Man accused of ramming Portland church a court no-show

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A 35-year-old man who is accused of intentionally crashing his SUV into a Vietnamese church early Monday didn’t show up to a Portland courtroom as ordered.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Hieu John Phung was in Astoria when he was “picked up” and taken to a hospital, a member of the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday told Multnomah County Circuit Judge Katharine von Ter Stegge.

The sheriff’s office says it’s possible that Phung was on a mental health hold.

His court appearance was moved to January.

Phung was booked into Multnomah County’s jail at 4 a.m. Monday on suspicion of criminal mischief and other charges after authorities say he called police to report he’d run his Acura MDX into the Our Lady of Lavang Catholic church.

He was released from jail the same day.

The northeast Portland church was extensively damaged.

___

Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com