Democrats clearly don’t care about the United States. They spend more time damaging the country than trying to improve it.
And a top Leftist looks to destroy this American city with the stroke of a pen.
In a controversial move, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who was ousted from office in November, is making a final push to reduce the sentences of several violent offenders just days before his replacement assumes the role.
Among the cases Schmidt is petitioning to revisit are those involving a convicted m*rderer and a brutal assault perpetrator, actions that have sparked outrage from victims and criticism from the incoming DA.
Schmidt filed petitions with an Oregon judge on Monday to reconsider the sentences of eight individuals, a move that could lead to reduced charges and even the release of some prisoners, according to Oregon Live. The timing of the petitions has drawn sharp criticism from District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez, who will officially take over on January 6.
“These have all the appearance of a last-minute giveaway,” Vasquez, a Republican-turned-independent who defeated Schmidt, said to Oregon Live. “They’re extremely violent individuals who have committed horrible crimes, and they’re being given some kind of a break.”
One of the most contentious cases involves Frank Swopes Jr., 62, who was convicted of felony m*rder for the 1993 k*lling of 75-year-old Jean Stevenson during a home invasion. Swopes’ accomplice k*lled Stevenson by pushing her to the floor, and Swopes committed another violent home invasion just one week later.
In that second incident, court documents reveal that Swopes tied a 76-year-old woman to her bed, “terrorized” her, and “touched her s*xually” after breaking into her home.
The victim reported that Swopes put his bodily fluids on her during the attack. Swopes has served 32 years of his 35-year sentence, and Schmidt is now seeking his early release.
Another case involves Shane Ebberts, who was convicted of first-degree and second-degree assault for brutally attacking a college student in 1995. At 17-years-old, Ebberts was part of a group that ambushed two young men, with one of his accomplices using a baseball bat to crack the skull of David Clarke, leaving him in a medically induced coma.
Ebberts himself bludgeoned the other victim, Evan Gardner, with a mallet handle. Though Ebberts has already served his 7.5-year sentence, Schmidt’s office is now pushing to allow him to withdraw his original guilty pleas and plead to a lesser charge of attempted second-degree assault, which could expunge the crime from his record.
Gardner, one of Ebberts’ victims, expressed his outrage over the petition, telling Oregon Live: “Attempted my (expletive)!” He added, “As a group, they inflicted irreparable harm that will stay with both of us and our families and our extended families forever. It shattered my feeling of safety.”
Clarke, who survived the near-fatal attack, remains strongly opposed to reducing Ebberts’ convictions and considers him a “danger to society.”
According to the petition, Clarke is so traumatized by the events that he “does not want updates because they send him into a tailspin.”
Schmidt defended his actions, stating that the petitions align with the broader goals of his office. “We have an established and extensive process, including input from our community advisory board,” Schmidt stated.
“Each of these petitions have been considered in a thorough process over a number of months. This is the same work we’ve been doing throughout my term.”
However, critics, including Vasquez, argue that these last-minute decisions seem more like a political move than a pursuit of justice.
For the victims and their families, the timing and substance of Schmidt’s petitions are reopening old wounds, leaving them questioning how justice is being served.
It’s also leaving residents in the area confused as to why this Leftist district attorney wants to allow for these dangerous criminals to roam the streets free again.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
