A retired Portland police officer pleaded guilty third-degree assault and first-degree official misconduct Monday in a case prosecuted by a deputy district attorney from Marion County.
Scott Groshong, 52, hit a man with his car while working undercover for the Portland Police Bureau during a June 2020 protest in northwest Portland and did not report the crash, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a news release.
District attorneys in Oregon will routinely bring in an outside prosecutor’s office to represent the state in cases where there is a conflict of interest.
Schmidt’s office appointed Marion County Deputy District Attorney Katie Suver to take over prosecution of Groshong’s case. Suver said that was in part because Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez was a witness.
Suver said there have been other instances where Oregon district attorneys have requested the Marion County office’s help, due to a conflict identified in the investigation or the prosecution of a law enforcement officer’s “alleged criminal conduct.”
“We have served as special prosecutors in other counties. As a general response, DA’s offices rarely seek special prosecutors (thankfully) because we rarely encounter conflicts requiring that step,” Suver said in an email.
Groshong retired from the Portland Police Bureau on Aug. 31, 2020, according to records of the state’s police licensing agency, the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge sentenced him to three years of probation and community service. His sentence also included having his state law enforcement certification revoked.
Groshong was accused of hitting the victim with his car on June 15, 2020.
According to the statement from Schmidt’s office, Groshong was working undercover and driving an unmarked van during a protest near Northwest 6th Avenue in Portland. He saw a man take an item from Portland Skate and Snowboard Shop and run across the street.
“Groshong recklessly drove his vehicle into the man, striking him and causing him a serious physical injury,” the release said.
A resident in the area caught the incident on video. Groshong then failed to report the crash to a supervisor, in his police report or to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, according to the statement.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
