23-year-old Troutdale man pleads guilty to protest, other charges

By Ryan Haas (OPB)
June 14, 2021 7:58 p.m.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that Gavaughn Streeter-Hillerich agreed to a five-year prison sentence for setting a fire near a police precinct during racial justice protests in 2020, as well as other crimes related to separate incidents.

The 23-year-old Troutdale, Oregon, man had faced several felonies related to the 2020 protests, as well as felony strangulation and fourth-degree assault charges for a Dec. 29 domestic violence case.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

According to court documents, at a June 26, 2020, protest, Streeter-Hillerich set a dumpster on fire near an exit of Portland’s North Police Precinct building. Prosecutors said the fire was near plywood on the building, which was in place to protect windows. They also said approximately 19 people were inside when the fire was started.

Related: June 2020: Police Deploy Tear Gas In North Portland As Protesters Seek Sanctions

The district attorney’s office said Streeter-Hillerich’s guilty plea also encompassed a June 8, 2020, incident in which, according to court documents, Streeter-Hillerich used a car to ram the rear of a truck pulling a trailer on Interstate 84.

According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, the man pulling the trailer had attempted to drive around cars being used to block the interstate for protesters who were occupying the roadway. The man pulling the trailer said he stopped his vehicle after Streeter-Hillerich rammed him from behind several times, knocking the trailer off its hitch.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Prosecutors in the case said witness video of the incident then shows Streeter-Hillerich exiting his vehicle and smashing out the driver’s window on the truck using a type of pulley. The driver of the truck then allegedly exited his vehicle and pointed a handgun at the ground before driving away. Streeter-Hillerich was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, riot and menacing for the incident.

The Portland Police Bureau accused protesters of attempting to set the bureau's north precinct building on fire. Multiple online accounts of the evening tell a different version of events overnight from Thursday into pre-dawn Friday morning.

Archive photo: The Portland Police Bureau accused protesters of attempting to set the bureau's north precinct building on fire, June 27, 2020.

Provided by Portland Police Bureau.

Apart from protests, Streeter-Hillerich also pleaded guilty to coercion and assault charges for the Dec. 29 domestic assault. According to court documents in that case, Streeter-Hillerich’s sister called police after he hit her and his girlfriend several times.

A probable cause affidavit in the domestic violence case said Streeter-Hillerich punched and slapped his girlfriend in the face more than 10 times because she would not share the password to her phone. He also allegedly put the woman in a headlock until she passed out, and punched his sister for trying to intervene.

As part of Streeter-Hillerich’s plea agreement, he will be under three years of post-prison supervision upon release. The city of Portland is still determining whether he will owe restitution payments for the damage caused by the June 26 dumpster fire.





THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Related Stories

Downtown Portland: How will we know it’s back?

How do you measure the challenge facing downtown? And what does recovery look like? Because from street corners to office towers, everyone who interacts with downtown Portland has their own way to gauge its health.