HILLSBORO, Ore.- A federal complaint has been filed against a Washington County man for his threats to commit a school shooting.

Braeden Richard Riess, age 26, will be charged with the federal crime of Interstate Communication of a Threat.

According to court documents, in May of 2022, a federal agency alerted Sherwood police after it received threats from Mr. Riess via its website threatening to shoot children at a particular Sherwood elementary school before killing himself. Mr. Riess was arrested and remains in custody. Parents from the affected school were notified of the incident.

The case was referred to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  On May 17, 2022, the defendant was arraigned on six counts of Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree, the maximum available charge under Oregon law. However, because Oregon law does not provide sufficient means to address threats of mass violence, this office reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to refer the case for federal prosecution.

Oregon law does not provide adequate means to address threats of mass violence to public places such as schools or places of worship. District Attorney Kevin Barton is actively working with multiple state legislators to remedy the issue. In 2020, DA Barton collaborated with lawmakers to craft HB 4145 which sought to address this gap in Oregon law.  However, despite broad support, that bill did not pass. This office continues to advocate for the legislature to address the problem and to ensure we have the public safety tools needed to keep our communities safe.