Marion County District Attorney Shares Grave Concerns Regarding Oregon State Hospital Cases With Public Safety Council (Photo) - 07/15/26

Salem, OR – July 15, 2026 - Yesterday, Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson shared an update with the Marion County Public Safety Coordinating Council regarding cases in her office affected by an extended Federal Court Order in Disability Rights Oregon v. Hathi, Case No. 3:02-cv-00339.  DA Clarkson warned that this ill-conceived and overbroad order will undoubtedly result in the release of violent offenders back into the community and presents a risk to public safety. 

The attached document was shared with council.

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Gervais Man Sentenced For Bias Crimes After Threatening Neighboring Family - 07/10/26

State of Oregon v. Richard M. Pennise

Marion County Circuit Court Case #26CR29450

Salem, OR - July 10, 2026 – The Honorable Marion County Circuit Court Judge James Edmonds this week sentenced Richard Pennise (age 52), to two months in the Department of Corrections and 36 months of supervised probation. Pennise pled guilty to three counts of Bias Crime in the First Degree, a Class C felony.

The incident occurred in May of this year, when Gervais Police Chief Robert Morris, responded to a complaint at a Gervais home. The victim reported that her neighbor, Pennise, had repeatedly directed racial slurs at her and her family and threatened to kill all of them. The conduct had been occurring on a nearly daily basis, with such severity that the victim kept her younger children from playing outside when Pennise was home.

When Chief Morris arrived in the area, he could hear the Pennise shouting racial slurs at the victim, her husband, and their children as they cleaned their car in the driveway. Pennise, whose behavior was increasing in severity, also threatened to assault them.  Specifically, in the weeks prior to the incident to which he pled guilty, Pennise threatened the victim's older daughter and her boyfriend, made racially charged threats about their Hispanic ethnicity, and said words to the effect of "come and get this."

“We all deserve to feel safe, but especially at our own homes,” said District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy. “Hate crimes, stemming from bias and prejudice, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

This state was represented in this case by Deputy District Attorney Michael Kummerman. The Marion County DA’s Office wishes to thank the Gervais Police Department for their work, which contributed to the successful prosecution of this case.

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Salem Man Sentenced To 20 Years For Domestic Violence With A Firearm - 07/02/26

State of Oregon v. Nicholas A. Ransom

Marion County Circuit Court Case 25CR35970

Salem, OR – July 2, 2026 –  Today, the Honorable Marion County Circuit Court Judge Amy Queen sentenced Nicholas A. Ransom (age 45) to 20 years in the Oregon Department of Corrections with 36 months of post-prison supervision. A Marion County Jury found Ransom guilty on May 15, 2026, of the following charges:

• Burglary in the First Degree Constituting Domestic Violence with a Firearm
• Unlawful Use of a Weapon Constituting Domestic Violence with a Firearm
• Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm
• Assault in the Fourth Degree Constituting Domestic Violence
• Felon in Possession of a Firearm
• Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer (2 counts)
• Reckless Driving (2 counts)

On June 29, 2025 Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a domestic violence disturbance between a man, Nicholas Ransom, and a woman, M.P., located at 6267 Silverton Road NE in Salem. While on the way to the scene, dispatch notified the deputies that the male involved in the disturbance, the defendant, had left the location. 

Upon arrival at the address, deputies contacted the victim, M.P.. Visibly shaken from the incident she described to deputies what happened. She had been inside her home with her friend when Ransom, her ex-boyfriend, entered the house. He began yelling at her and waving a gun at them. Ransom pushed the victim into a chair in the living room, hitting her in the head and again in the face causing her glasses to fall to the floor.  After emptying the gun chamber, taking the magazine out and dropping a few casings on the floor, he pointed the gun at her face and pulled the trigger while yelling and cursing at her and threatening to kill her. Ransom then pointed the gun at her boyfriend and yelled that he was going to kill them both and bury them in the backyard. After picking up the dropped casings, Ransom left the house.

