HILLSBORO, Ore.- On August 2, 2019, a Washington County jury found Jeremiah Andrew Libbee guilty of second-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver to injured persons, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and driving with a suspended or revoked license. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Andrew Freeman in Judge Janelle Wipper’s courtroom.

On February 19, 2019, Libbee was driving with a criminally-revoked driver’s license when he was spotted driving approximately 90 miles per hour down Highway 26 in North Plains. A North Plains Police officer turned on his lights and siren and began to pursue Libbee.

Libbee refused to pull over and increased to speeds between 100 and 120 miles per hour on wet roads through highway traffic as he entered Highway 6 towards Tillamook. Law enforcement deployed a spike strip. Libbee’s excessive speed and reckless driving caused the crash and subsequent injury to his passenger when he attempted to avoid the spike strip at an extremely high rate of speed. He then lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a tree before his car entered Gales Creek.

Deputy District Attorney Freeman proved to the jury that Libbee chose to abandon his badly-injured and trapped passenger in the partially submerged vehicle as he freed himself and fled the scene. Emergency first responders then spent more than an hour working to free the woman from the car. She was taken to an area hospital where she was treated for injuries sustained in the crash.

A sentencing hearing for this case will be held on August 13, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. Libbee will remain in custody at the Washington County Jail until that time.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 31, 2019, Brian Toru Matsuo pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Beth Roberts. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marie Atwood.

In the early morning hours of June 16, 2019, Matsuo pulled into a gas station off of Cornelius Pass Road and began yelling at the driver of another vehicle over a parking dispute. That driver and his passenger ignored Matsuo and eventually drove away from the gas station.

Matsuo then followed the vehicle, pulled out a handgun and opened fire on the car and its occupants. Those bullets shattered the entire rear window of the victim’s car and left damage to the trunk as well. Fortunately, the victims were not hurt in the shooting.

The victims then returned to the gas station where they called law enforcement. Investigators recovered shell casings and bullet fragments. They also pulled surveillance video showing Matsuo’s vehicle and license plate. The photos and footage were released to the public in an effort to identify the shooter.

Multiple tips came in to law enforcement, including witnesses who said Matsuo admitted to his role in the shooting. Investigators executed a search warrant at Matsuo’s home and found the gun used in the shooting along with several other weapons including an AK-47 rifle which he purchased just one day after the incident.

When confronted, Matsuo admitted to the shooting. He said he was only trying to scare the victims but wouldn’t have any regrets if the shots fired hit either of them.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as well as the assistance of the public in identifying Matsuo.

Matsuo has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence. He will be barred from owning any firearms upon his release.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 30, 2019, Jaime Gonzalez was sentenced to 130 months in prison by Washington County Judge Danielle Hunsaker after he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree robbery. Over the past several months, Gonzalez’s accomplices-- Casandra Dempsey, Jamie David Lay, Jesse John Lieble, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Anthony Anacleto Ortega-- also entered guilty pleas for their roles in this home-invasion robbery and were sentenced for their crimes. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey prosecuted these cases. A full list of the defendant’s charges and sentences can be found below.

In the early morning hours of June 1, 2018, Dempsey knocked on the door of a Beaverton apartment but quickly claimed she had the wrong house when the victim opened the door. Moments later, four armed men who were concealing their faces forced their way into the apartment and put a gun to the head of one of the victims. That victim grabbed the gun and tried to fight the assailants, but they overpowered her and began to attack her.

As this was happening, one of the other gunmen ordered the two other adults in the apartment to lie on the floor. A teenage girl was also home at the time and ordered at gunpoint to get on the ground.

The gunmen were inside the apartment for about five minutes and ordered one of the victims to turn over his cell phone and wallet. They then fled the scene.

Fortunately, the apartment was equipped with surveillance cameras which captured footage which would prove to be vital to the case. The footage showed Dempsey wearing a sweatshirt with a logo for an area youth soccer association. Detectives contacted that group and were able to identify Dempsey as a suspect.

When confronted, Dempsey admitted she was recruited to knock on the victim’s door. Ortega also admitted to his role in the robbery and helped detectives identify the remaining assailants.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Beaverton Police Department and Detective Michael Purdy for their work on this case.

All six defendants have been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve their sentences.

List of charges and sentences for defendants:

Casandra Dempsey pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 90 months in prison.

Jaime Gonzalez pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 130 months in prison.

Jaime David Lay pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 90 months in prison.

Jesse John Lieble pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree robbery and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

Emmanuel Rodriguez pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 90 months.

