PORTLAND, Ore. — Law enforcement recovered a moving truck and trailer and most of the belongings that were inside after the truck and trailer were stolen from a hotel parking lot in Troutdale early Thursday morning. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) deputies also arrested a suspect accused of the theft.
The U-Haul truck and trailer was rented by a couple relocating to Portland from Flagstaff, Arizona. Jennifer Beltz and her partner, Jeff Strang, stopped at the Comfort Inn off of Northwest Graham Road in Troutdale on Wednesday night after three days of driving. The truck and trailer were stolen overnight from the hotel parking lot.
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On Thursday around 8:30 p.m., a Gresham resident who had seen a social media post about the theft, called police to report that he had seen the stolen trailer parked in front of a detached garage at an apartment complex located in the area of Northeast Rene Avenue and Southeast Stark Street in Gresham. The resident told police there was a man near the trailer unloading items into the garage.
MCSO deputies and Gresham police officers responded and arrested the suspect, 49-year-old Joseph Damon Patterson, for first-degree aggravated theft. They recovered the stolen trailer and found many of the stolen items that had been reported by the couple inside the garage. They also found the silver SUV Patterson allegedly used in the theft. Deputies obtained a search warrant to search the inside of the SUV, where they found more stolen items and a handgun.
Patterson was taken to the Multnomah County Jail around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, MCSO said.
On Friday morning, MCSO deputies found out Patterson had been released from jail. MCSO said Patterson tried to return to the scene to pick up his vehicle but deputies intercepted him and re-arrested him, this time on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm.
MCSO said the U-Haul truck was found later Friday morning, about a mile away from the trailer, near Northeast 18th Court and Kane Drive in Gresham. Many of the couple's belongings were inside the truck. MCSO said the couple was "thrilled" to learn most of their belongings had been recovered..
In a news release, MCSO said it was not responsible for Patterson's release. "The criminal justice system is a shared responsibility," MCSO wrote, adding that the MCSO is responsible for managing booking criteria and jail operations but not the release of those arrested. "All questions pertaining to release should be directed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court."
KGW reached out to Multnomah County Circuit Court and asked why Patterson was released after the first arrest. Rachel McCarthy, a public information analyst for Multnomah County Circuit Court, told KGW that Patterson was released because his score on the release interview allowed him to be released without judicial review.
"When Mr. Patterson was initially arrested and booked, he had a release interview conducted by a Release Assistance Officer (Department of Community Justice)," McCarthy wrote in an email to KGW. "Mr. Patterson scored a five on the assessment, which allowed him to be released without judicial review. A score of 6 or more requires judicial review. The court delegates the assessment/release decision to the Release Assistance Officer."
The investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed, MCSO said.
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