HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 31, 2020, a Washington County jury found Stephen Matthew Lister guilty of two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons. On August 6, 2020, Judge Ted Sims sentenced the defendant to 19 years in prison and ordered him to pay a $200,000 compensatory fine to the female victim in this case. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey prosecuted the case against Mr. Lister.

On August 22, 2019, law enforcement received reports of a crash involving a vehicle and a motorcycle near SW 175th Avenue and SW Blanton Street in Aloha, Oregon. Callers reported the vehicle struck the motorcycle and that the driver of that vehicle then drove off without checking on the two crash victims, a man and a woman.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. Both victims were severely injured as a result of the crash. The female victim was rushed to the hospital and treated for a spinal injury. The male victim was alert at the scene and told officers that a man by the name of Matt Lister, who was later confirmed to be Stephen Matthew Lister, intentionally struck his motorcycle. The victim told deputies that he knew the defendant and was involved in a verbal argument with him shortly before the crash.

Responding officers quickly identified the defendant as a person of interest and began searching for him and the vehicle involved in the crash. The following day, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies Thomas Bowler and Gene Mitchell spotted a man matching Mr. Lister’s description at a home in Aloha, Oregon as they were attempting to serve a search warrant on an unrelated case. They then spoke with the lead detective who secured the proper warrants needed to apprehend Mr. Lister. Officers approached the home and ordered Mr. Lister to come outside. After a brief standoff, the defendant was arrested.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of all law enforcement on this case including Detective Mark Povolny, Deputy Bowler and Deputy Mitchell.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- The Washington County District Attorney’s Office is leading a program aimed at increasing the efficiency of the fitness to proceed process. The program will reduce the pre-trial jail time for defendants with mental health disorders.  Along with our partners including the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Circuit Court, Washington County defense bar, Washington County Behavioral Health Department, NW Forensic Institute, and Lithia Forensics & Consulting, we have launched the Washington County Rapid Fitness to Proceed Program.

Under Oregon law, when the court has reason to doubt a defendant’s fitness to proceed by reason of incapacity due to a qualifying mental disorder, the court may order an examination to determine whether the defendant is unable to understand the nature of the proceedings, assist and cooperate with their attorney, or participate in the defense.  Commonly referred to as an “Aid and Assist,” “Fitness to Proceed” or competency evaluation, this process can take months to complete, which creates costly delays and inefficiencies.  Under the Rapid Fitness to Proceed Program, the timeline has been reduced from months to weeks.  This increased efficiency benefits all participants as defendants arrested for lower-level crimes will spend less time in jail pre-trial, thereby freeing up limited jail space for more dangerous offenders. It also increases the efficiency of the courts and provides cost savings for the entire public safety system in Washington County.

“I am excited about the prospect of increasing the efficiency of our Fitness to Proceed process,” said District Attorney Kevin Barton.  “This program is a great example of our Washington County public safety system partners working together to develop creative solutions that benefit the entire system.”

The Rapid Fitness to Proceed Program accomplishes this increased efficiency by establishing partnerships with two private practices that specialize in forensic competency to stand trial evaluations, NW Forensic Institute and Lithia Forensics and Consulting. These certified forensic evaluators are trusted by the defense and the state.  In fact, in some situations, these private evaluators also work on contract for the Oregon State Hospital to provide competency evaluations. Using this public-private partnership, expedited evaluations are typically produced within 12 days from the date the referral is accepted.  

“Prior to the Rapid program many defendants, even those appropriate for community treatment, sat in jail and their criminal cases were put on hold for about 60 days while the parties waited for a competency evaluation. During that time, their cases weren’t moving forward, and the defendants weren’t receiving mental health services necessary to restore their competency. The Rapid program speeds that timeline up significantly which resolves cases faster, gets defendants into appropriate treatment faster, and saves jail beds for more dangerous offenders.”

The program also establishes a team of representatives from each of the partner organizations to evaluate and prioritize Rapid evaluations for defendants who would be good candidates for community restoration. This team also works with the presiding judge and her staff to facilitate fast turnarounds on court orders and hearings.

