HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 17, 2023, a Washington County jury found Shaun Edwin Maki guilty of Murder, three counts of Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and two counts of Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree. He was later sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lesowski and Deputy District Attorney Bryce Bissinger prosecuted the case against the defendant before Judge Oscar Garcia. 

The defendant, age 53 at the time of the attack, lived with the victim, his father, age 77 at the time, at a home on NW 185th Ave. in rural Washington County near Bethany. The victim was in poor health, was thin and frail, and was suffering from the onset of dementia. On March 1, 2018, the defendant became angry with his father and violently attacked him with a wooden shovel handle. The assault left the victim with a brain bleed, multiple broken bones, and lying in a pool of his own blood. 

The next day, the defendant took the time to clean the shovel and to drive to multiple stores to purchase his preferred type of beer. When he finally called 9-1-1, he told operators that his father had hit himself with a stick. First responders were horrified by what they found when they were dispatched to the home on March 2, 2018. They rushed the victim to the hospital where he spent the next two days in a coma. He died in June of 2018 as a result of his injuries.

The defendant later told investigators that he and his father were the only people in the home at the time of the attack and that he waited so long to call for help because he was worried about the cost of an ambulance. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the work of Detective Brad Verboort and the Washington County Sheriff's Office on this case, as well as the firefighters and paramedics of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 9, 2023, Raymond Andrew Hanners pleaded guilty to Bias Crime in the Second Degree and Assault in the Third Degree.  His co-defendant, Damion Leigh Sherk, pleaded guilty to Assault in the Third Degree. Both defendants were sentenced by Judge Theodore Sims. Mr. Hanners was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to submit to anger and mental health evaluations and no contact with the victim. Judge Sims ordered a 30-day jail sanction if he violates his probation conditions. Mr. Sherk was also placed on three years of supervised probation, ordered to submit to an anger evaluation, and sentenced to 10 days in the Washington County Jail. Deputy District Attorney Christina Luedtke prosecuted this case.

Mr. Hanners and Mr. Sherk are family members and lived together at an apartment complex in Tigard, Oregon.  The victim was their neighbor. On October 10, 2022, the victim, who is African American, parked his car at the complex and began walking into his apartment. Mr. Hanners stood on his front porch and attempted to provoke the victim by directing racial slurs towards him. The victim approached Mr. Hanners to ask why he was speaking to him in this manner. At that point, Mr. Sherk ran out from inside the apartment and began assaulting the victim. Mr. Hanners joined in the attack which continued throughout the parking lot. Bystanders eventually intervened and called law enforcement. 

Mr. Hanners admitted to officers that he used racial slurs leading up to the assault. The incident was also recorded by security cameras. The assault left the victim with multiple injuries. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting all members of our community from hate and bias. This office leads the Washington County Bias Crime Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). The MDT consists of members from law enforcement agencies and community partner organizations from across Washington County. Victims of bias crimes are urged to report incidents to law enforcement so that they can be properly investigated and prosecuted. Victims can also utilize the Bias Response Hotline operated by the Oregon Department of Justice. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office also acknowledges the work of the Tigard Police Department on this case. 

HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 14, 2023, Washington County agreed to accept $300,000 in additional grant funds awarded to the DA’s Office from the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program Grant. This is a competitive grant award intended to increase the capacity of state and local prosecution offices to combat bias crime in their communities. 

The Washington County DA’s Office was awarded an initial $300,000 from this grant in October 2021. That original funding allowed the DA’s Office to launch a Washington County Bias Crime Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and support victim advocate positions dedicated to serving bias crime victims. The MDT has since been working collaboratively with local law enforcement and community partners to develop strategies to reduce hate crime. These strategies involve trainings, education, and outreach efforts. However, the MDT recognizes the pressing need to increase public attention to this important issue. 

In September 2023, based on the early success of the bias crime MDT, the DA’s Office was invited to apply for additional funding from US DOJ to expand its work. With this added funding, the DA’s Office will enhance its public engagement and education efforts by hiring an outreach coordinator. This coordinator will work with the MDT to implement outreach and education efforts in our community aimed at bias crime prevention. 

“We are pleased to accept this additional grant funding that will allow us to increase our efforts to combat bias and hate crimes in our community,” said District Attorney Kevin Barton.  “These additional resources come at a time when we need to do all we can to ensure everyone in our community feels safe and protected.”

