True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Bold Car Theft Leads to Wild Chase, Gun Battle, Social Distancing Violation

By HardBoiledNews Staff

EUGENE, Oregon — What began as a brazen car theft, turned into a wild car chase, demolition derby and gun battle before the suspect was finally caught because he wasn’t wearing a mask.

Oregon police say Trevor James Hudson, 32, triggered off the out-of-control escapade when he snatched a Nissan X-terra from in front of a business in Eugene.

The car’s owner then gave chase in another car, eventually cornering Hudson on a dead-end street. That led the victim to slam his car into the one Hudson was driving in order to pin him in and prevent him from leaving, cops said.

The stolen car’s owner then hopped out and tried to confront Hudson, who pulled a gun. The victim then pulled out a gun of his own and fired at Hudson, who then sped off, cops said.

Hudson eventually abandoned the vehicle by a Hampton Inn and ran inside. But since he was not wearing a mask, hotel employees demanded he leave. When they realized he was acting suspiciously, they called the police.

Officers with the Eugene Police Department and the Oregon State Police eventually caught up with Hudson near an Umpqua Bank and arrested him for robbery and unlawful use of a weapon. 

Drag Racers Slam Into Oregon House, Sparking Deadly Blaze

By HardBoiledNews Staff

ALOHA, Oregon — A pair of drugged-up drivers lost control while drag racing in an Oregon suburb, slamming into a house on a quiet residential street and setting it on fire, cops said.

The Washington County Sheriff’s office says the cars, one a 2009 Honda Accord and the other a 2010 Lexus, were speeding through Aloha around 1:15 a.m on Monday when they both failed to navigate a turn and slammed into the house.

The Lexus crashed into the front of the home and the Honda ended up in the garage where it slammed into a car parked there, sparking a blaze that quickly spread to the rest of the house.

The residents of the home managed to escape and were injured but a family cat was killed and a dog hospitalized, police said.

Deputies arrested the driver of the Honda, 23-year-old Andrez Velasquez, of Beaverton, on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and assault. A 23-year-old female passenger in his vehicle, was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. 

The driver of the Lexus, a 21-year-old woman, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. She was also charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving  and criminal mischief.

Former Oregon Ministry Leader Sentenced to Life for Child Rape

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Edward Thompson was sentenced to 125 years in prison

EUGENE, Oregon — A former ministry leader at an Oregon church was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a child. 

Edward Samuel Thompson, 40,  was sentenced to 125 years in prison after a jury unanimously found him guilty of four counts of first-degree rape, five counts of first-degree sex abuse and one count of first-degree sodomy, the Register-Guard reported.

He has been in custody since August 2018 when he was accused of abusing a young girl he babysat. Court documents said the abuse happened between 2012 and 2018.

At the time of his arrest, Thompson worked as a music ministry leader at Christ Fellowship Church and was a former member of Eugene Faith Center. Christ Fellowship Church put out a statement at the time saying Thompson had no duties that involved supervising children.

After Thompson’s arrest, the Christ Fellowship Church closed and its pastor retired.

Thompson had been held in a federal  prison after his arrest related to charges in a federal child pornography case.

Oregon Teens Busted for Trashing Cars In $30K Pumpkin-Smashing Spree

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jacob Stephen Solomon (l) and Adrian Andres Ochoa have been charged with malicious pumpkin theft

GRANTS PASS, Oregon — Two dopey teens have been arrested after going on a weeks-long, drunken pumpkin-smashing spree that caused at least $30,000 in damages, police said.

Cops in Grants Pass, Oregon say Jacob Stephen Solomon and Adrian Andres Ochoa, both 19, had damaged at least 50 cars during the gourd-trashing fest that began Oct. 7 and ran until Oct. 23.

“It sounds like there was probably alcohol involved and just a bunch of stupid decisions,” Lt. Misty English told The Oregonian.

Police say Solomon and Ochoa would drive around town, often late at night, and snatch pumpkins from the outdoor Halloween displays of local supermarkets.

They would then hurl the ill-gotten gourds through car windows, pulverizing them and shattering the glass, cops said.

In all, the victims have reported up to $30,000 in damages, but police say that figure could go up.

English said the suspects were caught largely because they had been driving around in an easy to recognize gold Buick with a large dent in one side.

“That made it pretty easy to recognize,” English said.

The teens have been charged with multiple counts of criminal mischief.