To learn more about this program and to access a referral form needed to initiate an evaluation, visit our website.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On January 22, 2020, Cristy Anna Sisco pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. On July 7, 2020, Ms. Sisco was sentenced to 70 months in prison by Judge Janelle Wipper. On July 2, 2020, Carlos Alberto Quebrado was convicted by a Washington County jury of second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. On July 16, 2020, Judge Ricardo Menchaca sentenced Mr. Quebrado to 70 months in prison. Both defendants will serve three years of post-prison supervision upon release. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard prosecuted the cases against the two defendants.

On April 24, 2019, the defendants were at a sports bar along Highway 99 in Tigard, Oregon when they got into a verbal altercation with the two victims. The argument escalated and management ordered the defendants to leave the establishment. They left the building but waited in the parking lot until the bar closed. The victims then walked outside where Ms. Sisco began making derogatory statements towards one of the victims. Eventually, bar management ordered the pair to leave the parking lot.

Shortly after leaving the parking lot, the victims noticed the defendants following them in their vehicle along Highway 217 and along SW Scholls Ferry Road in Tigard, Oregon. The victims saw that Ms. Sisco was in the front passenger seat as Mr. Quebrado drove the vehicle. Eventually, Mr. Quebrado accelerated the vehicle to pull alongside the victims’ vehicle. At this point, Ms. Sisco was seated in the window frame of the front passenger door and began firing several rounds from a shotgun directly at the victims. One of the pellets struck a victim in the forehead and became lodged under her skin.

Officer April Keller with the Tigard Police Department happened to be in the area at the time and observed Ms. Sisco seated in the window frame armed with the shotgun. She immediately activated her lights and sirens and began pursuing the defendants. A short chase ensued. The defendants eventually abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot. They were both apprehended after a foot pursuit aided by canine units from the Beaverton Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Officers found the shotgun and a spent shotgun cartridge in the defendants’ vehicle.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Tigard Police Department, including Officer Keller for her quick actions in helping to apprehend the defendants on the night of the shooting. This office also thanks Detective Dave Hockin of the Tigard Police Department for his investigative work on this case.

Both defendants will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving their sentences

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 15, 2020, Judge Andrew Erwin found Gregory Dennis Hall guilty except for insanity on one count of murder with a firearm. On July 29, 2020, Judge Erwin ordered the defendant to serve the rest of his life at the Oregon State Hospital, subject to the supervision of the Psychiatric Security Review Board. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Dustin Staten prosecuted the case against Mr. Hall.

On April 6, 2018, the defendant’s elderly father called 911 to report that his son shot him inside a residence on SW Hoodview Place in Beaverton, Oregon. Officers with the Beaverton Police Department responded and ordered the defendant to come out of the home. The defendant then exited the home and was apprehended by responding officers.

Beaverton Police then entered the residence and found the defendant’s father lying on the kitchen floor. He was suffering from several gunshot wounds. Police rendered aid and called for an ambulance. Unfortunately, the victim died as a result of his wounds before medics could reach the hospital.

Beaverton Police detectives gathered overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt, including a written confession. Mr. Hall told detectives he was involved in an argument with his father which led to the shooting. It was evident that the defendant suffered from a chronic mental illness, but he told psychologists with the Oregon State Hospital that he killed his father out of anger.

It was undisputed that Mr. Hall killed his father, and the trial consisted of an inquiry into his mental state at the time of the killing. While doctors with the Oregon State Hospital determined that the defendant did not meet the criteria for a guilty except for insanity finding, ultimately Judge Erwin agreed with the defense psychologist that due, in large part, to a lack of adequate medication, the defendant was indeed guilty except for insanity.

This office wishes to acknowledge the work of Beaverton Police on this case, including Detectives Chad Opitz and Madalyn Brown.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton recently submitted the following opinion piece which was published by the Pamplin Media Group:

It is impossible to work within our American criminal justice system and witness the events over the past several months without asking whether there is a better way of doing things.

The disparities that we see throughout society in areas such as education, housing and healthcare are even more apparent when viewed through the lens of our criminal justice system.

As a prosecutor who has seen the impact of crime on perhaps thousands of victims over the years, I value fundamental principles such as accountability, rule of law, and personal responsibility. Yet as a father, husband and member of our community, I believe that seeking social justice is a priority, fighting racism and bias is an obligation, and recognizing
that Black lives do matter is a necessity. 

