COCC dorm stabbing suspect appears in court

A 22-year-old Central Oregon Community College student accused of stabbing his 18-year-old roommate several times at Juniper Hall late Friday made his first court appearance Monday afternoon and said he’s “innocent until proven guilty.”

Students who spoke with NewsChannel 21 Monday said James Briles stumbled out of his room and fell on the floor. At first, some thought it was a Halloween prank — but they soon realized, to their horror, that it was not.

Appearing by video from the Deschutes County Jail, Eric Norgaard spoke to the judge, despite being advised by his attorney not to, due to the severity of his case.

“I believe I’m innocent until proven guilty,” Norgaard said, also asking his father to post the 10 percent of his bail — reduced by the judge to $250,000 — so he can be released from jail. Norgaard is due to return to court next Monday.

Prosecutors asked, and Judge Stephen Forte agreed that if Norgaard is released, he not be allowed to have contact with Briles or possess alcohol or weapons, though authorities have not said if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the assault. He’s also required to wear a GPS tracking and alcohol-monitoring device.

Norgaard’s right arm was in a cast when he appeared in court, though there’s no word if that’s related to the Friday night incident or not.

Briles improved from critical to fair condition late Saturday and remained at that condition Monday, according to St. Charles Bend officials.

Norgaard was arrested in his dorm room on attempted murder and other charges in the most serious violent crime on the Bend campus in recent memory, officials said.

Police responded early Saturday, shortly after midnight, to the reported stabbing at the residence hall at 2610 NW College Way, said Sgt. John Lawrence.

They arrived to find Briles in the hallway of the dorm, suffering from multiple stab wounds from a knife, Lawrence said. Bend fire paramedics rushed Briles to the Bend hospital.

Officers were able to quickly identify Norgaard as the suspect, and he was contacted in his dorm room and taken into custody without incident, Lawrence said.

“Up to this point in the investigation, the attack appears to be unprovoked,” Lawrence said in a news release Saturday.

Several residents witnessed the attack or its immediate aftermath, the sergeant said.

A police chaplain “responded to the scene to assist residents in dealing with traumatic incident,” Lawrence said, adding that “this appears to be an isolated attack, and there is no indication that residents/students are in any danger.”

Norgaard was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Initial bail was set at $360,000.

COCC spokesman Ron Paradis said he could not recall any attack or crime on campus as serious in his 23 years with the college, which recently marked its 50th anniversary.

Paradis said counseling was available for students, as the college contracts with St. Charles Bend for mental health counseling.

No campus-wide alerts or messages were sent, he added, because the incident involved only a few students police confirmed there was no continue danger to others.

It was “a matter of minutes” after police arrived that the suspect was identified, located and in custody, said police Lt. Ken Mannix.

On Sunday, COCC Interim President Shirley Metcalf sent this notice to all students; a similar message was sent to staff:

“Dear COCC Students:

“I want to update you on an incident that took place in Juniper Hall early yesterday morning.

“Two of our residents were involved in an incident in which one stabbed the other several times. The victim was taken to the hospital and is recovering. Our hearts go out to Jim Briles who is being treated at St. Charles Medical Center and to his family.

“The other student, Eric Norgaard, was taken into police custody and charged with attempted murder and assault. He will not be returning to Juniper Hall or to the College.

“This is a tragic disruption to our living community and one that is disturbing to us all. In their own press release, however, the Bend Police noted that this is an isolated incident, and they see no danger to others on the COCC campus. We will continue to do all we can to keep the campus safe. We ask that you check in with students and if they express concern, please have them contact Juniper Hall staff or contact the CAP Center directly.

“We had professional counselorson siteto meet with residence hall studentslast nightand will do everything possible to support our students in the days and weeks to come.

“I do want to thank the Juniper Hall staff, in particular, and those in Student Life, Campus Public Safety and the Custodial staff who responded promptly, professionally and with our students’ needs in mind.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shirley I. Metcalf, Interim President

Central Oregon Community College”

Juniper Hall, a co-ed dorm, has about 100 student residents, and COCC is building a new, larger residence hall.

Briles, in his first term at COCC, is a forestry major from Monroe, a town near Corvallis, Paradis said. Norgaard has been taking classes since the 2014 winter term early this year; he is a computer information systems major, dually admitted to COCC and OSU-Cascades.

A check of online records finds that Norgaard made the Dean’s List for the summer term, meaning a GPA of 3.60 or higher.

A resident of Juniper Hall told NewsChannel 21 the students were shocked by what had occurred.

“It happens, but the best thing you can do is be there for each other and have trust in the people who respond,” said student Alexander Wright.

There were no indications of the crime being tied to Halloween, although the student dorm had hosted some young trick-or-treaters gathering candy several hours earlier in the evening..