Oregon
Disability Rights Oregon sues Washington County alleging it fails people in mental health crises – Oregon Capital Chronicle
Washington County routinely fails to meet the health needs of people in mental health emergencies by dispatching armed police officers instead of trained behavioral health teams to help people in crises, Disability Rights Oregon said in a lawsuit filed on Monday.
That response led to violence and bloodshed, the lawsuit found, including one instance involving a man who an officer stabbed in a hospital because police who responded failed to ask a behavioral health team to help him before sending him away in an ambulance.
Disability Rights Oregon filed the lawsuit against the state’s second largest county after a year-long investigation with the ACLU of Oregon that analyzed emergency call data and the police response to people who seek help. The federal lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Portland, alleges the county’s systemic response to people in a mental health crisis places them at a greater risk for harm and violates federal laws that require people with disabilities to receive equal access to programs and services without discrimination.
“Everyone deserves access to health care during an emergency – that includes emergency mental health services during a crisis,” Jake Cornett, executive director and CEO of Disability Rights Oregon, said in a statement. “Police are neither trained nor appropriate responders for someone who has broken their leg and calls 911 – and the same holds for someone having a mental health emergency. Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine whether armed police or mental health providers show up when you call needing life-saving mental health care.”
The lawsuit alleges the county’s system routes 911 calls for mental health assistance to police first, which means police are the primary agency that responds. The county has a contracted mental health crisis response team, but it’s unavailable at night, the lawsuit said and usually only responds after hearing from police. As a result, police in Washington County are usually the first to arrive, even when no crime is involved, the lawsuit said.
Spokespeople for Washington County didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officers in Washington County respond to thousands of mental health calls every year. For a nearly three-year period from 2020 to 2022, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office handled about 12,000 calls, the lawsuit said. But in a two-year period, police only asked for the mobile crisis team to come on the scene for about 100 calls, the lawsuit said.
“When you’re a person in Washington County who calls because of a psychiatric crisis, you get a deputy or a cop,” Dave Boyer, managing attorney of DRO’s Mental Health Rights Project, said in an interview. “We believe that that response warrants a mental health provider without a cop. What they’re doing is they’re sending cops and mental health providers typically or just cops. And we feel like the presence of that police officer is detrimental to that person’s mental health.”
The stories of people in crisis are central to the lawsuit.
Mental health care requested, and police respond
In one account, a 27-year-old man called a suicide hotline in 2022 and was transferred to the county’s 911 dispatchers. The man was contemplating suicide for the second time in three months and specifically requested medical help – not a police response, the lawsuit alleges. Instead, the dispatcher sent five county deputies.
Deputies arranged for an ambulance to transport him to a hospital, but he didn’t receive the psychiatric assessment and stabilization services that a mobile crisis response team would have provided, the lawsuit alleges. As a result, the man was still in crisis when he arrived at the hospital, and a nurse began checking his vitals in an unsecured exam room, the lawsuit said.
A deputy followed the ambulance to the hospital, the lawsuit said, and the man walked out of the exam room, approached the officer and attempted to take his firearm, repeatedly saying: “Let me kill myself.”
In response, the deputy stabbed the man several times to keep him from grabbing his gun, and injuries to his chest, stomach and head required a nearly three-week stay in the hospital, the lawsuit said. Due to the altercation, the man was charged and tried in Washington County mental health court and he received five years of probation in connection with the incident.
“By dispatching … deputies to (his) crisis instead of qualified mental health professionals, defendants denied (him) the opportunity to be clinically assessed and stabilized at his home,” the lawsuit said. “Instead, they exacerbated his crisis and provided him with an emergency response service that is unequal to the service provided to people experiencing a physical health emergency in the county.”
The lawsuit also alleges police use unnecessary force while out on the calls. In one instance cited in the lawsuit, an officer pulled a woman to the ground who was trying to flee from police while in a mental health crisis. The officer placed his right knee on her lower back and hips and his left knee on her shoulder while another officer handcuffed the woman, the lawsuit alleged.
