Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Thursday that 18-year-old Rollin Tristan Fodor pleaded guilty to first degree arson, a felony.
It’s the first felony conviction connected to the more than 90 continuous nights of protests in Portland stemming from the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Fodor was sentenced to 160 hours of community service, 36 months of probation and 45 days in jail, which he’s already served.
During a June 26 protest outside the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct, Fodor was captured on video placing a flaming item inside a dumpster. The dumpster was then pushed up against the wall of the Mid-K Beauty Supply store.
The Portland Police Bureau accused protesters of attempting to set the bureau's North Precinct building on fire during a June 26 demonstration.
Provided by Portland Police Bureau.
In a release, Schmit’s office said the Portland Police Bureau supported the resolution of the case.
“This type of criminal behavior is not acceptable and we will prosecute these cases when the allegations are supported by evidence,” read a statement from Schmidt, who took over the district attorney’s office this month. “Had this building caught fire, there would have been a significant risk of property damage or even physical injury to the police officers, fire fighters and other community members inside.”
Earlier this month, Schmidt announced he planned to dismiss many lower level charges stemming from protests, such as disorderly conduct.
Some criticized Schmidt’s decision, saying protesters need to be prosecuted. But Schmidt said the goal of the policy was to focus resources on violent crimes, while still respecting people’s rights to demonstrate.
Police have referred more than 600 cases to the DA’s office stemming from nightly racial justice protests in Portland. Hundreds of those cases involve misdemeanor crimes that Schmidt is likely to dismiss.
