Over a year after Joshua D. Upton Jr. beat Russell Mikolas, a Salem homeless man, he pleaded guilty to the murder and received a seven-year sentence. At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Aug. 22, the victim’s relatives described Mikolas as a kind and generous man.
Tag: marion county district attorney
New Marion County program aims to keep drug users out of jail as possession is criminalized again
Last Friday, Marion County officials announced a new court program designed to divert drug users away from jail as drug possession becomes criminalized starting on Sept. 1.
Stayton man, 19, charged in Pringle parkade teen shooting
Prosecutors charged William J. Wilson on Wednesday with attempted murder in a June 29 shooting that wounded a 16-year-old boy in downtown Salem. Police and prosecutors said little about what prompted the shooting.
Police to boost NE Salem patrols, identify services for youth at risk of violence
This summer, local law enforcement agencies plan to start focusing police patrols in northeast Salem and deciding what services they’ll use for people at risk of being on either side of deadly violence.
Salem park shooting prompts new worry about local gangs
Englewood, Hoover and now Bush’s Pasture Park have been the sites of deadly shootings in recent years. The most recent which left one teen dead and two others wounded has raised questions about the role gangs are playing in Salem’s escalating street violence.
UPDATE: State says DEA agent’s immunity defense is unjustified
The Oregon Department of Justice intends to appeal a federal judge’s order granting the request of a DEA agent to move his criminal case to federal court so he can assert immunity from prosecution. The state agency said Tuesday that the case should be tried in Marion County Circuit Court because Samuel T. Landis, 38, has no valid federal defense in for running a stop sign and killing Salem cyclist Marganne Allen while on duty.
Judge says DEA agent’s duties could justify dropping charge in fatal cyclist collision
A federal judge said last week that a DEA agent could be justified in running a stop sign and causing a fatal collision because he was on duty. The judge moved Samuel Landis’ criminal case to federal court so he can assert immunity from prosecution.
Secrecy surrounds case of DEA agent charged for Salem cyclist’s death
An agent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration charged in a fatal cyclist collision was expected to request that he be allowed to possess guns in early October. He was also granted a request to travel out of state while facing the criminal charge.
Marion County DA drops reckless-driving case after a prosecutor calls defendant ‘drunk Hispanic guy’
District Attorney Paige Clarkson said her office ordered an inquiry after hearing the attorney made comments about a defendant’s race.