 

Widow Sues Slain Hubby’s Lover for Not Hiding Affair From Murderous Ex

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Than Duy Kim blew his top when he caught his ex-wife having sex with her married lover at her Oregon nail salon

CORVALLIS, Oregon — An angry widow is suing her dead husband’s lover for $1 million, accusing her of negligently causing his death by not hiding their affair from her jealous ex, who beat the man to death when he caught them in the act.

In her suit, Lana Dong says nail salon owner Anh Tram Gia Phan should have known her ex-husband was extremely jealous of anyone she had a relationship with and was prone to extreme violence.

In December 2017, Phan’s ex, Than Duy Kim, caught her and Dong’s husband, 50-year-old Mitch Xuan Dong, having sex at her Corvallis, Oregon nail salon, the suit said.

Kim, 49, flew into a fight of rage and brutally beat Dong with a baseball bat and stabbed him several times. Dong died a week later from his injuries.

Even though Kim and Phan divorced in 2009, they continued to live together, and the suit claimed that she “knew or should have known” that her ex-husband was “extremely jealous” of any romantic relationships she had with other men, and had a predilection for “extreme violence.”

The suit also claims that Kim was involved in various criminal enterprises, including money laundering.

Lana Dong is seeking $1 million in damages for medical expenses and funeral costs — plus the loss of society, companionship and services to herself and the two children she had with her slain husband, with whom she had been married to for 30 years.

The suit also named Kim as a defendant. He is being held on $3 million bond in the Benton County jail as he awaits trial for murder.

 

Fugitive Eco-Terrorist Nabbed In Cuba After 12 Years On the Run

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Fugitive Joseph Mahmoud Dibee was last seen in the U.S. in 2005.

PORTLAND, Oregon  — One of the last remaining fugitive members of a dangerous eco-terrorist group behind a string of arson fires that caused millions of dollars in damage has been caught after more than a decade on the lam, the FBI said.

Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, 50, was apprehended after investigators got a tip he was traveling through Central America on his way to Russia with a planned stop in Cuba, according to court documents.

With the help of Cuban authorities, Dibee was arrested there before boarding a plane bound for Moscow and was then sent back to the United States to face justice.

Dibee was a member of “The Family,” a notorious band of environmental radicals who set more than 40 arson fires at development sites in the Western United States between1995 and 2001. The fires caused more than $45 million in damages, with a 1998 arson attack on a ski resort in Vail, Colorado its most brazen act. That blaze caused $26 million in damages.

A fire set by The Family at a Vail, Colorado ski resort in 1998

Dibee fled the U.S. in December 2005. The following year, he was indicted along with 11 co-conspirators and has been on the run since.

“The crimes they committed were serious and dangerous,” said Special Agent Tim Suttles, who has been working on the investigation since 2004. “Just because time passes doesn’t mean the FBI forgets. We are very gratified to have Dibee in custody.”

Dibee’s capture leaves one fugitive from the group still at large. Josephine Sunshine Overaker, a U.S. citizen believed to be either 43 or 46 years old, fled to Europe in late 2001 and hasn’t been seen since.

“She’s the last one,” Suttles said, explaining that Overaker faces 19 felony counts in Oregon, Colorado, and Washington State. “We will continue to pursue her and to run down every lead that comes to us. We’re not going to give up just because time has passed.”

Fugitive Child Rapists Caught After Nearly 20 Years on the Run

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Fugitive couple Victoria Michelle Cravitz (l) and Leon Henry Shaw had been on the run since 1999

PORTLAND, Oregon — A fugitive couple wanted in Oregon on numerous child rape charges who had been on the run for nearly 20 years were found in Mississippi after the man died and his common-law wife tried to arrange his funeral, officials said.

Authorities finally zeroed in on the couple after the woman gave an undertaker a known alias used by Leon Henry Shaw, and realized he was on the FBI’s most wanted list.

Federal agents then swooped in and arrested Victoria Michelle Cravitz, the Associated Press reported. She had been living under the name of Jennifer Larsen.

The arrest brings to an end a chilling tale that dates back to 1999 when people who said they had earlier been abused by Shaw and Cravitz as children, went to authorities and said they were worried that three other children still living with the couple would also be molested.

Investigators determined the abuse had gone on for at least a decade.

Shaw and Cravitz were charged with multiple counts of rape and sodomy for forcing two children under the age of 10 to have sex with each other, prosecutors said. One of the children was also raped by an adult, they said.