The MDT recently hosted the inaugural Washington County Bias Crime Symposium. This specialized training brought together more than 50 members of various law enforcement agencies and community organizations to learn about the most effective ways to promote bias crime intervention and response. This is just one example of this grant funding at work in an effort to improve community safety. 

HILLSBORO, Ore- On November 3, 2023, a Washington County jury found James Andrew Dewhurst guilty of Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm and Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm. On December 14, 2023, Judge Theodore Sims sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment with a minimum of 25 years (300 months) without the possibility of parole. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andrew Freeman and Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted the case against the defendant.

In the early morning hours of August 30, 2021, Mr. Dewhurst called a suicide hotline to report he was armed with a firearm and was going to kill himself. He also stated he intended to fight law enforcement. An officer with the Beaverton Police Department spoke with the defendant at length over the phone in an effort to help him. During his conversations with law enforcement, the defendant disclosed that he murdered his roommate.

Officers convinced the defendant to exit his apartment building where he was taken into custody without incident. Officers searched the apartment and found the victim, Rocky Marciano Harkins (age 43), deceased from a single, close-range gunshot wound. Officers also found the defendant’s two Glock handguns and his AR-15 rifle, which was lying on his bed along with a tactical vest containing several loaded rifle magazines with more than 150 rounds of ammunition. The defendant assembled this weaponry in the hours between when he shot Mr. Harkins and when he called the suicide hotline, in apparent preparation for a gunfight with police. 

The defendant testified at length that he shot Mr. Harkins in self-defense, a claim the jury rejected after about three hours of deliberation. The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the hard work and professionalism of Beaverton Police Department personnel on this case including the investigative efforts of lead Detective Maggie Brown. 

HILLSBORO, Ore- Over the past four years, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton has worked with a coalition of area leaders to establish Oregon’s first co-located child abuse and domestic violence center. That goal is one step closer to reality with the purchase of a new building that will be the future site of the Family Peace Center of Washington County.

Located in Hillsboro, Oregon, the 64,000-square-foot facility will be renovated to accommodate under one roof what is currently the Family Justice Center of Washington County, which includes the Domestic Violence Resource Center and other nonprofits and governmental organizations. Additionally, CARES Northwest, a Portland-based child abuse clinic, will join this new facility to provide child abuse evaluations and trauma therapy for Washington County children and families. Currently, services provided by these organizations are available but are in separate locations, including locations outside of the county in Portland, Oregon. This new facility will provide trauma-informed services for victims and survivors of all forms of family violence and trauma in one, easily accessible location.

“I am very proud to be part of the effort to establish the Family Peace Center,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton.  “Our mission is to offer prevention, intervention, healing, and hope for victims and survivors of family violence and trauma. We have worked together with many partners including legislators, nonprofits, and community leaders to bring this vision to a reality so that we can keep our Washington County community safe.”

Slated to open in early 2026, the building will be designed to create trauma-informed spaces that help survivors feel safe and comfortable and will feature child and adult forensic medical services, bigger childcare areas, more space for advocacy and counseling, expanded court services, survivor community spaces, and more.

In 2021, the Oregon legislature awarded the coalition $6.65 million to cover the purchase and remodeling of a building for this purpose. That funding is comprised of $6.25 million in Oregon lottery bond funds and $400,000 in American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) funds. In 2023, the Oregon legislature allocated an additional $4 million for this project, bringing the total amount to more than $11 million in funding support. 

District Attorney Barton wishes to thank those who helped make this possible, including overwhelming support from Washington County’s elected and community leaders. Click here to see the letters of support for this effort.

HILLSBORO, Ore- Community members and law enforcement officials throughout the tri-county area will convene this week for the eighth-annual Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Communities event on October 26, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This marks the first time the event will be held in person since 2019. It is open to the public and members of the media, prior registration is required. The summit is hosted by the Muslim Educational Trust (MET) in Tigard, Oregon. To register, please visit our website.

This year’s theme is “Confronting Bias Through Justice and Healing.” Criminal justice and community leaders will share perspectives in moderated panel discussions. Attendees will also explore the day’s topics in several moderated table discussions.

For seven consecutive years, leaders from public safety and civil society organizations have come together to build and strengthen trust in one another and to cultivate trust with the communities they serve. The annual event has been held at MET since its inception in the fall of 2016. Click here to view videos of prior events. To view a list of participating organizations, visit our website. Event sponsors can also be seen here.

For media inquiries or to book interviews with steering committee members, please contact Stephen Mayer of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office by emailing stephen_mayer@washingtoncountyor.gov or calling (971) 708-8219.