FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: May 9, 2024
Man arrested in menacing and pistol-whip incident
Salem, Ore. — At approximately 3:00 p.m. on May 8, officers responded to the call of an armed person at the transit mall in the 200 block of High ST NE. Transit mall security personnel reported a man, who was unable to board a bus, shouted threats and displayed a handgun. As the man fled, he pointed the gun at a passerby.
Responding officers located the suspect in the area of Court and Church STS NE where witnesses also reported the man used the grip of a gun to strike a female bystander in the face, knocking her to the ground and kicking her repeatedly.
After a brief foot pursuit, the suspect, Enrique King Hatfield, was apprehended by officers and a handgun was found on his person.
The woman who was assaulted was treated by paramedics at the scene.
The 21-year-old Hatfield was arrested and lodged at the Marion County Jail on various related charges including:
- Assault, second-degree
- Menacing, two counts
- Unlawful use of a weapon
- Felon in possession of a weapon
Hatfield is set to be arraigned at the Marion County Criminal Court Annex today at 2:30 p.m. As such, all further inquiries about this investigation should be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 26, 2024
Salem man arrested in child sex abuse case
Salem, Ore. — A Salem man is in custody in Illinois on child sex abuse charges stemming from an incident earlier this month at a northeast Salem business.
Jason Patrick Mikel, age 28, was arrested Thursday, April 25, as part of an investigation into the sexual abuse of a small child at a variety store in the 2700 block of Lancaster DR NE on the evening of April 1, 2024.
The child’s mother reported that while shopping, she lost sight of her daughter and found the three-year-old in Mikel’s arms. The mother confronted the unknown suspect, who put the child down and fled the store. Through a forensic interview conducted by Liberty House, a child abuse assessment center, Salem Police Violent Crimes Unit detectives learned the child had been harmed in the encounter.
Investigators identified Mikel as the suspect and presented their findings to a Marion County Grand Jury on April 19. Mikel was indicted on the following charges:
- Attempted unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree
- Sex abuse, first-degree
- Attempted kidnapping, first-degree
Through the course of the investigation, detectives determined Mikel fled Oregon to the village of Minooka, a small suburb of Chicago, Illinois. With assistance from the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office Proactive Unit, and the Minooka Police and Channahon Police Departments, Mikel was arrested without incident. He is currently lodged at the Grundy County Jail and awaits extradition to Oregon.
Salem Police thanks the FBI, the deputies of the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, and the police officers from the communities of Minooka and Channahon for their assistance in apprehending Mikel.
Gratitude is also extended to the staff of Liberty House. The organization is an essential partner in law enforcement’s work to investigate and bring justice to the most vulnerable of our community. We invite residents to learn more about the organization’s work and resources.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 25, 2024
Man arrested in domestic assault, kidnapping case
Salem, Ore. — Early this morning, a Salem man was arrested today in northeast Salem as part of a domestic assault and kidnapping investigation.
Agustin Caldaza Sierra, age 25 of Salem, was sought in an incident that occurred on April 18 in which he assaulted a former girlfriend, then forced her and her children into his vehicle. The woman reported being able to escape from the vehicle as the suspect drove. The children were later found safe, however, the suspect fled.
Through the investigation, detectives located Sierra and arrested him without incident at an apartment in the 4100 block of Satter DR NE.
Sierra is lodged at the Marion County Jail on the following charges:
- Kidnaping in the first degree, three counts
- Strangulation
- Burglary in the first degree
- Menacing
- Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle
- Coercion
- Assault in the fourth degree
- Harassment
- Custodial interference
- Stalking
All further inquiries into this investigation should be directed to Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
If you know of someone experiencing domestic abuse, reach out to a victim advocate with the Salem Police Domestic Violence Response Team for information and connection to helpful resources in our community. Call 503-588-6499 or find more information online.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 24, 2024
Early morning collision results in motorcyclist fatality
Salem, Ore. — The 4300 block of Commercial ST SE was closed this morning for the investigation of a traffic collision resulting in the death of a motorcyclist.
Just after 7:00 a.m. today, multiple callers reported a collision between a car and motorcycle. Passersby stopped and acted quickly to render aid to the injured motorcyclist along with help from a Salem police officer. Ultimately, the rider was pronounced deceased by paramedics.