During the  investigation, prosecutors say another woman came forward to say she had been kidnapped by the couple at a young age and had given birth to a child with Shaw. The young woman later escaped but her son remained in the house, prosecutors said.

The FBI had searched for years for the fugitives, but there were few leads and no  breakthroughs, until now.

“They had been on the run for a long time. They always lived in rural areas,” Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello said. “They didn’t have a lot of contact with people and they moved constantly.”

The couple apparently had been living south of Greenville, Mississippi, for about 15 years before Shaw, now 72, developed a serious infection and Cravitz took him to a Mississippi hospital, where he died of natural causes.

Cravitz used an alias while making his funeral arrangements, which triggered an FBI flag when the undertaker tried to prepare a death certificate.

Faith-Healing Parents Get 7 Years for Letting Newborn Daughter Die

By HardBoiledNews Staff

This couple refused to get medical help for their dying daughter on religious grounds

OREGON CITY, Oregon  — A mom and dad pair of followers of a faith-healing sect have been sentenced to nearly seven years in prison for letting their newborn daughter die without seeking medical help.

Travis Lee Mitchell, 22, and Sarah Elaine Mitchell, 25, both pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide and first-degree criminal mistreatment in the March 2017 death of one of their twin daughters.

The Mitchells were members of the Followers of Christ Church, a pentecostal sect, and others from the congregation were present for the births. The church is estimated to have around 1,500 followers in all.

Authorities say Sarah Mitchell gave birth to the twins at her parents’ home in Oregon City, but one of the babies was suffering from breathing complications and died. Afterwards, a church elder contacted the coroner but no one called 911.

The second baby also needed medical help but managed to survive only after authorities convinced the family to allow the child to be taken to a hospital.

The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was due to complications stemming from premature birth.

The Mitchells were each sentenced to six years and eight months in prison. They agreed to sign a letter stating, “We should have sought adequate medical care for our children and everyone in the church should always seek adequate medical care for our children.” The letter will be posted within church facilities, prosecutors said.

The little girl’s death marked the fourth time in recent years that prosecutors have brought charges against church followers for failing to get medical help for their children.

In 2011, Sarah Mitchell’s sister and her husband, Shannon and Dale Hickman, were convicted of manslaughter and sentences to six years for failing to get help for their severely premature daughter.

Three other families connected to the church have been convicted on similar charges since 2009.

 

Oregon Motorcyclist Killed After Colliding With Bear

By HardBoiledNews Staff

A bear, like this one, was also killed in the crash

WARM SPRINGS, Oregon — He met a grizzly fate.

An unlucky motorcyclist was killed after hitting a bear on an Oregon highway and then being thrown into the path  of an oncoming car, police said.

Authorities say 39-year-old Rhett Larsen was driving along Highway 26 in Warm Springs Saturday night, when he struck and killed a large bear that was in the roadway.

Larsen, a firefighter in Bend, Oregon, was thrown from his bike and into the opposite lane where he was hit by an oncoming SUV that was pulling a utility trailer.

The SUV, driven by 57-year-old Margaret Sweo, went off the road and rolled onto its side, cops said.

Larsen was declared dead at the scene, and Sweo was transported by a helicopter to a nearby hospital

15-Year-Old Girl Shoots 56-Year-Old Man She Met on Sugar Daddy Site

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Raelyn Domingo, 15, shot her sugar daddy

BEAVERTON, Oregon — She was perhaps a little too hot to trot.

A 15-year-old girl has been charged with shooting an Oregon man in the stomach after meeting him on a sugar daddy website, cops said.

Raelyn Domingo, had come to 56-year-old Thomas Licata’s home last week after they connected on the “Seeking Arrangement” website that connects young women with men willing to hand over cash and gifts in exchange for companionship.

But after getting high with Licata, cops say she went to use the bathroom and then came out and shot him in the stomach.

“From what we know, she shot him unprovoked,” Deputy Jeff Talbot, a Washington County Sheriff’s office spokesman told the Oregonian newspaper.

Domingo, who attended Heritage High School in Vancouver, had advertised on the site under the profile name “asianperssuasion.”

The two meet last week Friday and were hanging out in Licata’s music room, where he paid her $260 and gave her seltzer to drink, he told cops. The two them smoked cannabis out of a vape pen.

After Domingo shot Licata in the stomach, she demanded more cash, but he didn’t have any, so she fled. He was then rushed to an area hospital.

