HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 19, 2019, a Washington County jury found Seven Stars, formerly known as Lorenzo Eric Gonzalez, guilty of second-degree sodomy. Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel prosecuted Mr. Stars in Judge Ricardo Menchaca’s courtroom.

The investigation began in December of 2017 when a young woman called the Medford Police Department to report a case of online harassment. She told investigators that Mr. Stars was harassing her via a social media messaging service.

The victim told investigators that Mr. Stars sexually assaulted her in a park in Washington County, Oregon before she moved to Medford, Oregon. She told investigators that she had not seen the defendant, who went by the name Seven Stars, since that time. The victim did not know the defendant by any other name. The messages included lewd photos and videos of the defendant as well as taunts regarding the sexual assault. The victim repeatedly told the defendant to stop contacting her.

The case was referred to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and was investigated by Detective John Shipley.

Detectives scoured the defendant’s various social media accounts in an effort to identify him. They eventually used information posted to these accounts as well as law enforcement data bases to identify the suspect as Lorenzo Eric Gonzalez and arrested him.

The defendant denied the allegations against him, claiming, among other things, that he was not Seven Stars. This defense fell short, however, when DDA Meisel showed the jury the name-change petition Mr. Stars filed, while awaiting trial, to legally change his name from Lorenzo Eric Gonzalez to Seven Stars.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Medford Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office on this case. This office also commends the victim for reporting the abuse.

A sentencing hearing for Mr. Stars is set for December 11, 2019. He will remain in custody until that time.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 21, 2019, a Washington County jury found Brandon Wesley Eugene Treat guilty of fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail by Judge Eric Butterfield. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Sara Loebner.

On June 6, 2019, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an apartment complex in Aloha, Oregon on a report of a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they spoke to the female victim who reported she was involved in a physical altercation with Mr. Treat.

The victim told deputies that she and the defendant were in a verbal argument and that she locked herself in a bathroom. Mr. Treat then smashed through the door and entered the bathroom. He then tackled her into the bathtub and remained on top of her while he grabbed her neck and throat with his hands and pressed his elbow into her chest. When deputies arrived, they noted several injuries to the victim’s head, neck and arms.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Family Justice Center of Washington County for their work on this case and assistance given to the victim.

In May of 2019, this office formed the Domestic Violence Unit. A team of six prosecutors are now working exclusively on cases involving domestic violence. This new unit has helped this office increase the amount of domestic violence-related cases filed, leading to more prosecutions and victims protected.

In addition to his jail sentence, Mr. Treat will also be subject to two years of supervised probation upon his release.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 21, 2019, a Washington County jury found Jason Jeremiah Patton guilty of two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree robbery. Deputy District Attorney William Stabler prosecuted Mr. Patton in Judge Oscar Garcia’s courtroom.

On October 28, 2018, Mr. Patton and his accomplice, Robert David Duke, committed an armed robbery at a Beaverton consignment shop. Mr. Duke held a female employee at gunpoint while they stole cash and jewelry. That jewelry had an estimated retail value of $250,000. The employee was not physically hurt during the robbery.

The two then fled the scene on foot. Mr. Patton ran into a nearby mobile home park where he forcibly stole an elderly woman’s vehicle. That attack left the woman with a broken arm. Mr. Patton then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, which was later recovered in Portland, Oregon.

Mr. Duke was apprehended within just a few hours, but Mr. Patton was able to escape the area. He was able to elude authorities for several months until he was apprehended in Florida.

On January 16, 2019, Mr. Duke was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in the crime.

A sentencing hearing for Mr. Patton is set for December 5, 2019 at 8:45 a.m. in Judge Garcia’s courtroom.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Beaverton Police Department on this case. Officer Loren Andler and his training recruit at the time, Daniela Pamfilie, were instrumental in locating Mr. Duke in the hours after the robbery. Detectives Chad Opitz and Patrick McNair also played a pivotal role investigating the case. They secured evidence important to the eventual prosecution of both men.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 14, 2019, 18-year-old Dylan James Gregory pleaded guilty to first-degree disorderly conduct, harassment and two counts of unlawful possession of methamphetamine. Judge Ted Sims sentenced Mr. Gregory to two years of probation. Deputy District Attorney Tyler Bissett and Deputy District Attorney Mark Richman prosecuted the two separate cases against Mr. Gregory.