The preliminary investigation by the Salem Police Traffic Team indicated that a sedan traveling southbound on Commercial ST initiated a turn east into the parking lot of a business when the motorcycle rider collided into the car.
The motorcyclist is identified as Zachary Hendrickson, age 32, of Salem. The driver of the car, Shannon Evans, age 54 and also of Salem, remained on the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
Commercial ST between Hilfiker LN and 12th ST Cutoff was closed for approximately three-and-a-half hours for the scene investigation.
There is no further information available at this time, including that of citations or arrest, as the incident remains an active investigation.
This morning’s traffic fatality is the tenth to occur in Salem since the start of the year.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 24, 2024
Local man arrested, guns and drugs seized
Salem, Ore. — A 35-year-old Salem man was arrested yesterday afternoon on gun and drug possession charges.
Daniel Ralph Northcutt was arrested at a hotel in the 3300 block of Astoria WY NE at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Officers observed Northcutt in the area when he then fled into the hotel.
Initially, Northcutt refused to exit the room but subsequently surrendered without incident. A search warrant was obtained for Northcutt’s rented room and his vehicle in the parking lot of the business. Seized in the search were two firearms, a handgun and a sawed-off shotgun, as well as 1.5 ounces and 50 pills of a drug suspected to be fentanyl and $1,000 in cash.
Northcutt, who also has outstanding warrants in other cases, is lodged at the Marion County Jail on the following charges:
- Felon in possession of a firearm, two counts
- Unlawful possession of a short-barreled firearm
- Unlawful possession of a Schedule II controlled substance
- Unlawful delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance
Given Northcutt’s in-custody status, all further media inquiries concerning this investigation should be directed to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 18, 2024
Motorcyclist dies in early evening collision
Salem, Ore. — At approximately 6:10 p.m. this evening, the Salem Police Traffic Team responded to a single-vehicle collision on the offramp of the Center Street Bridge involving a motorcyclist.
The Traffic Team’s preliminary investigation indicates the rider of the motorcycle was traveling eastbound over the bridge. As the motorcyclist negotiated the sweeping right curve to proceed down the off-ramp, he lost control of the motorcycle and collided with the concrete barrier. The impact vaulted the rider across the barrier and approximately 30 feet down to the ground below the bridge.
The driver is identified as 27-year-old Mark Steven Sewell of Salem. Sewell was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The southbound off-ramp to Front ST NE was closed for approximately two-and-a-half hours while the collision was investigated.
To date in 2024, the Salem Police Department has responded to nine major traffic collisions resulting in nine deaths.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 16, 2024
Second arrest in mail theft investigation
Salem, Ore. — Salem Police Felony Crimes Unit detectives have arrested a second suspect in the ongoing investigation of mail theft occurring in Salem.
Brett Todd Regimbal, age 49, of Salem was arrested yesterday as a part of a search warrant served at his residence in the 1200 block of 14th AV NW. Due to firearms concerns in multiple investigations involving Regimbal, the Salem Police SWAT team assisted with the service of the warrant.
Regimbal did not immediately exit the residence. After nearly seven hours and all attempts by the Crisis Negotiations Team to communicate with him were exhausted, the house was cleared with a police canine resulting in the location and subsequent apprehension of the suspect.
Detectives, with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspection Service, located further evidence of mail theft, including counterfeit mail keys, as well as evidence of identity theft and fraud, and small quantities of methamphetamine and a substance suspected to be fentanyl.
After receiving medical clearance for his bite from the police canine, Regimbal was lodged at the Polk County Jail on the following charges connected to the mail theft investigation, as well as charges from a concurrent domestic violence investigation:
- Strangulation
- Possession of a burglary tool or device
- Identity theft
- Criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree
- Interfering with a peace officer
Regimbal also had two outstanding warrants out of Marion and Yamhill counties.
The investigation remains active; however, with Regimbal’s arrest, all further inquiries into this case should be directed to the Polk County District Attorney’s Office.
As reminder, residents who are victims of mail theft are urged to immediately file reports with the Salem Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Proactive measures to prevent mail theft are also encouraged through the use of notifications for standard mail and package delivery services.
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