Man sentenced to over 5 years for stabbing landscaper who showed wounds to city council
The man who stabbed a landscaper who moved his shopping cart of belongings in a south Salem parking lot last month was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 26, to more than five years in prison.
Jonathon L. Jones, 58, pleaded guilty Friday, Feb. 20, to second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon in a stabbing that left the victim with two wounds, including a large gash across his abdomen.
The victim, Victor Hernandez-Lopez, later testified about his injuries to the Salem City Council.
Marion County Circuit Court Judge Amy Queen sentenced Jones to 70 months on the assault charge, and 30 months on the weapon charge. The sentences will be served concurrently, Queen’s order said.
Following his prison sentence, Jones was ordered to complete three years of post-prison supervision.
Hernandez-Lopez, 48, a landscaper who had been working at a south Salem shop center the day of the stabbing, spoke at a city council meeting days later with still-fresh wounds.
The attack took place Jan. 7 near the former Rite Aid on Southeast Commericial Street, the Salem Police Department said at the time of Jones’ arrest.
Hernandez-Lopez recalled that as he was working, he came across a man in a tent, who witnesses later told police was known to stay on the property. The man, identified by police as Jones, also had a shopping cart filled with his personal belongings.
“I move it one more time, I said, ‘It’s time to leave and I will clean it up,’” Hernandez-Lopez said in city council testimony on Jan. 12. “He contested and said ‘Get out of here, leave me alone,’ (and) I said, ‘No you need to go,’ (he) said ‘No I don’t go,’ and I pushed the cart.”
As he turned around, Jones stabbed him, he said.
During his testimony, Hernandez-Lopez paused to lift his shirt, pointing to where he was stabbed on his lower torso and the side of his chest.
He peeled one bandage back to show city councilors and officials an open wound.
After responders arrived at the scene, Hernandez-Lopez was taken to Salem Hospital for medical treatment.
When Salem police officers took Jones into custody the same day of the attack, he admitted to stabbing the victim, the arrest statement said.
He told officers it “angered him” that Hernandez-Lopez had used a leaf blower to move his belongings, his arrest statement said.
Jones was initially arraigned on first degree assault, but pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, court records show.
At the arraignment, Hernandez-Lopez spoke through an interpreter, recalling the attack again, which had left him unable to work for six weeks.
“These types of people are a danger to society,” he said through the interpreter. He said Jones is someone who should not be among the public.
Jones has been unhoused in the Salem area for several years and has received services from multiple local providers, Jimmy Jones, executive director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, previously told Salem Reporter.
Around one month before the stabbing, Jones was sentenced to a week in prison for possessing a dagger as a felon, Marion County court records show.
His criminal history shows at least six instances where he failed to register as a sex offender.
Jones is a level 2 sex offender, which indicates a moderate risk of re-offending, the Oregon State Police previously confirmed to Salem Reporter. The agency declined to provide more information about Jones’ previous sexual offense, which is not accessible in state court records.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore joined Salem Reporter in 2024 and reports on a variety of topics including public safety, addiction, treatment and the criminal justice system. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