Ransom, while being pursued by deputies, led them on a chase through North Salem.  At one point vehicle speeds reached over 100mph. Eventually Ransom pulled into a driveway on Howell Prairie Road and was arrested without further incident. A 40-caliber pistol was found on the ground next to the vehicle he exited.

Ransom was a convicted felon who was on post-prison supervision at the time of this offense. His supervision was for Manslaughter and Felon in Possession of a Firearm out of Polk County, (Polk County Case 15CR33584).  Additionally, Ransom had also previously been convicted on an assault charge against Perez. 

“Today’s sentencing is about accountability” said District Attorney-elect, Brendan Murphy. “No more chances.  Committing this crime while on supervision for homicide shows how dangerous Ransom is.  Domestic violence is serious , and we’re glad that the court agreed and imposed a serious consequence for this terrible assault.   Our thoughts are with the victim, and we hope this sentence provides her with some sense of justice and closure. We will prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law.”

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Tyler Hopkins. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the outstanding work of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for their execution of a thorough investigation and for their swift response in this incident.  But for their bravery and the thoroughness of their investigation, the Marion County DA’s Office would have been unable to hold this offender accountable.

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Salem Man Sentenced To Life In Prison As A Third Strike Offender - 06/26/26

State of Oregon v. David F. Wentz

Marion County Circuit Court Case 26CR18956

Salem, OR – June 26, 2026 – On June 16, 2026, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Audrey Broyles sentenced David Francis Wentz (age 73) to a Life Sentence in the Oregon Department of Corrections.  Wentz pled guilty to three counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree having previously been convicted twice before to sex offenses.  Because this was the defendant’s third felony sex crime conviction, under ORS 137.719, Oregon law calls for a presumptive life sentence without the possibility of release or parole. 

In January 2026, Salem Police detectives began investigating the sexual abuse which occurred during the spring of 2025.  Wentz met the child victim when the child came to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post in Salem. The child came to engage in volunteer opportunities alongside local veterans.

In a relatively short period of time, Wentz ingratiated himself into the family's life becoming a person that they trusted and sometimes relied upon. For example, he occasionally babysat the children, stayed home with them when they were sick, and provided financial assistance to the family. He presented himself as a trusted and caring adult, deliberately breaking down boundaries to gain the child's trust.

"Insidious manipulation like this is common in these types of cases.  Often times offenders purposefully become ‘the kind of guy who wouldn’t do something like that.’”  We commend the victim for the tremendous courage it took to come forward and disclose the abuse," said District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy. "We are grateful to everyone who helped bring this case to justice, and this sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant's actions."

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple. The Marion County DA’s Office wishes to acknowledge the critical and delicate work of the Liberty House and the investigation by the Salem Police Department. Their excellent work led to justice in this case.

Due to the involvement of child victims and the nature of criminal behavior, no additional details will be released.

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Maintenance Worker At Keizer Senior Living Community Indicted For Theft - 06/22/26

State of Oregon v. Justin Schmidtke

Marion County Circuit Court Case 26CR25551

Salem, OR – June 22, 2026 –  A Marion County Grand Jury has indicted Justin M. Schmidtke (age 48) on charges including multiple counts of Theft in the First Degree and Second Degree, Aggravated Theft in the First Degree, and Burglary in the First Degree.

The charges stem from a case referred by the Keizer Police Department in connection with multiple theft incidents that occurred at Emerald Pointe Senior Living Center, where the defendant was employed as a maintenance worker. The total value of stolen items identified so far is estimated at a minimum of $15,000. All the victims in this case are residents of the senior living center, and all are over the age of 65-years-old.

“Crimes that take advantage of our elderly community members are particularly concerning,” said District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy. He went on to say “we are committed to protecting vulnerable members of this community, while holding offenders accountable.”

The defendant was arraigned today in a Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Taylor. He is being held at the Marion County Jail and bail was set at $50,000. His next court date is a Plea hearing scheduled for July 2, 2026.

Due to the ongoing nature of this prosecution, no further information will be released at this time.