On September 4, 2019, Mr. Gregory posted a picture of himself to his social media account. The picture depicted the defendant holding a handgun featuring the caption, “Who ready for school.” Mr. Gregory was enrolled to start his first day at Mountainside High School that day.

Beaverton Police spotted the concerning photo. Officers quickly requested and obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s home and found ammunition but were unable to locate the handgun featured in the photo.

While this case was pending, Mr. Gregory was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies for a traffic violation. Deputies reported the vehicle smelled of marijuana and later found a pipe containing methamphetamine residue hidden in the defendant’s clothing. Mr. Gregory refused to give his name or date of birth to deputies and was arrested at the scene.

Less than a week later, Beaverton Police responded to an apartment complex on a report of a loud disturbance. Mr. Gregory was arrested after officers determined he tried to instigate a fight and pushed another individual at the scene. While he was being processed at the Washington County Jail, deputies found a small bag containing methamphetamine.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge Beaverton Police for flagging the concerning photo and working quickly to address the possible threat. This office also commends school staff for their diligence in addressing the matter swiftly.

“We can never be too careful when it comes to student safety,” DDA Bissett said of the concerning social media post. “We applaud Beaverton Police and school staff for acting so quickly to safeguard the students of Mountainside High School.”

In addition to probation, Judge Sims also ordered Mr. Gregory to undergo drug and mental health treatment.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 1, 2019, a Washington County jury found Tasi Autele, also known as Brian Mulivai Autele, guilty of third-degree assault. On November 13, 2019, Judge Ricardo Menchaca sentenced Mr. Autele to two years in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard prosecuted the case.

On August 26, 2017, the victim and defendant attended a gathering at a mutual friend’s house in a rural area of Hillsboro, Oregon. The gathering continued without incident into the early morning hours of the next day.

At some point during the gathering, the victim left the main group and ventured into a secluded field. Mr. Autele joined the victim in the field and began talking to the victim. Mr. Autele then asked the victim if he fights, to which the victim indicated he had wrestling experience from high school. Mr. Autele then came up from behind the victim, put him in a chokehold, and told the victim this was a fight, not a wrestling match.

The victim lost consciousnesses a short time later. While he was unconscious, Mr. Autele repeatedly struck the victim in the head and face, causing numerous fractures to his nose, orbital socket, and skull. The party hosts happened to come across the victim’s unconscious body and saw Mr. Autele standing over the victim. The victim was rushed to OHSU where he required extensive medical attention.

Mr. Autele fled the scene after the unprovoked attack but was captured by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies a short time later.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office including Detective Dawn Vandehey for her work on this case.

In addition to his prison sentence, the defendant was also ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution and a $3,000 compensatory fine to the victim for future medical expenses. He was also ordered to have no contact with his victim, ordered to undergo anger counseling and will be under post-prison supervision for two years upon his release.

HILLSBORO, Ore.- On November 8, 2019, a Washington County jury found Christopher Leroy Ainsworth guilty of attempted first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of second-degree sex abuse, second-degree attempted sex abuse, third-degree sex abuse, unlawful delivery of a marijuana item and furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. Deputy District Attorney Jason Weiner prosecuted Mr. Ainsworth in Judge Andrew Erwin’s courtroom.

On August 14, 2018, the then 36-year-old defendant arranged a meeting with the teenage victim at an apartment complex in Beaverton, Oregon. He provided the victim with alcohol and marijuana and attempted to kiss her. She refused his advances.

Some time later, the defendant again tried to kiss the victim. She again refused to kiss him and pulled away. This time he forced himself on her and pinned her to a couch. Mr. Ainsworth held her down momentarily as he sexually abused the victim. When she tried to get away, he squeezed her throat for a short period until she stopped resisting. The victim’s phone then rang, which startled the defendant. The victim said her mother was on her way home and he left immediately.

That night, the victim disclosed the abuse to several friends. One week later, police were dispatched to the same apartment complex on an unrelated call. The victim then asked to speak privately with one of the officers and disclosed the attack. Law enforcement immediately began investigating the allegations.

The victim was taken to a hospital where medical staff observed injuries consistent with her description of the assault. She was also interviewed by experts at CARES Northwest where she provided additional details of the attack.

Mr. Ainsworth initially denied all the allegations, but his accounting of the facts changed when he was confronted with digital evidence obtained by investigators.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the investigative work of Detective Cheryl Crecelius of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

A sentencing hearing is set for December 30, 2019.