Ardeshir Tabrizian
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered the justice system and public safety for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
Salem man charged with helping move body of victim in suspected domestic violence killing
Marion County prosecutors charged Logan Wilkins on Friday with second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Ashley Gandolfi, who they say was shot and killed by her longtime boyfriend.
2 Salem men accused of organizing speed racing at protest against immigration enforcement
Police said two men performed “dangerous burnouts” during what started as a peaceful protest against national immigration enforcement in east Salem on Feb. 1.
State courts wipe over 8,000 past evictions in Marion, Polk counties
A state law passed in 2023 required courts to seal past evictions annually in some circumstances, removing a key barrier to finding new housing that heightens renters’ risk of homelessness.
Trucker convicted of manslaughter, felony assault for crash that killed 7 farmworkers
A jury on Wednesday found Lincoln Smith drove recklessly but was not under the influence of drugs when he plowed his semi-truck into a van carrying 11 farmworkers on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Salem on May 18, 2023.
Driver charged with hit-and-run in Dec. 23 fatal crash in West Salem
A Polk County grand jury has indicted Micah Blacksmith on a single charge alleging she left the scene of a collision on Northwest Murlark Avenue. She is not charged with causing the death of Steven Bishop, who was killed in the crash.
Fate of trucker who killed 7 Marion County farmworkers lies with jurors
Jurors must decide whether Lincoln Smith was impaired or driving recklessly when he plowed his semi truck into a van carrying 11 farmworkers on the shoulder of Interstate 5, killing seven.
Salem police arrest 5 at protest against immigration enforcement
Salem police said what started as a peaceful protest Saturday against national immigration enforcement resulted in participants driving dangerously and throwing bottles and cans at police cars at the intersection of Northeast Lancaster Drive and Northeast Market Street.
“Proof is evident” that Salem man murdered longtime girlfriend, judge says
Tyler Holman appeared in court on Friday to face charges alleging he shot and killed his longtime girlfriend, Ashley Gandolfi, who he was previously charged with assaulting. Gandolfi’s family urged a state judge to keep him in jail, fearing his “military training” and risk to their child.
Salem man accused of fatally shooting woman, crashing car with her body inside
Deputies responding to a rollover crash in rural Independence found Ashley Gandolfi, 35, dead at the scene. The driver, Tyler Holman, 39, is now accused of shooting and killing Gandolfi, his former romantic partner, before driving with her body in the car.
Salem police chief promises his officers won’t cooperate with immigration enforcement
Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack issued a bilingual statement Thursday seeking to ease any “anxiety or confusion” that his officers would take part in immigration enforcement, which is expanding rapidly under the Trump administration.