Cops say that hours later, Domingo and three masked men robbed two people at gunpoint in their home. Investigators finally caught up with her on Wednesday in Washington state, and placed her under arrest.

Oregon Man Angered by Noisy Kids Opens Fire on Family With AK-47

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Franklin Tomes apparently doesn’t like kids

NEWPORT, Oregon — A thin-skinned man irritated by noisy kids upstairs, blew his top and opened fire at his neighbors with an AK-47, wounding two men, cops said.

Franklin Tomes, 59, is accused of attempted murder in the shootings, which struck the two men, but also sprayed bullets into the apartment where the kids live.

According to the Newport police, Tomes was angry about the noise 20-year-old Jose Gaeta’s kids were making, and got into argument with the father in the apartment parking lot.

Tomes then grabbed the assault rifle from his car, and pointed the gun at Gaeta and his pal, Tristan Smith. Tomes opened fire as the two men ran away, police said.

Gaeta was hit in both legs and on one of his feet, and Smith was struck in the shoulder. Both men were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive, police said

After the shooting, Tomes barricaded himself in his apartment and remained there until he eventually surrendered about five hours later, police said.

The gun was found inside his apartment.

Tomes was also charged with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

Oregon Thief Nabbed With More than $50,000 Worth of Stolen Lego

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops say they found a stunning amount of stolen Lego in Raji Afife Azar’d home

PORTLAND, Oregon — That’s a lot of Lego.

An Oregon man has been charged with running a theft operation that netted more than $50,000 worth of Lego and other items from Portland-area stores.

Portland police say Raji Afife Azar, 40, would enlist drug addicts to shoplift toys from shops like Fred Meyer. He would pay them a fraction of the retail cost and then sell the items for substantially more on sites like Craigslist and eBay.

Investigators began tracking Azar earlier this year when store detectives from Fred Meyer learned that he was running a fencing operation dealing in stolen merchandise.

Undercover Portland police detectives eventually made contact with Azar to purportedly sell him stolen goods, and then busted him on April 26 after making the exchange.

Raji Afife Azar

When they executed a search warrant on his family’s home,  they discovered a huge stash of stolen Lego and other merchandise. Cops estimated the value of the goods stolen from Fred Meyer alone at $50,000.

Investigators warn that items sold online as “new” or in unopened packages with prices that seem too good to be true, might be stolen.

 

Construction Worker Charged With Attempted Murder in Brutal Nail Gun Attack

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jesus Ascencio Molina allegedly snapped and let his nail gun do the talking in a fight with a coworker

HAPPY VALLEY, Oregon — An out-of-control construction worker has been charged with attempted murder in a vicious nail gun attack that left a coworker riddled with wounds, police said.

Witnesses say Jesus Ascencio Molina, 24, “just snapped” and turned the pneumatic framing nail gun on his colleague on Friday as they were building a house in Oregon.

The victim was shot several times in the shoulder, back and neck and had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office said.

Another worker at the house told KGW-TV that they had just been wrapping up at the house and were preparing to move to another site, when Molina picked up the nail gun and started shooting.

The witness said the victim picked up a power saw and turned it on in an effort to defend himself, but it was too late.

Molina ran into the woods after the attack but was arrested a day later. He has been charged with attempted murder and was held on $250,000 bond.

Daycare Operator Who Drugged Kids and Went to Tanning Salon Pleads Guilty

By HardBoiledNews Staff

January Neatherlin felt her tanning needed more attention than the kids she was watching at a day care

BEND, Oregon — A woman who drugged and abandoned kids at an illegal daycare center she ran so she could go to a tanning salon, has pleaded guilty.

January Neatherlin, 32, was busted last March when cops found seven children under the age of 5, drugged with melatonin and alone at her Little Giggles Daycare in Bend, Oregon while she had run off to a tanning salon.

She pleaded guilty to 11 counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and one count of third-degree assault, and could face up to 35 years in prison when she is sentenced in March, the Bend Bulletin reported.

Cops discovered the drowsy kids — the youngest being 6-months-old —  in an upstairs bedroom with no adults to be found. One of the infants was sleeping on a padded “toy couch” and had vomited on himself.

Prosecutors say Neatherlin had on previous occasions left the kids to go work out at a gym.

Neatherlin has been in jail for almost a year since her arrest and while in custody, allegedly tried to convince three inmates to confess to her crimes, offering one $50,000, the Bulletin reported.

