for the children. We appreciate their generosity toward both kids!
On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at 11:21 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a burglary call at a home in the community of Aloha, near the intersection of SW Willow Creek Court and SW Willow Creek Drive. The residents said they heard knocking at their front door and then realized someone had forced their way inside. The person was wearing a black and red mask, holding a flashlight and a shovel, and identified themselves as a federal agent. Shortly after, the suspect fled on foot but left the shovel they were holding in the home’s front yard.
When deputies arrived, they were given a description of the suspect and began searching the area.
About 25 minutes after the original burglary call, a community member called dispatch and said someone was trying to break into a vacant home across the street from them. Deputies went to the location, which was approximately half a mile down the road from the original burglary call, and located 37-year-old Timothy Henry of Gaston. Mr. Henry matched the description deputies were given of the burglary suspect. Mr. Henry also had a flashlight, red bandana, and black mask in his sweatshirt pocket.
My. Henry was lodged in the Washington County Jail for burglary in the first degree, unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief in the second degree, and menacing. Mr. Henry was also placed on a federal probation hold.
Mr. Henry is not a federal agent.
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, Washington County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report that an adult man exposed himself to a 13-year-old boy at an apartment complex near SW 214th Ave. in the community of Aloha. Deputies released a description of the suspect on social media to notify community members and locate any witnesses. The incident was caught on a nearby surveillance camera, and that video showed the vehicle the suspect was driving. The video was released on social media the following day, December 3.
Two days later, on Friday, December 4, 2020, Hillsboro Police Department officers responded to the Dollar Tree store at 2165 SE Tualatin Valley Highway on a report of an adult man exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl. A short time later, Hillsboro police officers contacted the man, 32-year-old Brady Overacre of Hillsboro, at his home.
Deputies responded to the home as well. The vehicle Mr. Overacre was driving related to the December 4 incident appeared to be the same vehicle involved in the December 2 incident. Based upon the similarities between the incidents, vehicle descriptions, the timeframe, and the locations, deputies determined they had probable cause to arrest Mr. Overacre on charges related to the December 2 incident. Mr. Overacre denied involvement with the December 2 incident, and claimed to be at work at the time; however, deputies could not confirm that information. The unique facts and circumstances of this case led deputies to develop probable cause and a good faith belief that Mr. Overacre committed the crimes, and therefore arrested him on charges associated with the December 2 incident. Additionally, Hillsboro Police arrested Mr. Overacre on charges related to the December 4 incident.
The following week, the Washington County District Attorney's Office asked a detective to conduct additional investigative work related to the December 2 incident. That investigation concluded Mr. Overacre was, in fact, at work during the time of the December 2 incident; as a result, exonerating him.
Mr. Overacre is not connected to the December 2 incident and is cleared on all related charges. However, Mr. Overacre was indicted for attempted sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of public indecency related to the December 4 incident. For additional details related to the December 4 incident, please contact Hillsboro Police Department.
The individual responsible for exposing himself to a 13-year-old boy on December 2 is still outstanding. If a community member has any information related to the December 2 incident, please call (503) 629-0111.