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.  

Grand Jury Unanimously Finds Salem Officer Justified In June 11, 2026 Use Of Force Incident. Suspect Indicted. (Photo) - 06/18/26

June 18, 2026 - Today, a Marion County Grand Jury unanimously found that Salem Police Sergeant Jason Donner was justified in his use of deadly physical force in an incident on June 11, 2026.    

The Grand Jury heard from 12 Witnesses including the involved officers as well as Detectives from the Oregon State Police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and civilian witnesses.  They further reviewed numerous pieces of evidence including 911 calls, scene photographs and diagrams, body worn camera footage and other physical evidence. The Grand Jury heard the following evidence:

On June 11, 2026, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Salem Police Officers responded to an area near 3371 Portland Rd NE in Salem in response to a 911 hang up call. Upon a return call from dispatch, the caller was slow to respond, and a female could be heard possibly crying. While responding, officers were further informed that a second caller reported that a female was being held at gunpoint in a tent at the location. 

 
Salem Sergeant Jason Donner responded to the location along with Officer Chad Galusha and Officer Andrew Hockman.  Oregon State Trooper Adrian Steeley also responded. They began to patrol the railroad tracks east of Portland Road on foot to listen for indicators of the incident. While doing so, Sergeant Donner and Officer Galusha heard what they believed to be a female cry “help”.  They quickly made their way toward the sound of the voice and near the northwest corner of an undeveloped and overgrown lot adjacent to the south side of Ventura Foods at 3371 Portland Rd NE. This general area is known for homeless encampments and related activity. 

Officer Hockman then heard something on the opposite side of the fence in an overgrown area and Sergeant Donner heard a female voice, which sounded like whimpering. He also heard an angry male voice in the same area. Knowing the report included a female being held at gunpoint, Sergeant Donner and Officer Galusha entered the fenced area with their guns drawn.  Officer Hockman and Trooper Steeley remained outside the fenced area, also with guns drawn.  

  
Sergeant Donner and Officer Galusha approached a tent.  Sergeant Donner could see movement and heard a male voice in the thick foliage on the lot. Officer Galusha called out, “Salem Police, show me your hands.” A male subject, later identified as Jose Luis Anguiano (35 years), stood up from behind a bush with both arms raised and something in his hands pointed toward Officer Galusha who continued to yell commands as he could not clearly see the item held by Anguiano due to the overgrown foliage. Anguiano then turned toward Sergeant Donner who could see that Anguiano was pointing what appeared to be a handgun at him.  Sergeant Donner fired three rounds at Anguiano who fell out of view.  A female victim was then able to crawl to safety and was assisted by law enforcement. 

Anguiano did not emerge from the overgrown area, despite commands to do so.  For the safety of the officers as well as anyone else in the area, SWAT personnel arrived and were able to reach Anguiano who had non-life-threatening wounds.  He was treated by medics and transported to Salem Hospital. He was released and lodged at the Marion County Jail on June 14, 2026. 

An investigation followed led by the Oregon State Police at the direction of the Marion County District Attorney’s Office consistent with Marion County’s Senate Bill 111 protocol. A CO2 air pistol was found near Anguiano. No markings on the air pistol indicated that it was not a real firearm. Under Oregon law, this type of air pistol is not considered to be a firearm for the purpose of criminal charges.  [See photo of the pistol attached.] 

Sergeant Donner is a 21-year veteran of the Salem Police Department and is a member of the Domestic Violence Response Team.

Pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute 161.242 (in relevant part), an officer is justified in using deadly force if the officer reasonably believes, under all the circumstances, that Anguiano posed an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to the officers or other people and that the force was necessary to:

• defend the officers or other people from death or serious physical injury

The Grand Jury's decision today required a review of all the facts and evidence available to it and application of that evidence to the legal principles outlined above.  The Marion County Grand Jury unanimously determined that the actions of Salem Sergeant Donner were justified. The Grand Jury further found that Sergeant Donner had no reasonable opportunity to use any alternative force options or de-escalation techniques given how quickly the incident unfolded.  

The same grand jury that found Sergeant Donner justified in his use of deadly physical force, also indicted Jose Luis Anguiano on charges of Coercion Constituting Domestic Violence, 2 Counts of Assault 4 Constituting Domestic Violence, and 4 Counts of Menacing. He will be arraigned on the Indictment on June 29^th at 8:30am at the Marion County Circuit Court Annex.  

Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson stated:

“We are well-served by law enforcement in this community.  I am grateful that the officers who willingly put themselves in danger to protect others on this day returned home safely.  My gratitude to them and to the grand jury who thoroughly and thoughtfully reviewed this matter.”

Anguiano had 34 prior arrests at the time of the incident including convictions for multiple counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Attempted Assault in the Fourth Degree, Escape in the Second Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, Tampering with a Witness and was on parole at the time of this incident. The Grand Jury did not hear any information related to his prior arrests and criminal convictions.

As this is still a pending criminal prosecution, no further information will be released at this time.  Senior Deputy District Attorneys Shannon Sullivan and Braden Wolf presented this matter to the Grand Jury. 

Man Sentenced To 35 Years In Marion County For Child Sexual Abuse - 06/09/26

State of Oregon v. Daniel S. Bowdoin

Marion County Circuit Court Case 24CR62772

Salem, OR – June 9, 2026 – Yesterday, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hart sentenced Daniel Bowdoin, age 38, to 35 years in the Department of Corrections. Bowdoin pled guilty to two counts of Sodomy in the First Degree and one count of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.

The case involved repeated sexual abuse of a child under 12 years old over a two-year period. The child was known and close with Bowdoin. Eventually, Bowdoin’s manipulation was no longer effective, and the child disclosed the abuse. 

After the disclosure, Bowdoin admitted to some of what he had done by sending a confession letter to family and friends. However, he subsequently twice attempted to contact the victim.

Bowdoin was involved in the track and field community. Despite the serious nature of the charges, he was allowed to remain out of custody and was on release during the pendency of the case with orders to have no contact with minors nor to go to places where minors congregate.  The court denied Bowdoin's follow up request to have contact with middle school children and attend track and field events.

Nevertheless, during that time and while awaiting further court proceedings, the defendant had repeated contact with a four-year-old child and went to a company picnic where minors were present. When that was discovered and presented to the court, the defendant’s release was revoked.

“This type of conduct is among the most severe that our office handles,” said District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy. “Our hearts go out to his victim, as no child should suffer this way. We hope for healing and recovery.”

Under Ballot Measure 11, which imposes mandatory sentences, the required minimum sentence for Sodomy in the First Degree is 300 months, and for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, the mandatory sentence is 75 months.  The court ran the two counts of Sodomy in the First Degree partially consecutive to achieve a total sentence of 420 months (35 years).

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple. DA Semple has been a prosecutor for over 10 years and prosecutes some of the most serious criminal cases in Marion County.

The Marion County DA’s Office wishes to acknowledge the critical and delicate work of the Liberty House and the thorough investigation by the Salem Police Department.

Due to the involvement of a child victim and the nature of criminal behavior, no additional details will be released at this time.

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