HILLSBORO, Ore.- Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton recently joined Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth in voicing his support for Measure 11, Oregon’s violent crime mandatory minimum sentencing law.

The pair submitted an opinion piece to The Oregonian in which they urge lawmakers not to make drastic changes to the law. Measure 11 was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 1994 and reaffirmed by voters once again in 2000 with a 73% approval rate.

Measure 11 provides reasonable and uniform minimum prison sentences for Oregon’s most violent crimes. It is a law proposed by the people – not prosecutors or politicians – in response to a justice system in need of reform because it failed to protect crime victims and the public.

The Oregon District Attorney's Association, which represents elected district attorneys across Oregon, also reaffirmed its support for Measure 11. ODAA issued this press release and provided this informational packet to support its arguments. 

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On February 9, 2021, Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett conducted a swearing-in ceremony for Detective Kevin Winfield. Detective Winfield has more than 20 years of investigative experience and will be assigned to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office to re-examine violent crime cold cases that involve identified DNA associated with a possible suspect. Detective Winfield’s position is supported by a federal grant. The grant, “Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA,” is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.

In 2020, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office was awarded $470,000 in grant funding to investigate violent crime cold cases. A cold case is defined as a case three or more years old that is not under active investigation. After an in-depth review, multiple cases were identified as suitable for further investigation under this grant. These cases date back to 1968 and several of them contain DNA evidence. Additionally, there are potentially hundreds of unsolved sexual assault cases over the decades that also contain DNA evidence.

In addition to Detective Winfield’s position, this grant also allows for the hiring of a forensic consultant. These two new positions will work with a prosecutor and victim advocate to form a Violent Crime Cold Case Multidisciplinary Team (MDT).  The MDT will work together to solve and prosecute violent crime cold cases in Washington County and in partnership with existing resources, including the Washington County Major Crimes Team.

“We are excited to welcome Detective Winfield as our first dedicated cold case detective. While these cases may be labeled ‘cold cases,’ to the victims and their families they are just as real and important today as they were when the crime occurred many years ago. This new position is an effort to ensuring these cases remain a top priority,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton.

“I am grateful for the DA’s Office to acquire grant funding to make this possible. The hope to resolve cases that include lives lost due to homicidal violence elevates the voices of our community’s victims and provides a measure of hope for their family and friends. My sincere thanks to Detective Winfield as well for his devotion to these important cases,” added Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett.

Cold Case Spotlight

The 2001 murder of Loni Okaruru, a transgender woman, remains one of the cold cases identified for renewed investigation under this grant funding. Ms. Okaruru was found murdered in Hillsboro, Oregon. This horrifying crime shook the community then and continues to cause pain today. We've included a news clipping regarding this case from 2001.

Submit Your Tips

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office has established a website with more information on this effort. Anyone with information pertaining to a violent crime cold case should call local law enforcement. Tips can also be submitted directly to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office by calling 503-846-8671.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On January 29, 2021, Allen Grady Williams, age 48, pleaded guilty to second-degree online sexual corruption of a child, seven counts of luring a minor and second-degree attempted sexual abuse. Judge Eric Butterfield then sentenced Mr. Williams to four years in prison. Deputy District Attorney Matt Wise prosecuted the case against the defendant.

In 2018, the defendant, already a convicted sex offender, began messaging an undercover Washington County Sheriff’s Office detective whom he thought was a 15-year-old girl. Mr. Williams sent dozens of messages to the decoy account over a nearly two-year period. These messages were sexually explicit in nature. Law enforcement running this account repeatedly reminded Mr. Williams that the decoy was a minor, but the defendant continued to send graphic photos and videos of himself.

The defendant agreed to meet with the decoy in-person several times over the course of their conversations. In September of 2020, he followed through on this and drove to a park in Washington County, Oregon to meet with the decoy. Washington County Sheriff’s deputies immediately arrested the defendant. They found condoms, sex toys and pornographic magazines in his car. The defendant admitted he came to the park to meet with a minor but claimed he wasn’t going to engage in sexual activity with her.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as well as Detective Mark Povolny and Deputy Shannon Wilde.

In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Butterfield also ordered the defendant to register once again as a sex offender for these new convictions. Judge Butterfield also ordered Mr. Williams to complete two years of post-prison supervision upon his release. The defendant will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On January 28, 2021, Heraclio Madrigal-Carrillo pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted sexual penetration and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Judge Charles Bailey then sentenced the defendant to 20 years in prison. Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel prosecuted the case against the defendant.

Mr. Madrigal-Carrillo was known to the child. In May of 2019, the young victim reported the abuse to her mother, as well as a teacher. During a forensic interview, the child again accused the defendant of sexual abuse and disclosed additional details.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation. Detectives confronted the defendant with these allegations. After initially denying any inappropriate contact, the defendant eventually admitted he accidentally touched the child while playing with her. However, during the change of plea hearing, Mr. Madrigal-Carrillo admitted to the abuse, took full responsibility and apologized for his actions.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the bravery of the victim in reporting this abuse and her family who supported her through the process. This office also wishes to thank Detectives Tim Miller and Robert Rookhuyzen of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case. CARES Northwest and the Oregon Department of Human Services were also instrumental in the prosecution of the defendant.

Mr. Madrigal-Carrillo will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On January 27, 2021, Judge Ted Sims found An Ngoc Le guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse in a bench trial. Deputy District Attorney Jason Weiner prosecuted the case against the defendant.

The defendant was originally convicted on the above charges by a verdict of 10-2 in 2017. The case had to be retried after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Ramos v. Louisiana that non-unanimous verdicts in state trials for serious criminal offenses violated the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial.

On the same night in 2016, the defendant twice sexually abused a minor known to him. In September of 2016, the victim disclosed the abuse to a school counselor. That counselor immediately notified the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim’s parents confronted the defendant with these allegations in a recorded pretext phone call with help from investigators with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Le insisted the victim touched him, but he did not touch her.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the bravery of the victim in disclosing this abuse. This office also commends the investigative work of Detective Aaron Massey as well as the work of Corporal Phong Tran, who was essential in facilitating communication between Detective Massey and the victim’s family. Corporal Tran also helped interpret some statements the defendant made during a pretext phone call.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 30, 2021. The defendant will remain in custody until that time.