She has several prior felony identity-theft convictions under the names January Livsey and January Brooks.

Christian School Teacher Charged With Student Sex After Getting Caught by Hubby

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Literature teacher Andrea Baber liked them young

COTTAGE GROVE, Oregon — A teacher at a Christian school has been arrested for having carrying on a long-running affair with a student after getting caught in bed by her husband, police said.

Andrea Baber, 29, was arrested after the boy’s father called authorities when he received an anonymous email with pictures of his son in bed with his teacher, the Register-Guard reported.

Investigators interviewed the 17-year-old boy, who told them that he and Baber had been involved in a sexual relationship dating back to 2016 when he was 15-years-old.

He said it began as simple flirting and then kissing before graduating to full-blown sex once or twice a week at her home. He said she also provided him with alcohol and marijuana on some occasions.

The investigation revealed that Baber’s husband had recently made a report to child protective services after finding his wife and the boy in bed together partially clothed. He also found that she had sent topless photos of herself to the teen.

She has been charged with third-­degree rape, third-degree sodomy, contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, first-­degree online sexual corruption of a minor and unlawful delivery of mari­juana to a person under 18 years of age.

Baber taught language and literature at the Logos Christian Academy where she met the boy. She no longer works there, officials said. She graduated from Northwest Christian University in 2014.

“Andrea has always felt called to work with youth and is very excited that God opened the door for her to be part of the Logos team,” her biography on the school website read.

Portland Slasher Says Taylor Swift Made Him Do It

By HardBoiledNews Staff

PORTLAND, Oregon — Look what you made me do.

An unhinged man who allegedly tried to stab a passerby with a pair of scissors told cops he did it because singer Taylor Swift “told me to kill him,” police said.

Witnesses told cops  that Brent Shannon Thicksten, 43, was menacing people walking down the street in Downtown Portland and then pulled out the scissors and began chasing one man, KATU-TV reported.

The man suffered a cut to his lower back but was treated at the scene.

When officers detained Thicksten, he told them that his wife — “Shake it off” singer Taylor Swift — “told me to kill him.”

When they asked him where his wife was, Thicksten replied “we are one,” the officers said. He  then stopped answering questions, stating he had “top secret clearance.”

Brent Thicksten

Thicksten was arrested on assault charges, unlawful use of a weapon, trespassing, and menacing. He also violated parole for a third-degree robbery charge he pleaded guilty to this summer.

In 2014, he was arrested for stealing two forklifts.

 

Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Lethal Jailhouse Kiss

By HardBoiledNews Staff

PORTLAND, Oregon — It was the kiss of death.

An Oregon woman whose inmate boyfriend died after bags of meth she passed him during a jailhouse kiss burst in his stomach, has been sentenced to two years in prison on a drug conspiracy charge.

Melissa Ann Blair, 46, was visiting her boyfriend, Anthony Powell, in the Oregon State Penitentiary last year when they shared a long kiss during which she passed seven balloons filled with methamphetamine into his mouth.

Two of the balloons later ruptured in his stomach and he died soon after of methamphetamine toxicity, prosecutors say.

The 41-year-old Powell had been serving a life sentence for the stabbing death of his mother-in-law.

Blair’s attorney had argued that his client had been coerced by Powell into participating in smuggling drugs into the prison.

“It was a very Svengali-type situation where he had total control over her life,” John Ransom said, according to The Associated Press. “She had to do whatever he said.”

Four others have pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges in the case and are awaiting sentencing.

Teen Charged With Gunning Down Three Members of Foster Family in Oregon

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Neighbors say Kevin Adams, 16, was prone to fits of rage

ROSEBURG, Oregon — A 16-year-old boy has been charged with brutally gunning down his foster mother and two sisters in a fit of rage, police said.

Kevin Adams has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder in the shooting Tuesday that left his foster mother, foster sister and biological sister dead in their home in Roseburg, Oregon. He is currently being held in a juvenile detention center.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s office said the boy’s foster father, Robert Adams, came home that evening to find Kevin pacing around outside the house. The teen then told his father not to go inside and to call police, cops said.

The elder Adams then went in and found the bodies of his wife, Donya Adams, 55, daughter, Amory Adams, 26, and foster daughter Payshience “Tia” Adams, age 10, dead of gunshot wounds.

