Residential Group Homes

On December 28, 2007, Sheriff Rob Gordon directed deputies to distribute a Community Sex Offender Notification to residents within a half mile radius of The Connell House in Cornelius.

The Connell House, a Luke-Dorf facility, is a group home with residents who have been found guilty of dangerous crimes "except for insanity".  Residents are supervised by the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board.

Sheriff Gordon then held a public meeting January 3, 2008, attended by over 300 citizens at which he addressed two primary concerns. First, that dangerous offenders should not be living in a residential facility; and second, that the Psychiatric Security Review Board did not give appropriate notice to the community of their presence. Both of these concerns were from a public safety perspective.

On Thursday, June 19, 2008, at about 11:00 p.m., a resident of The Connell House was discovered missing.  Staff members began searching the facility and the surrounding neighborhood for the missing resident (without notifying law enforcement).  A staff member located the missing resident at K's Arco just around the corner, but the resident refused to return to the facility.  At 11:17 p.m., a staff member called 9-1-1 for assistance and police responded.  The resident was transported to a hospital in Portland.

When asked about the incident, the resident said he used a chair in the backyard to step onto the fence line.  Once on the fence, he said he walked along the fence using the roof for balance, stepped down to a lower section of fence, and then jumped to the ground outside the yard and walked away.  Fortunately this was not a resident who had committed crimes, but rather a person placed in the facility due to a civil commitment.

Sheriff Gordon was in contact with the Governor Office and the Oregon Department of Human Services during the ensuing hours.  He renewed his public safety concerns relating to the lack of security of the facility and procedures that cause staff not to immediately notify law enforcement when a resident walks away from the facility.   

• 04-22-08 Forest Grove News Times article - Sex, Drug Query Hits Group Home in Cornelius

• 02-08-11 Oregonian article - Heath Pleads Guilty to Burglaries, Sex Crimes in Hillsboro 

• 05-20-12 Oregonian article - Man in Custody after Fatal Stabbing of Mental Health Worker in St. Helens

Who to Call About PSRB Policies

The Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) is a state entity with policies that are established by Oregon legislators.  Questions regarding PSRB policies and practices should be addressed to the PSRB or to representative of state government.