After a protracted series of delays and missed court dates, a man has been sentenced for a car theft that unfolded over five years ago. A stop for morning coffee at an Oak Grove 7-Eleven back in the frosty dawn of December 2020, ended with a Milwaukie longshoreman's Toyota Corolla stolen by a man named Joseph Taylor Letts, according to a recent report from Clackamas County's news release.
Justice may have been slow but, has not been evasive in this case. Initially, Letts dodged his June 2021 trial, and subsequent arrest in Washington and then failed to appear for a rescheduled hearing last year. Eventually, following an unrelated arrest for public indecency in Multnomah County, he was transferred to Clackamas County, where he remained in custody without bail. According to the same county report, Letts was found guilty this past Wednesday of Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, with Clackamas County Circuit Judge Kathie F. Steele handing down a sentence of 20 months in prison.
The capture and identification of Letts owe much to the swift actions of a Clackamas County Sheriff's deputy who, by chance, had encountered and photographed Letts 30 minutes before the theft. This photograph then played a pivotal role in the investigation as a witness at the 7-Eleven could later identify Letts, leading to his conviction. "We were happy to get justice for the victim after more than four years and appreciate members of the community coming forward to participate in the prosecution by being a witness," Clackamas County Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Censoni told Clackamas County News.
A checkered past with an extensive criminal history in Washington shadows Letts, involving theft, and drug possession, among other petty crimes. Letts's litany of postponements for his trial came to an end when after he was held accountable for his actions from that brisk morning encounter. The journey to his sentencing encapsulated several challenges, including a death that led to a rescheduling of his trial. Letts is now set to serve his term with the case officially recorded under Clackamas County Circuit Court Case 21CR21330.
