Clackamas County commissioner charged with theft, accused of taking financial advantage of 83-year-old
(update: adding video)
OREGON CITY, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced Wednesday that Clackamas County Commissioner Melissa Fireside has been charged with eight counts of theft, including first-degree aggravated theft and identity theft.
Fireside, who was elected last fall, was arraigned Wednesday at the Clackamas County courthouse and released on the condition that she have no contact with the elderly victim, or Oregon State Rep. April Dobson, Rayfield said in a news release.
“It does not matter who you are, which political party you’re in or what position you hold,” said Rayfield. “We will aggressively prosecute those who victimize Oregon’s seniors.”
The eight-count indictment is the result of a months-long investigation by the Lake Oswego Police Department and the Criminal Justice Division of the Oregon Department of Justice. After Fireside was elected as a Clackamas County commissioner, District Attorney John Wentworth asked the Oregon DOJ to review any criminal allegations, due to a conflict of interest.
Fireside is charged with taking financial advantage of an 83-year-old man while accessing a computer network, as well as forging his and Dobson’s signature as part of the scheme.
“When someone in a position of public trust takes advantage of our seniors, it is a betrayal on multiple levels,” said Rayfield.
Fireside is charged with first-degree aggravated theft, first-degree theft and two counts each of ID theft, computer crime and first-degree forgery.
Because all the charges are felonies, any sentence will be determined by Oregon’s felony sentencing guidelines. The sentence cannot be higher than 10 years for the aggravated theft charge or five years for each of the remaining charges.
"An indictment is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt," Rayfield noted. "Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty."
Fireside’s next court appearance will be on April 28 at 10 a.m. for a status check. The case number is 25CR11597.
