HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 7, 2024, a Washington County jury found David Anthony Baynes guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. On April 25, 2024, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years served for the murder conviction and five years in prison for the Felon in Possession of a Firearm conviction. These sentences will run consecutively. Senior Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown and Deputy District Attorney Christina Luedtke prosecuted the case before Judge Ricardo Menchaca. The defendant was also convicted of Felon in Possession of a Firearm by Judge Menchaca following a bench trial. The defendant is a convicted felon based on a Manslaughter conviction from 2008. 

On September 18, 2022, Mr. Baynes shot and killed the victim in an unprovoked attack. At the time, the defendant was in a relationship with the victim’s ex-girlfriend and was jealous of her continued contact with the victim. Mr. Baynes was leaving the woman’s home in Forest Grove, Oregon when he saw the victim approaching the home in a minivan. He pulled his truck up next to the victim’s van and shot the victim 15 times with a handgun. Each bullet entered the victim’s body, and he died within minutes. 

After fleeing the scene, Mr. Baynes ditched the firearm and drove to a rural area in Yamhill County where he hid overnight.  He concealed his truck with a tarp, factory-reset his phone to avoid police detection, and slept in blackberry bushes. A deputy with the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested the defendant the next day. The defendant claimed that the victim had been armed and that the shooting had been in self-defense. He admitted he wasn’t allowed to own a handgun because of his status as a felon. He told detectives he knew what he did was wrong. A search of the victim and the crime scene confirmed that the victim had in fact been unarmed. The firearm used by Baynes in the shooting was later found during a search by the Washington County Search and Rescue Team. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the multiple law enforcement agencies who worked on this case, the Forest Grove Police Department, Beaverton Police Department, and the Washington County Major Crimes Team. In addition, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, Newberg Police Department, and the Oregon State Police Forensic Lab all assisted with this investigation.   

HILLSBORO, Ore- On February 8, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Silver sentenced Bret Mitchell Hollmann to four years in prison, nearly the maximum allowed under Oregon law for this type of felony. This sentence comes after the defendant pleaded guilty to Assault in the Third Degree and Unlawful Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – substantial quantities. Deputy District Attorney Matt Wise prosecuted the case against Mr. Hollmann. 

On March 13, 2023, the defendant and his fiancé, Megan Elizabeth Meek, began their day by smoking fentanyl pills that Hollman purchased. Their two-year-old daughter was with them. Later that day, they decided to take the child to a babysitter so they could go shopping. They stopped at an area business along the way. Ms. Meek then went inside to make a purchase. When she returned to the vehicle, she put her bag containing multiple fentanyl pills and other drug paraphernalia in the backseat within reach of the toddler. The child was able to gain access to the pills and swallowed several of them.

When the defendant arrived at his ultimate destination, he and Ms. Meek noticed the child was actively overdosing on fentanyl. When officers from the Beaverton Police Department arrived, the child was unconscious, not breathing, and had no detectable pulse. The defendant told officers the child needed to have her stomach pumped. The defendant and Ms. Meek told officers that her daughter had swallowed the fentanyl pills.

Officers administered two doses of Narcan to the child and saved the child’s life. She responded to the medication but overdosed again once she reached the hospital due to the sheer amount of fentanyl in her system. Hospital staff had to put the victim on a Narcan drip for a full day to keep her alive. 

Mr. Hollmann admitted to officers that he purchased the fentanyl pills. He was caught smoking additional fentanyl at the hospital while his daughter was undergoing treatment and was removed from the facility. 

“This case is yet one more reason, in a long and growing list of reasons, why lawmakers need to fix Oregon’s drug addiction and decriminalization crisis,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton. “I am hopeful the legislature takes immediate action to fix Measure 110 in a way that will produce results in our communities and save lives.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Hollmann was also ordered to serve two years of post-prison supervision and to undergo drug treatment. 

Ms. Meek is currently scheduled to stand trial in April.

HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 30, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Chris Colburn sentenced Ana Mercedes Miranda to 100 months in prison. On January 12, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to four counts of Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Tampering with a Witness. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted this case.

