HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 12, 2024, Rose Sunrise pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree, Arson in the First Degree, two counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, Arson in the Second Degree, and Burglary in the Second Degree, stemming from a crime spree in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. On March 26, 2024, Washington County Circuit Judge Janelle Wipper sentenced Sunrise, formerly known as Roel Leon, to 30 years in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andrew Freeman and Deputy District Attorney David Pitcher prosecuted the case against the defendant. 

On December 4, 2021, the defendant broke into a business located in the Weil Arcade in downtown Hillsboro. The Weil Arcade was home to multiple small businesses serving the Hillsboro community. Once inside, the defendant stole several seemingly random items. A nearby surveillance camera captured footage of the defendant leaving the area with the stolen property. 

In the early morning hours of January 2, 2022, the defendant returned to the Weil Arcade, broke into a different business, and again stole miscellaneous property. However, this time the defendant set fire to the business before leaving. A security camera across the street captured the scene as the defendant watched the fire grow and recorded its progress on a phone. The defendant left shortly before a passing patrol officer spotted the flames and called for assistance.

The fire quickly spread throughout the complex and destroyed the Weil Arcade. Several businesses were destroyed and surrounding buildings in the downtown core were impacted. More importantly, the fire also took the life of Ronald Knapp, who investigators believe took shelter on the second floor of the Weil Arcade that night to escape the bitter cold. The next evening the defendant intentionally set two more fires in vehicles parked outside a nearby auto shop. Again, surveillance footage showed the defendant stoking the flames and then leaving before first responders arrived.

Officers with the Hillsboro Police Department immediately launched an investigation and quickly identified the defendant as the primary suspect. On January 5, 2022, they executed a search warrant on the defendant’s residence and found distinctive clothing and items matching those in videos of the suspect, as well as items stolen in the burglaries. After the arrest, the defendant admitted to burglarizing the Weil Arcade and setting the fires. 

These events significantly impacted many people in the Hillsboro community. The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the numerous victims, especially the family of Mr. Knapp, for their grace and patience throughout the court process. We also thank the community for its support of the affected businesses following this devastating fire. We would also like to acknowledge the extensive investigative efforts of the Hillsboro Police Department, particularly those of Detectives Michelle Hahn and Megan Townsend, as well as the heroic work of the Hillsboro Fire Department and all of the other assisting fire agencies.

The defendant will be immediately transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving this sentence. 

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 22, 2024, Joshua Michael Best pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree with a firearm. Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brandon Thompson sentenced the defendant to 90 months in prison. Senior Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown prosecuted this case. 

On August 20, 2022, the defendant went to the Sunset Strip in Washington County with a woman named Heather Lundy. He and Ms. Lundy assaulted a woman inside and were forced to leave by an employee working security. Mr. Best told the employee he was going to shoot up the establishment. As he was driving away, he aimed a handgun in the direction of the employee and fired several rounds before leaving the scene. The defendant is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess weapons. 

Deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded. Bullet strikes to the building and a vehicle were discovered as well as several casings. Detectives were able to identify Mr. Best as the shooter. On September 6, 2022, the defendant was located and arrested in Portland. He had the firearm in his possession and tried to conceal it from police. Additional detective work revealed further evidence connecting the defendant to the shooting. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, including lead detective Shannon Wilde, and the assistance of the Portland Police Bureau. The defendant will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence. He is ordered to serve three years of post-prison supervision upon his release. Heather Lundy previously pleaded guilty to Assault in the Fourth Degree for her role in this incident. 

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 30, 2024, Sara Elisabeth Moore pleaded guilty to Assault in the Third Degree-DUII, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree. On March 7, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Oscar Garcia sentenced the defendant to 18 months in prison, ordered her driver’s license suspended for a period of five years, ordered her to serve two days in the Washington County Jail, and sentenced her to post-prison supervision for five years following her release. She was also ordered to pay $1,255 in court fines. Deputy District Attorney Christina Luedtke prosecuted this case. 

On March 9, 2023, the defendant was driving 60 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone along SW Murray Boulevard near the intersection of TV Highway in Washington County. Ms. Moore then crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with the victim’s vehicle. This crash caused serious injuries to the victim including a traumatic brain injury, facial fractures, and damage to his internal organs. He underwent multiple surgeries and was in the hospital for a month. 

The Washington County Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART) responded to the scene. Officers located a marijuana vape pen and multiple open bottles of alcohol in the defendant’s vehicle. A blood draw conducted at the hospital after the crash returned a BAC of 0.126% on the defendant. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the work of CART members on this case. 

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 7, 2024, a Washington County jury found David Anthony Baynes guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Senior Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown and Deputy District Attorney Christina Luedtke prosecuted the case before Judge Ricardo Menchaca. The defendant was also convicted of Felon in Possession of a Firearm by Judge Menchaca following a bench trial. The defendant is a convicted felon based on a Manslaughter conviction from 2008. 

On September 18, 2022, Mr. Baynes shot and killed the victim in an unprovoked attack. At the time, the defendant was in a relationship with the victim’s ex-girlfriend and was jealous of her continued contact with the victim. Mr. Baynes was leaving the woman’s home in Forest Grove, Oregon when he saw the victim approaching the home in a minivan. He pulled his truck up next to the victim’s van and shot the victim 15 times with a handgun. Each bullet entered the victim’s body, and he died within minutes. 