Anthony Anacleto Ortega pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and was given 120 months in prison.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 26, 2019, a Washington County jury found Gabriel Moscote-Saavedra guilty of first-degree attempted rape, first-degree burglary and three counts of first-degree sex abuse. On October 2, 2019, Judge Janelle Wipper sentenced Moscote-Saavedra to 246 months in prison. This case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey.

On December 2, 2018, Moscote-Saavedra broke into the victim’s Hillsboro apartment. He removed a screen and entered through an unlocked window. Moscote-Saavedra then entered the woman’s bedroom and held her at knifepoint as he sexually assaulted her. He left DNA evidence at the scene before he left the apartment.

Hillsboro Police immediately began investigating and quickly identified Moscote-Saavedra as a potential suspect. He lived at the same apartment complex as the victim and agreed to submit a DNA sample. That evidence, along with fingerprints found on the victim’s window, allowed investigators to confirm he was responsible for the attack. He also admitted to sexually assaulting the victim when interviewed by detectives.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigate work of Hillsboro Police Detectives Tobby Cook and Rebecca Venable. We would also like to thank the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory for their assistance on this case.
 

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 22, 2019, Washington County Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Ulizes Escobar to 116 months in prison. The first 75 months of that sentence fall under Measure 11 sentencing guidelines. On July 19, 2019, Escobar pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver.

On November 20, 2018, Escobar and his victim went to a home in Hillsboro with several minors. Escobar had smoked marijuana throughout the day and continued to do so at the residence. The group went to a bedroom where Escobar revealed two handguns he had brought to the residence. Escobar passed around one of the handguns to other members of the group. That gun, a revolver, was unloaded.

Escobar began to dry fire the unloaded revolver as he pointed it at several people in the room. As he was doing this, he had a second weapon, a semiautomatic handgun, in his left hand. He then pointed that second weapon at a wall near where the victim was standing and pulled the trigger. This weapon was loaded, and the bullet struck the victim. The victim died as a result of his wounds a short time later.

Escobar hid the unloaded revolver in the home. He and the minors present made false statements to police, claiming two unknown gunmen came to the house and shot the victim. Investigators quickly determined this narrative to be false and eventually the minors and Escobar told the true story of what led to the victim’s death.

Investigators at the Washington County Digital Forensics Laboratory searched Escobar’s phone and found several photos and videos depicting him using various firearms in an extremely unsafe manner. While evidence yielded during the investigation made clear that Escobar acted recklessly and with extreme indifference to the value of human life, it did not demonstrate that Escobar specifically intended to kill the victim.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of the Hillsboro Police Department as well as that of staff at the Washington County Digital Forensics Laboratory for their assistance on this case.

Escobar has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On July 18, 2019, Judge Charles Bailey sentenced Juan Perales Jr. to 75 months in prison. On June 20, 2019, Perales was convicted on multiple charges including first-degree sexual abuse, fourth-degree assault constituting domestic violence, strangulation and menacing constituting domestic violence. The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard.

On December 21, 2018, Perales, who lived and worked in Seattle, Washington at the time, convinced the victim to come to his hotel. He told her it would be safe because there would be other people at the facility.

Once inside his room, Perales became agitated and began to threaten the victim because she wanted to end their relationship. He grabbed a handgun and pulled the slide back in an attempt to intimidate her. The woman tried to leave the room, but Perales grabbed her by the neck and pushed her onto the bed. He then used his body weight to pin her to the bed and began kissing her despite her objections. He covered her mouth and nose with his hand to muffle her screams, obstructing her breathing in the process.

As he continued to hold her down, Perales then forcibly engaged in sexual activity with her against her will. The victim was screaming so loudly that hotel security called to check on the room twice. During the second call the victim was able to escape the room and was seen on hotel surveillance video running from Perales as he chased her down a hallway. He put her in a headlock and tried to drag her back into his room but ended up locking himself out.

Beaverton Police arrived a short time later and arrested Perales. He admitted to engaging in the unwanted sexual contact with the victim and also admitted he prevented her from leaving the hotel at least three times.

“Mr. Perales subjected his victim to a horrific situation, and no person deserves to be treated that way,” Gerhard said of the abuse committed by Perales. “I am thankful that he was held accountable for his crimes. The Washington County DA’s Office is committed to our mission of protecting vulnerable victims, including domestic violence survivors.”

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of Beaverton Police Detective Chad Opitz on this case. We’d also like to commend the victim for her bravery in testifying in court.

In addition to his prison sentence, the defendant will have to register as a sex offender for life, and he will also be subject to 10 years of post-prison supervision with recommendations for sex offender and domestic violence counseling.

Perales has been transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.