A 29-year-old convicted sex offender already on probation for a 2022 attempted rape case is back behind bars after police say he groped a woman near Northwest Fifth Avenue and Flanders Street and then tried to escape after officers handcuffed him. Dante Anthony Rodgers is now held without bail, facing new misdemeanor charges as well as a probation violation tied to his earlier conviction.
According to KATU, the woman told police that Rodgers grabbed her private area, saying, “He grabbed my crotch.” Portland police bicycle officers were patrolling the Northwest Fifth Avenue and Flanders Street area when they responded to the report and arrested Rodgers. Police say that once he was handcuffed, he tried to escape.
Rodgers was arraigned Monday, August 31, on charges of third-degree sex abuse and third-degree escape, the station's report notes. Under Oregon Revised Statute 163.415, third-degree sex abuse is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of as much as $6,250, according to Justia Law. The escape charge, filed under Oregon Revised Statute 162.145, applies when someone unlawfully departs from custody after an arrest, as detailed by Oregon Crimes.
A Prior Conviction Tied to a 2022 McDonald's Attack
Rodgers was previously arrested in 2022 in connection with an attempted rape at a McDonald's at 12109 N.E. Glisan St., per the same account. A female employee reported the attempted rape on May 6, 2022, telling investigators that a man grabbed her by the throat and followed her into the women's restroom. She managed to escape the restaurant, and another employee chased the man to the nearby Highlander Apartments on Northeast 122nd Avenue, where he was caught.
The woman later told a nurse she thought she was going to die during the attack, the article notes. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Rodgers masturbating while looking at another female employee before buying two cups of coffee ahead of the assault. He was arraigned in that case on July 13, 2022.
Guilty Plea Led to Prison Time and Six Years of Probation
In 2023, Rodgers pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree rape and sodomy, receiving a 48-month prison sentence along with six years of probation and credit for time served, according to Rose City Law. Oregon's Ballot Measure 11 framework generally imposes mandatory minimum sentences for major felony sex offenses, but negotiated plea agreements can still allow defendants charged with attempted sexual assault to serve probation alongside reduced prison terms, the firm explains. Following his conviction, Rodgers was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
Under Oregon Revised Statute Chapter 163A, individuals convicted of felony sex crimes such as attempted first-degree rape and sodomy must register in person with local law enforcement within 10 days of release and maintain lifetime registration unless a court grants judicial relief, according to the Oregon State Police. That registration data is entered into Oregon's Law Enforcement Data System and shared with the FBI's National Crime Information Center, per Justia Law, giving officers a way to verify registry status and warrant conditions during field stops.
No-Bail Hold and What Comes Next
Rodgers's new arrest triggered an immediate no-bail hold under Oregon Revised Statute 137.545, which allows a court or probation officer to issue an arrest warrant at any point during a probationary period for alleged supervision violations, typically resulting in detention without bail until a hearing. He was scheduled for a September 1 arraignment on the probation violation stemming from the 2022 case.
Oregon probation revocation procedures require a hearing before a single judge within 14 calendar days of arrest, with alleged violations decided under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard rather than the reasonable-doubt standard used in criminal trials, according to HWM Bend. Judges weighing whether to revoke supervision and order prison time typically consider the severity of new alleged crimes, an offender's prior sanction history, and public safety risks, per guidance from the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Sex offenders under active Oregon probation are typically subject to special conditions enforced by county community corrections agencies, including mandatory sex-offender treatment, polygraph testing, and consent to searches of their residence and electronic devices, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office. It remains unclear whether Rodgers's specific supervision plan included those specialized monitoring protocols, or exactly how much of his 48-month sentence he served before his release on probation. It's also not yet known how prosecutors intend to pursue probation revocation alongside the new misdemeanor charges.