After fleeing the scene, Mr. Baynes ditched the firearm and drove to a rural area in Yamhill County where he hid overnight.  He concealed his truck with a tarp, factory-reset his phone to avoid police detection, and slept in blackberry bushes. A deputy with the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office located and arrested the defendant the next day. The defendant claimed that the victim had been armed and that the shooting had been in self-defense. He admitted he wasn’t allowed to own a handgun because of his status as a felon. He told detectives he knew what he did was wrong. A search of the victim and the crime scene confirmed that the victim had in fact been unarmed. The firearm used by Baynes in the shooting was later found during a search by the Washington County Search and Rescue Team. 

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to thank the multiple law enforcement agencies who worked on this case, the Forest Grove Police Department, Beaverton Police Department, and the Washington County Major Crimes Team. In addition, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office, Newberg Police Department, and the Oregon State Police Forensic Lab all assisted with this investigation.   

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 24, 2024. The defendant will remain in custody until that time. 

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

HILLSBORO, Ore- On February 8, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Silver sentenced Bret Mitchell Hollmann to four years in prison, nearly the maximum allowed under Oregon law for this type of felony. This sentence comes after the defendant pleaded guilty to Assault in the Third Degree and Unlawful Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance – substantial quantities. Deputy District Attorney Matt Wise prosecuted the case against Mr. Hollmann. 

On March 13, 2023, the defendant and his fiancé, Megan Elizabeth Meek, began their day by smoking fentanyl pills that Hollman purchased. Their two-year-old daughter was with them. Later that day, they decided to take the child to a babysitter so they could go shopping. They stopped at an area business along the way. Ms. Meek then went inside to make a purchase. When she returned to the vehicle, she put her bag containing multiple fentanyl pills and other drug paraphernalia in the backseat within reach of the toddler. The child was able to gain access to the pills and swallowed several of them.

When the defendant arrived at his ultimate destination, he and Ms. Meek noticed the child was actively overdosing on fentanyl. When officers from the Beaverton Police Department arrived, the child was unconscious, not breathing, and had no detectable pulse. The defendant told officers the child needed to have her stomach pumped. The defendant and Ms. Meek told officers that her daughter had swallowed the fentanyl pills.

Officers administered two doses of Narcan to the child and saved the child’s life. She responded to the medication but overdosed again once she reached the hospital due to the sheer amount of fentanyl in her system. Hospital staff had to put the victim on a Narcan drip for a full day to keep her alive. 

Mr. Hollmann admitted to officers that he purchased the fentanyl pills. He was caught smoking additional fentanyl at the hospital while his daughter was undergoing treatment and was removed from the facility. 

“This case is yet one more reason, in a long and growing list of reasons, why lawmakers need to fix Oregon’s drug addiction and decriminalization crisis,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton. “I am hopeful the legislature takes immediate action to fix Measure 110 in a way that will produce results in our communities and save lives.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Hollmann was also ordered to serve two years of post-prison supervision and to undergo drug treatment. 

Ms. Meek is currently scheduled to stand trial in April.

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 30, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Chris Colburn sentenced Ana Mercedes Miranda to 100 months in prison. On January 12, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to four counts of Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Tampering with a Witness. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver prosecuted this case.

The defendant, age 68, gained custody of the victim children in 2017. Beginning in 2018, she began subjecting them to emotional and then physical abuse. One child in particular, aged younger than 10, was regularly deprived of proper nutrition and sometimes tied to his bed during the night. She also regularly inflicted physical abuse upon that child and his siblings. As time progressed, the defendant began using a metal chain and padlocks to bind the child to furniture. 

Authorities became aware of the abuse in April of 2023. During the investigation, sheriff’s detectives found chains and padlocks that had been used to confine the child along with other items used to inflict abuse. The defendant admitted to chaining up one child. She denied any physical abuse, but other children within the home confirmed that it had occurred. 

While in custody awaiting trial, officials learned the defendant was attempting to contact the victims in this case by mail, attempting to dissuade them from testifying against her in court. These actions led to additional charges of Tampering with a Witness.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the efforts of Detective Mark Povolny with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on this case.

Ms. Miranda will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.   

Media contact information
Stephen Mayer
Public Information Officer
971-708-8219

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Featured Articles

HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 12, 2024, Rose Sunrise pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree, Arson in the First Degree, two counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, Arson in the Second...
HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 22, 2024, Joshua Michael Best pleaded guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree with a firearm. Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brandon Thompson sentenced the...
HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 30, 2024, Sara Elisabeth Moore pleaded guilty to Assault in the Third Degree-DUII, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless Driving, Recklessly Endangering...
HILLSBORO, Ore- On March 7, 2024, a Washington County jury found David Anthony Baynes guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Senior Deputy District Attorney Allison Brown...
HILLSBORO, Ore- On February 8, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Silver sentenced Bret Mitchell Hollmann to four years in prison, nearly the maximum allowed under Oregon law for this...
HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 30, 2024, Washington County Circuit Court Judge Chris Colburn sentenced Ana Mercedes Miranda to 100 months in prison. On January 12, 2024, the defendant pleaded guilty to...
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