Police say the boy admitted to shooting each of the victims multiple times but didn’t discuss a motive.

Neighbors told KATU-TV that Kevin suffered from rage issues.

“[Kevin] would have outbursts if he didn’t’ get his way. He would throw things, get violent,” said Brenda Sellers-Hilger. “He would have so many outbursts that I couldn’t have him coming over anymore; it was too much to handle.”

In Encounter of Elk Vs. Plane, the Plane Won — Barely

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The plane got the best of the elk, but not by much

NEHALEM BAY STATE PARK, Oregon —  A small plane landing on a remote airstrip on the Oregon coast was nearly destroyed when it slammed into two elk on the runway, killing both creatures.

Oregon State Police say Todd William Rudberg, 49, of Shoreline, Washington, had touched down Saturday at the Nehalem Bay State Park when an elk darted out onto the runway.

Rudberg sped up and attempted to lift his 2003 Vans Aircraft Model RV8, single engine, fixed wing plane back into the sky and over the elk, but clipped the creature with his propeller and right landing gear, killing it.

Then, police say a second elk ran out into Rudberg’s path and was struck by the plane’s left wing. The animal was also killed.

The plane spun out on the runway and was completely destroyed, but neither Rudberg or his passenger, Valerie Villacin, 43, of Seattle, were injured.

Police say that a large quantity of elk meat was salvaged by responding fish and wildlife troopers.

Curious Pup Uncovers Major Heroin Stash Buried in Oregon Backyard

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Kenyon was just acting on instinct when he dug up a giant stash of dope

McMINNVILLE, Oregon — Good dog.

An inquisitive pooch with a penchant for digging in the dirt, uncovered a curious container in his family’s backyard that turned out to contain an $85,000 stash of black tar heroin, police said.

The Yamhill County Sheriff’s office in Oregon says Kenyon, the very good 18-month-old Golden Retriever pulled up a mysterious black tube-like container from the yard in early August.

At first his family — who asked not to be identified publicly — thought it might contain a time capsule of some sort, so videotaped themselves opening it.

But when they cracked the container open, they discovered a black, tar-like substance which appeared could be drugs. They called police who determined it was, in fact, 15 ounces of black tar heroin.

For his good work, police named Kenyon an honorary narcotics K-9 for life.

“Opioid addiction and overdose deaths are on the rise and with the help of Kenyon this large quantity of heroin is removed from our community,” said Sheriff Tim Svenson.

 

Blood-Soaked Man Carrying Mom’s Severed Head Stabs Oregon Grocery Clerk

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Joshua Lee Webb

ESTACADA, Oregon — A blood-covered lunatic carrying his mother’s severed head was arrested after walking into Oregon grocery store and stabbing a clerk, police said.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s office said Joshua Lee Webb, 36, was taken into custody on Mother’s Day after being subdued by other workers at at the Harvest Market Thriftway in Estacada.

Investigators later determined that the head belonged to Webb’s mother, Tina Marie Webb, 59, who was found dead at her home in nearby Colton, Oregon.

Police said the gory sequence of events came to an end when Webb stabbed 66-year-old grocery clerk, David Wagner, before being tackled by other employees. Wagner is expected to live, police said.

Cops said Webb appeared catatonic as he was placed under arrest and didn’t say a word.

Webb’s father, David Webb, said his son lived at home and was on social security as he and had problems with his eyesight.

“I never foresaw a problem. If I had I would have stopped it,” David Webb told The Associated Press. “I just can’t believe I lost my wife and son in one day. … I don’t know. I wish I did. I wish I had some answers, but I don’t. I waited all my life to retire with my wife, and now I can’t. That’s all I know.”

Portland-Hating Perv Busted ‘Masturbating Vigorously’ in Public

By HardBoiledNews Staff

PORTLAND, Oregon — Perhaps it’s time to move.

Oregon police say they busted a man they found “masturbating vigorously” outside a Portland center for homeless youth and when they asked why, he said it was because he: “f—ing hates Portland.”

Cops found Terry Lee Andreassen, 59, after receiving calls about public indecency at the building. When they arrived they found Andreassen, “with his erect penis exposed to the public,” according to a criminal complaint.

When Andreassen spotted the officers, he “put his penis back in his pants and began to walk away.”

After cops stopped him, they asked Andreassen why he was masturbating in public and he replied that he was high on meth and wanted to go back to prison, because he “f–ing hates Portland,” according to the Oregonian.

