HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 15, 2025, Ryan James Darby pleaded guilty to bias crime in the first degree, felony assault in the fourth degree, and unlawful use of a weapon. Judge Erik Buchér sentenced the defendant to 60 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff MacLean and Deputy District Attorney Harpreet Dhaliwal prosecuted these cases.

These charges stem from two separate incidents. On June 2, 2024, the defendant approached his neighbor, a Black man, and began talking to him. The victim asked the defendant to leave him alone. Mr. Darby responded by calling the victim a racial slur before he attacked him. He struck the victim in the face which caused injury.

The victim called police and officers with the Beaverton Police Department responded to the scene. They spoke with the defendant who denied any wrongdoing. He also provided an alibi and said he was with a friend at the time of the attack. Officers spoke with that woman. She denied the defendant’s claims and said she wasn’t with him then. Officers also found a tattoo on the defendant’s body connected to a well-known white supremacist gang.

On November 9, 2024, the defendant got into an argument with his girlfriend and a friend of hers. He assaulted the friend and threatened to stab them both. The victim’s three children were also present and witnessed this incident. Neighbors heard the children screaming and called police. Officers with the Tigard Police Department responded. Those at the scene downplayed the events and said they had only gotten into a verbal argument. Several days later, officers received a video recording of the incident in which they learned the defendant had threatened the victims with a knife. They also confirmed he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest and detained him.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office commends the work of the Beaverton and Tigard Police Departments on these cases. 

In addition to his prison sentence, the court also ordered the defendant to serve two years of post-prison supervision, have no contact with his victims upon release, and undergo mental health and anger management treatment. The defendant will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.