GRESHAM, Ore. — Gresham police and business owners are perplexed as to why a man accused of breaking windows at Gresham businesses on multiple occasions continues to be released from jail, usually just hours after he was arrested.
The suspect, 25-year-old Garret Fine, was cited or arrested for breaking windows at Gresham businesses four times over the span of a week, from June 27 to July 4. After each citation or arrest, he was released shortly after, according to Gresham police and the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
As of Thursday morning, Fine was out of jail again after being released Wednesday morning, the day after his most recent arrest.
"Gresham PD doesn't have a role in the jail release process, so I can't offer any insight there," said Gresham Police Det. Adam Wright when asked why Fine keeps getting released from jail.
A spokesperson for the DA's office told KGW they find the situation "concerning."
"Garret Fine has been booked in the jail three times since June 29, and released each of those times without conditions or security, a situation that our office finds concerning," said Liz Merah, communications director for the DA's office.
Merah said Fine was released the first two times because "the court's risk assessment tool deemed him a low risk to fail to appear and a low risk to reoffend." On the most recent release, even though the risk assessment "still recommended he be released," Merah said the presiding judge held him for arraignment anyway, but he was then released "without supervision or bail after arraignment" because the court was unable to appoint a defense attorney for Fine.
"Given the pre-arraignment releases in the first three cases, and the lack of defense counsel in the fourth, MCDA has not had the opportunity to intervene in this revolving door of unsecured release," Merah said. "We are doing everything we can to ensure these cases are charged to the fullest extent of the law, and will be advocating for an appropriate bail amount to be set as soon as we are able to do so."
One business owner, whose martial arts studio was hit on July 4, said enough is enough.
"I'm very much a, 'Support the blue, support law enforcement' and so forth," said Dan Anderson, owner of Anderson Martial Arts. "But when you have certain loopholes that allow someone to create the kind of damage that he created, yet be allowed to let out because he was quote-unquote 'non-violent,' I'm not in agreement with that."
Here's a timeline of the four incidents of vandalism:
June 27
Fine was arrested Tuesday, June 27 for breaking windows of businesses on Northeast Hogan Drive between Division Street and Burnside Road. Gresham police said the vandalism caused between $4,000 and $5,000 of damage. Fine was arrested, issued a criminal citation and released, Wright said. Merah said the DA's office received the case for review Thursday morning.
June 29
Fine was arrested again on Thursday, June 29 after police said he broke business windows along Northeast Division Street between Hogan Drive and Burnside Road. Wright said this round of vandalism caused $5,000 to $7,000 worth of damage. Fine was booked into jail for first-degree criminal mischief but was released without conditions just two and a half hours later, Merah said. He didn't show up for his arraignment the next day and Merah said the grand jury has indicted him on those charges.
July 4, morning
At 2:25 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4, Fine was arrested for allegedly breaking windows of at least 10 businesses in downtown Gresham. According to Wright, one person who witnessed the vandalism tried to stop Fine while another person called 911. Wright said Fine grabbed the person's wrist and twisted it, "causing some pain for the witness." Officers responded and arrested Fine. He was booked into jail on multiple counts of first-degree criminal mischief and one count of harassment. Merah said he was released five hours after he was booked into jail, again without conditions, including supervision.
July 4, afternoon
Just hours after Fine was released the morning of July 4, officers responded at 7:53 p.m. to reports that Fine was breaking windows of businesses on East Powell Boulevard between Southeast Roberts Avenue and Southeast Hood Avenue. He was again arrested and booked into jail on another count of first-degree criminal mischief. Because the court was unable to appoint a defense attorney for Fine, Merah said, he was released "without supervision or bail after arraignment."