Andreassen has a propensity for public lewdness and has convictions for public indecency going back to at least 2001.

 

In 2014, he was convicted of laying a sidewalk outside a Portland bar two nights in a row, while  “stroking his penis outside of his pants” as he was “staring at several females in the bar that were standing in line.”

Man Charged With Setting Stranger on Fire in Oregon Denny’s

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Deshaun Swanger was caught on surveillance cameras looking around calmly before the brutal attack

HAPPY VALLEY, Oregon — Police have charged a 24-year-old Oregon man with brutally dousing a stranger with gasoline and setting him on fire as he sipped his coffee in a Denny’s restaurant.

Deshaun James Swanger allegedly walked into the restaurant Wednesday morning and took a seat in a booth adjacent to the 69-year-old victim, Scott Ranstrom. Swanger then threw the flammable liquid on Ranstrom followed by a match, setting him on fire, cops said.

 

Swanger fled the scene but was captured by surveillance cameras. Ranstrom suffered burns to his head and upper body and was hospitalized in critical condition. Relatives say he has suffered “disfiguring trauma” that is “life changing both physically and emotionally.”

 

“I went to see him and I thought, ‘It wouldn’t be that bad, could it?’ No, it’s worse,” Ranstrom’s sister Leslie Kurtz told KOIN-TV. “He’s in critical condition… it’s horrible. Whoever did this is horrible.”

Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies caught up with Swanger late Thursday at a transitional home just blocks from the restaurant following a tip from a housemate who saw Swanger’s picture on the news, KGW-TV reported.

Scott Ranstrom often went to the Denny’s to drink coffee and surf the internet, relatives say

Swanger, who has prior arrests for robbery, burglary and assault, was charged with aggravated attempted murder and held on $500,000 bail.

Investigators say there is no indication that Swanger knew Ranstrom and that the crime appeared random.

Cops are investigating whether the assault was connected to a similar incident earlier in the week in which an unidentified man appeared to throw liquid and lit matches on another man in a movie theater during a showing of “The Fate of the Furious.” No one was hurt.

In a statement, Denny’s officials said they were “deeply disturbed by the senseless, random act of violence.”

Hero K-9 Cop Scores Hat Trick, Nabbing Three Suspects in 90 Minutes

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Spencer made quick work of these three suspects

CLACKAMAS, Oregon — Give that dog a treat!

An extremely busy police dog is being credited with a high-speed hat trick — nabbing three separate suspects in the span of just 90 minutes, cops in Oregon say.

Spencer, a 9-year-old Dutch shepherd who works for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office began his eventful day around 10:20 a.m. Sunday morning when he tracked and captured stolen vehicle suspect Austin Kollas as he tried to get away from cops.

Just over an hour later, Spencer sprang into action again, tracking down parole violation suspect Timothy Elmore as he tried to hide from police inside a trailer.

And less than 10 minutes after that, Spencer played hero once again, chasing down Lonette Denison, who had warrants for her arrest on theft and drug charges and tried to get away from police by hiding in a thick holly bush.

“It’s a rare feat for a Sheriff’s Office K9 to get that number of captures in such a short time frame,” said Spencer’s veteran handler, Sgt. Don Boone. “For Spencer and I, that was a new record — three in 90 minutes.”

Spencer has been on the force for six years.

 

Tinder Date Gone Awry Leaves Man Robbed and Naked in Motel Room

By HardBoiledNews Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Oregon — Here is a true case of looking for love in all the wrong places.

An Oregon man was robbed and left nude in a local motel where he had gone to meet a woman he had met on Tinder for a tryst.

The man, who was not identified, told cops that he had met a woman named “Lacey” two months earlier using the dating app and had finally arranged to meet up in person at the Village Inn in Springfield on Tuesday.

According to the Register-Guard newspaper in Eugene, “Lacey” told the man to wait in the room with the door unlocked as she would arrive shortly.

While he waited, he decided to take a shower, and when he came out he found all his belongings — including his wallet and all his clothes — had disappeared. Buck naked and embarrassed, the man then called police to report the romantic interlude-turned- robbery.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know “Lacey’s” last name and when he went to show investigators her Tinder profile, it had been deleted.

He did have some photos of a thin, blond woman with blue eyes he had downloaded to his phone, which he showed to cops, and a phone number which investigators say they will use to try to track down whoever was responsible for the theft of the man’s belongings.