“Not only did she endure being thrown to the ground, arrested, and involuntarily hospitalized but she was also subjected to a highly dangerous restraint technique,” said the lawsuit, which cites police reports.
Other findings in lawsuit
The lawsuit says the county doesn’t fully fund, staff or integrate its existing mobile crisis teams – which have mental health workers rather than police – into its emergency responses.
The lawsuit also alleges the county’s system requires an armed police officer to respond to mental health calls before mobile crisis teams arrive, which can escalate the situation and traumatize the person who needs help.
This perpetuates a cycle for people: The person is not treated, making them more likely to remain homeless and use illicit drugs to ease their suffering on the streets.
“Ultimately, this lawsuit aims to correct the misconception that people experiencing mental health crises are dangerous and require a law enforcement response,” Daniel Bartz, senior counsel of the ACLU of Oregon, said in a statement. “People in crisis should receive the care that they need and deserve, rather than being treated as though they committed a crime.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order to require Washington County to improve how it responds to people with mental health disabilities and adequately fund and use its response teams, with a police response limited only to dire emergencies. If the lawsuit is successful, it will make non-police crisis response teams the primary way to help people with mental health needs, not law enforcement.
The lawsuit was filed by attorneys at Disability Rights Oregon, ACLU of Oregon, the ACLU, and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, an international law firm headquartered in Los Angeles.
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Oregon
Timeline video traces SB 1008’s impact on Oregon juvenile justice, viewers can watch now
Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
Oregon
New Jersey man sentenced in Oregon federal court for conspiring to distribute fentanyl
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
Oregon
4 Takeaways From Oregon State Baseball’s Run At The Eugene Regional
Oregon State’s season came to an end in Eugene on Sunday evening, after a rocky 7th inning doomed them against the 11th-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Beavers put up a valiant effort to try and fight their way back from the loser’s bracket, but they couldn’t accomplish this incredible feat that they pulled off in 2025.
A Bad Start Changed Everything
Winning the first game of a regional is almost a must if you want to advance, and this is where things started to go south.
After a nearly two-week layoff (since they didn’t have a conference tournament), OSU’s bats were rusty against a very solid left-hander in WSU’s Nick Lewis. Though the Beavers were able to put up a run early on, Lewis rolled with the punches and ended up throwing a complete game against the country’s seventh-ranked team. Though their bats came to life the next day, the uphill climb proved to be too much.
Pitching Wasn’t the Issue
Oregon State came into this tournament with the nation’s best ERA, and their starting rotation was exactly as advertised.
After a good outing from Kleinschmit on Friday afternoon, Eric Segura threw a 6.2 inning gem in an elimination game against Yale. True freshman Trey Morris threw 117 pitches in the rout of WSU early Saturday, and Wyatt Queen was excellent against the Ducks off of short rest later that evening.
The Power Just Wasn’t There
In today’s era of baseball where starting pitchers are so talented, it’s crucial to have guys that can get you runs with just one swing of the bat, especially when the man on the hill is striking a lot of people out.
Throughout the entirety of this season, the Beavers have not been a club that hits for much power, and this makes things difficult in the postseason. In four games across the Eugene regional, Oregon State didn’t hit a single ball out of the park. In 2026 they only hit a total of 55 homers, a stark contrast from the 107 of 2025’s Omaha year.
They Ran into a Good Team With a Deep Pitching Staff
In Mark Wasikowski’s tenure with the Ducks, his team’s pitching has often been a crutch that holds them back from big postseason runs. This certainly doesn’t seem to be the case this year.
Throughout the regional that they hosted, Oregon starters looked nearly untouchable. Will Sanford struck out 14 batters and didn’t allow a run against Washington State. Yesterday against the Beavers, left-hander Miles Gosztola was phenomenal, bouncing back after allowing a run in the second inning. The Ducks also have great relievers in guys like Tanner Bradley and Devin Bell. With a lot of reliable arms to go to, it would’ve been difficult to beat Oregon twice.
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