A wanted Beaverton man’s run from the law ended in a blackberry patch, courtesy of a Washington County Sheriff’s Office K9. Corporal Sam Terry’s partner, K9 Griff, tracked down and bit 29-year-old Rafael Ortiz after he bolted into blackberry thickets along the Westside Trail, sending Ortiz to the hospital before he was booked into the Washington County Jail.
How deputies tracked him down
Deputies first tried to contact Ortiz around 5:48 p.m. Saturday in the 4900 block of SW Greensboro Way. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, he took off toward the nearby Westside Trail and disappeared into thick blackberry bushes near SW 160th Avenue.
Corporal Terry and K9 Griff followed his trail to that stretch of path. When Ortiz ignored commands to surrender, Griff went in after him and apprehended him in the thicket, the sheriff’s office said.
Ortiz was treated at a hospital for puncture wounds from the bite and then taken to the county jail on multiple counts. Reporting by KATU says his charges include assault in the fourth degree, coercion, escape in the third degree, harassment, a violation of a release agreement and nine outstanding warrants.
K9 Griff and the team
K9 Griff is a six-year-old Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix, certified as a patrol dog through the Oregon Police Canine Association. He and Corporal Terry have been paired since April 2021 and have made 146 captures together, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
What the charges could mean
Under Oregon law, assault in the fourth degree is typically a misdemeanor but can be elevated to a felony in certain circumstances, per Oregon Revised Statutes 163.160, according to the Oregon Legislature. Escape in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor under Oregon Revised Statutes 162.145, per the Oregon Legislature. Coercion and harassment are also state offenses, and violating a signed release agreement can result in revocation of release and additional penalties, according to the Oregon Judicial Department.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has surveillance video to call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 and reference WCSO case #50-26-4258. Deputies say any new information will be reviewed as the case moves through the local court system.