How do we address the intersection of criminal justice and social justice so that we can ensure our system is truly fair, truly just, and truly equitable for everyone?

There are many who have proposed ideas to help move in this direction. Some are sensible and deserve immediate support, such as reducing barriers to firing bad police officers, requiring body worn cameras, or preventing excessive use of force. Others are unreasonable and detached from reality, such as abolishing police altogether, eliminating all
misdemeanor crimes or emptying our prisons. 

Ultimately, our elected representatives bear the responsibility for sorting through these proposals and determining the path forward. As a district attorney, although I can and do provide input, my obligation is not to make the law, but to enforce it.

Nevertheless, as I watch our society grapple with these issues, and as I support sensible criminal justice reforms, I also know something more drastic is required in order to accomplish transformational change. 

Our criminal justice system is often asked to do too much too late. As the "catch-all" for all of society's woes and problems, our system responds when all else has failed and there are no other options. It is asked to do too much, because it was never designed to be the solution to mental health, substance use disorders and trauma. It is asked to intervene too late, because by the time a crime is committed and a victim is harmed, the root causes of that crime may have occurred long ago. 

Before a person with mental illness uses a weapon to harm innocent victims, could treatment have helped? Before a person with a substance use disorder robs to fund an addiction, could medication assisted therapy have helped? Before a young parent who was abused as a child neglects their own child, could an intervention have helped? 

While the prosecution of those who choose to commit crimes is appropriate, I believe the answer to those questions is often "yes," and our obligation to act is clear.

Our society must recognize a truth that numerous scientific studies have established, and countless medical professionals already know — children who experience abuse, neglect and other forms of trauma are more likely to suffer from challenges such as mental illness, substance use disorders and even physical health consequences as adults. Known as Adverse Childhood Experiences or "ACEs," these factors harm children throughout our community and are exacerbated by disparities related to education, housing and healthcare. 

A recent study published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics demonstrates that while ACEs are common across all sociodemographic categories, children who are certain minorities, poor, or identify as gay/lesbian or bisexual are disproportionately impacted. The obvious conclusion is that if we act to reduce disparities for our children now, we can rely less on our criminal justice system to respond later. 

We recognize this necessity in Washington County. For the past year, a task force of leaders has worked to strengthen our proactive response to ACEs. Our aspiration is to co-locate our recently established Family Justice Center with CARES Northwest, Oregon's oldest and largest child advocacy center, into a single location in Washington County. This comprehensive facility would demonstrate a commitment to equity and justice while ensuring every family in our community, regardless of sociodemographic status, has access to a trauma-informed response when abuse, neglect or other trauma occurs. 

Let me be clear, this effort is not a panacea to solve all problems. Indeed, it must occur alongside other important initiatives to combat racism and bias. Nevertheless, I believe if we hope to accomplish a transformational change so that we are better equipped to achieve the fair, just and equitable society that we desire, we must do more to address childhood trauma now.
 

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 2, 2020, a Washington County jury found Zachery Thomas Sanders guilty of first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, second-degree theft, menacing, fourth-degree assault, strangulation and unlawful use of a weapon. On July 7, 2020, Judge Ted Sims sentenced the defendant to 90 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeffery MacLean prosecuted the case against Mr. Sanders.

On February 16, 2020, the victim arranged to meet with the defendant to sell a pair of shoes to a third party in Forest Grove, Oregon. After driving the victim to a nearby location to sell the shoes, the victim got back into the car with the defendant and two other men. Mr. Sanders then grabbed the victim’s backpack in an attempt to steal it. A struggle ensued and Mr. Sanders then assaulted and choked the victim. During the commission of the robbery, the victim was also threatened with a firearm.

The victim surrendered the backpack and left the car. He then called 911 and Forest Grove Police responded to the call. The victim gave a detailed description of Mr. Sanders and the car they were driving in. Police were able to locate the vehicle and those involved in the robbery a short time later. Police also found the stolen backpack and a handgun that was later determined to be stolen.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of Forest Grove Police on this case.

In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Sims also ordered Mr. Sanders to undergo three years of post-prison supervision upon his release. Judge Sims also barred the defendant from having any contact with the victim.

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