Woke Portland DA pushes for reduced sentences for violent offenders, including murderer, on his way out of office



With just a few days left in office, the lame-duck district attorney in Portland, Oregon, has pushed for a judge to reduce the sentences of several violent offenders, including a man involved in the murder and sexual assault of an elderly woman.

Mike Schmidt has been the district attorney of Multnomah County, Oregon, for more than four years. During that time, he has taken a far-left approach to law enforcement, working "to make the criminal legal system more equitable," according to his official bio.

'The sentence that he received at the time, a lot of people would have believed was too light.'

It seems that "equitable," soft-on-crime approach did not sit well with voters, who went with challenger Nathan Vasquez, a former Republican who ran as an independent, instead of Schmidt in November.

With Vasquez poised to take over his job on January 6, Schmidt has made one last push for reducing the sentences of eight criminals under Senate Bill 819.

Among the offenders whom Schmidt hopes to help is Frank Swopes Jr., 62, who was convicted of felony murder in the death of 75-year-old Jean Stevenson in December 1993.

The details of the case are gruesome. Swopes and an accomplice broke into Stevenson's home, tied the terrified woman to her bed, stole her wedding ring, and proceeded to sexually assault her, KATU reported. Stevenson later died of asphyxiation after Swopes' accomplice pushed her to the floor, the New York Post said.

Thus far, Swopes has served 32 years of his 35-year sentence, but Schmidt hopes that he will be released early. The prosecutor in the case, former Deputy District Attorney Jim McIntyre, called the attempt to reduce Swopes' sentence "unconscionable."

"The sentence that he received at the time, a lot of people would have believed was too light," McIntyre said, according to KATU. "And he's going to have three more years to serve, and that's exactly what he should serve."

Another convict on Schmidt's list is Shane Ebberts, who pled guilty to first- and second-degree assault in connection with an attack on a college student in 1995. Ebberts was 17 at the time.

Ebberts has already served his sentence of seven and a half years, but Schmidt wants to give him the opportunity to withdraw his guilty plea and instead plead guilty to second-degree attempted assault, the Post said.

Evan Gardner, one of Ebberts' victims, is incensed about the move to expunge the first- and second-degree assault convictions from Ebberts' record in favor of the lesser charge.

"As a group, they inflicted irreparable harm that will stay with both of us and our families and our extended families forever," Gardner said, according to the Post. "It shattered my feeling of safety."

'This is the same work we’ve been doing throughout my term.'

DA-elect Vasquez further argued before Multnomah County Judge Melvin Oden-Orr that many of the victims in the cases Schmidt put forward have not been contacted as required by law.

"It just has all the appearance of being a very last-minute giveaway," Vasquez said.

"They’re extremely violent individuals who have committed horrible crimes, and they’re being given some kind of a break."

Between concerns about victim notification and the offenders themselves, Judge Oden-Orr elected to postpone a decision about resentencing most of them until February 13.

In response to the judge's decision, Schmidt indicated that calling for leniency for violent criminals is just part of his job.

"Today, the court held hearings in several SB 819 cases and agreed that charges could be changed or dismissed to allow people to move on with their lives with clean records in recognition that they had turned their lives around," Schmidt said in a statement, according to KGW. "I hope that the court will thoughtfully consider and grant the petitions."

Schmidt's statement did not offer any evidence that the offenders had, indeed, "turned their lives around," though Schmidt noted in a separate statement that "each of these petitions have been considered in a thorough process over a number of months" that includes the input of a community advisory board.

"This is the same work we’ve been doing throughout my term."

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Another Deep Blue City Could Send Its Soros-Backed DA Packing After Crime Surge

'Out of step'

Transvestite who butchered cab driver smirks at victim's family, claims victimhood after getting off the hook for murder



A hulking transvestite butchered a beloved Portland taxi driver in an unprovoked Easter Sunday attack last year.

Despite refusing to take respnsibility for the bloodletting and claiming victimhood, Moses Lopez managed to dodge a heftier sentence this week because Mike Schmidt, Multnomah County's leftist district attorney, approved a plea deal downgrading his murder charge to manslaughter.

What's the background?

Lopez went partying in downtown Portland on April 9, just days after being arrested and charged with menacing two employees of a Coos County Bi-Mart, trespassing, and weapons charges. When the fun came to an end, the LGBT activist called 911 and requested a ride home. The Oregonian reported that the operator told the transvestite to instead call a cab.

Radio Cab driver Reese Lawhon, 43, obliged the transvestite, picking him up outside a donut shop. While there was initially some suggestion that the dispatcher had entered the wrong address, KGB-TV indicated Lopez had fouled up the instructions. Despite the miscommunication, Lawhon, a Texan with the company for 10 years, noticed the error, turned around under a highway overpass, and began to correct course.

Blaze News previously reported that Darin Campbell, a spokesman for the cab company, noted on the basis of footage taken inside the cab that when Lawhon "went to put the new address in his GPS, the passenger stabbed him in the neck."

KATU-TV reported that police were called at 6:41 p.m. to the scene of a cab stopped in the middle of traffic at the intersection of Southeast Washington Street and Southeast Water Avenue. Lawhon was found inside, slouched over the steering wheel with his neck cut open. Lopez was apprehended nearby shortly thereafter, covered in the victim's blood.

First responders reportedly saw Lopez "drop a pair of brass knuckles with an attached blade on the ground."

Ginger Lawhon, the victim's mother, was the last person to speak to him, reported KATU.