The defendant, age 68, gained custody of the victim children in 2017. Beginning in 2018, she began subjecting them to emotional and then physical abuse. One child in particular, aged younger than 10, was regularly deprived of proper nutrition and sometimes tied to his bed during the night. She also regularly inflicted physical abuse upon that child and his siblings. As time progressed, the defendant began using a metal chain and padlocks to bind the child to furniture. 

Authorities became aware of the abuse in April of 2023. During the investigation, sheriff’s detectives found chains and padlocks that had been used to confine the child along with other items used to inflict abuse. The defendant admitted to chaining up one child. She denied any physical abuse, but other children within the home confirmed that it had occurred. 

While in custody awaiting trial, officials learned the defendant was attempting to contact the victims in this case by mail, attempting to dissuade them from testifying against her in court. These actions led to additional charges of Tampering with a Witness.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the efforts of Detective Mark Povolny with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on this case.

Ms. Miranda will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.   

HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 26, 2024, Glen Sagastume-Garcia pleaded guilty to one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. Washington County Circuit Court Judge Erik Buchér then sentenced the defendant to 75 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown prosecuted the case against the defendant. 

The victim and defendant were acquaintances. On February 10, 2023, they met for dinner and then went to a motel in Beaverton, Oregon. They became intimate in the room, which was initially consensual. However, this changed when the defendant wanted to engage in additional sex acts. The victim demanded the defendant stop his actions, but he refused and used force to subdue her. She attempted to call 9-1-1, but the defendant took her phone and hung it up. The victim then escaped to the motel lobby where police were notified.

The victim was taken to the hospital. Medical providers noted bruising to her arms and discovered DNA evidence consistent with the victim’s account of the attack. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the work of the Beaverton Police Department and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory on this case. 

The defendant will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence. This prison sentence will be followed by a term of post-prison supervision with recommendations for treatment.  The defendant is also required to register as a sex offender.

HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 5, 2024, former Hillsboro Fire Lieutenant Steven Michael Klaus, age 52, was found guilty of two counts of Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree, six counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, two counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct, and four counts of Invasion of Personal Privacy after a stipulated facts trial. Washington County Circuit Court Judge Erik Buchér then sentenced the defendant to 25 years in prison. Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel prosecuted the case against Mr. Klaus.

In 2019, the minor victim in this case reported that the defendant sexually abused her multiple times over the course of five years. The abuse took place in Forest Grove, Oregon, and in California. The victim was approximately 6 years old when the abuse began.

During the subsequent investigation, detectives with the Forest Grove Police Department obtained a computer the defendant used during the time of the abuse. They discovered surveillance footage from hidden cameras installed by the defendant in the victim’s bedroom and bathroom. The footage captured the victim in the nude. Mr. Klaus stored the files in a folder on his computer labeled, “Monitoring My Pet.” The device also contained other child sex abuse images of this victim, as well as thousands of child sex abuse images and material unrelated to this victim.  

At the defendant’s sentencing hearing, the victim described the anguish she felt when she learned the defendant installed those hidden cameras and the pain she felt when she had to identify herself in nude images during the investigation. Despite the pain she endured at the hands of the defendant, she said she is focused on healing and regaining her strength.

“I will forever be robbed of my girlhood, but I won’t give up my right to joy,” the victim said. Quoting a philosopher, she told the defendant, “No person is to be treated as a means to an end, but as an end to itself. Anything I accomplish in life will not be in spite of what you’ve done, it will be because of who I am.” 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to commend the victim and her family for their perseverance during the lengthy court process. This office also acknowledges the hard work of the Forest Grove Police Department. 

Mr. Klaus will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence. 

HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 3, 2023, Timothy Irwin Meeker, age 72, pleaded guilty to three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. On December 7, 2023, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Oscar Garcia sentenced the defendant to 100 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted this case. 

The defendant sexually abused two children. The first victim was abused multiple times over a span of several years. This came to light in 2018 after the defendant molested the second victim, who reported the actions to her mother. The girl was seen by medical experts at CARES Northwest but was unable to provide details due to her young age. The defendant denied any wrongdoing and investigators were unable to proceed.

In 2022, the first victim disclosed the abuse to loved ones and experts at CARES Northwest. Family members confronted the defendant with the allegations, and he admitted to the abuse.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office commends these victims for their bravery throughout this process. This office also thanks the Tigard Police Department and CARES Northwest for their work.

Mr. Meeker will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.