"He returned the call saying he was working and would call later to visit. He never did," said Ginger Lawhon. "The world itself has been transformed and made deficient."

Radio Cab noted in a statement upon learning of learning of the grisly slaying that Lawhon had been a "great person who came to work hoping to have a great Easter Sunday shift."

An unrepentant killer

Lopez was initially charged with second-degree murder and the unlawful use of a weapon. He also faced charges in a separate case for threatening two Bi-Mart employees, for which he skipped out on the first court date.

Under the sweetheart plea deal Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt approved, Lopez pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree manslaughter and the unlawful use of a weapon. He also saw his other case dismissed altogether per the terms of the agreement.

The victim's sisters noted in a statement that they accepted the plea deal only so that their elderly parents would be spared from reliving the horror of what Lopez subjected their son to, reported KATU.

"When Moses gets out in 20 years, assuming she's still alive, and I hope she's not, I look forward to testifying against her, whatever senseless crime she commits next, because she will," said Claire Pearce, one of the victim's sisters.

"We tell our kids so many times that monsters aren't under the bed or in the closet, but it's a lie," Pearce told the court Wednesday. "Moses Lopez is a monster and will always be one."

Lopez grinned when Pearce characterized him as a monster, reported the Oregonian.

Lopez attempted to cast himself in court as a victim, complaining that the evening he butchered Lawhon, he had lost his debit card, had to listen to static on the dispatcher's radio, and wasn't taken directly to his desired destination.

Lopez further suggested that he feared for his safety on account of being a transvestite in a predominantly leftist city.

"I ended up in a very scary part of town where I was genuinely afraid," said the killer who traveled around with bladed brass knuckles. "I refuse to apologize for the lack of help that I so desperately needed."

After displacing blame, the killer told Lawhon's grieving family members, "I want you to know that I accept the way that you feel."

"The excuses that were made in the courtroom today for [Lopez's] actions are disgraceful" said Campbell, who underscored that Lawhon would have helped the transvestite if simply asked as opposed to brutally stabbed to death.

"Our opinion is she is a homicidal mentally ill individual who should never be set free ever again," continued Campbell. "The Radio Cab management team that unfortunately had to see the video of the murder of Reese Lawhon are traumatized, I being one of them."

A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge ultimately sentenced Lopez Wednesday to 22 years in state prison.

The DA's office said in a statement, "The DA’s Office thanks PPB Detective Shaye Samora and the officers who assisted with this case. DA's Office staff also acknowledge the victim's family, as well as his friends and colleagues at Radio Cab, and hope that today’s sentencing brings some closure that will allow the healing process to continue."

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Nearly 70% of charges against Portland rioters were dropped by progressive DA



Of the nearly 1,000 protest and riot-related arrests made in Portland since late May, prosecutors have dropped almost 70% of the charges, according to The Oregonian.

On Wednesday, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office released a new statistical dashboard that provides data on "protest-related cases referred to his office by law enforcement for prosecutorial review and potential issuing."

"This is a major step forward for the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office," the statement from progressive District Attorney Mike Schmidt read. "Transparency in the work we do is a keystone to my administration. Moving this data online for the community to easily use will have a significant impact on understanding cases that arise from mass demonstrations. I promised during my campaign that I take a smarter approach to justice. That work continues with the launch of this dashboard. I am committed to launching future dashboards and other public facing programs that will support data-driven and transparent decision making."

Between May 29 and Oct. 5, there were 974 cases referred to the Multnomah DA's office by the Portland Police Department for prosecution, 666 were rejected, meaning 68% of all referred cases had the charges dropped by the Multnomah County DA. The dashboard states that 543 cases have been "rejected in the interest of justice."

There were 902 public order crime charges, 166 person crime charges, and 125 property crime charges. There were 95 felony charges.

Court records show 18 people have been arrested three or more times during protests in Portland since May, The Oregonian reported.

This development is not shocking since Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt declared in August that his office would decline to press charges against protesters and rioters participating in Portland demonstrations.

"If we leverage the full force of the criminal justice system on individuals who are peacefully protesting and demanding to be heard, we will cause irreparable harm to them individually and to our society," Schmidt said. "The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office will presumptively decline to prosecute a case where the most serious offense is a city ordinance violation or where the crime(s) do not involve deliberate property damage, theft or the use or threat of force against another person."

Schmidt said that his office would not prosecute for the following crimes:

  • Interfering with a peace officer or parole and probation officer
  • Disorderly conduct in the second degree
  • Criminal trespass in the first and second degree
  • Escape in the third degree
  • Harassment
  • Riot (unless accompanied by a charge outside of this list)

Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner reacted to Schmidt's pledge by saying, "I am disgusted that our city has come to this."

In September, the U.S. Marshals Service deputized 56 Portland police officers and 22 Multnomah County sheriff's deputies to respond to potential violence under the orders of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) after she declared a state of emergency. The federally deputized officers are effectively circumventing the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, who aren't prosecuting rioters.

The deputizations remain in effect through December. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he didn't know that the officers would remain federal deputies until 2021.

Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) argued that the deputizations last "beyond the governor's stated emergency."

In the race for Portland mayor, Wheeler is currently polling significantly behind Sarah Iannarone, who is a supporter of Antifa, in the race for Portland mayor.

Last month, the Department of Justice designated Portland, Seattle, and New York City as "anarchist jurisdictions," a label that could lead to federal funding being withdrawn from those cities.