Police are searching for Ty Anthony Sage, a 26-year-old murder suspect who deputies mistakenly released Monday from the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Acquired
Police are searching for Ty Anthony Sage, a 26-year-old murder suspect who deputies mistakenly released Monday from the Multnomah County Detention Center.
During a news conference Wednesday, Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said the agency was investigating how Sage was able to post bail.
“That should not have happened,” Morrisey O’Donnell said. “I am deeply committed to public safety and it is unacceptable that this occurred. Again, this is a mistake and we take full responsibility for that.”
The sheriff said her office was working with law enforcement from across the state to try and find Sage.
“It’s important if Sage hears this information, he turn himself in,” Morrisey O’Donnell said.
FILE - Seen here in a still from a livestreamed ceremony, Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell speaks at her swearing-in ceremony on January 4, 2023.
Jeff Thompson / OPB
Law enforcement arrested Sage in May and booked him into the Multnomah County jail after he was interviewed by detectives in Coos Bay.
A grand jury indicted Sage and Kevin Gustavo Rivas-Ramirez with second degree murder and robbery.
According to court records, around 3:06 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2021, Gresham Police responded to shots fired at the Columbia Trails apartment complex.
When they arrived, Rivas-Ramirez was bleeding and 15-year-old Lowgunn Ivey was dead.
During an interview this spring, Sage admitted to detectives that they planned to rob Ivey, but according to court records, he said “it was never supposed to go down like that.”
Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Madeline Loeb argued in court records that Sage “acted intentionally in planning and executing the robbery and Lowgunn Ivey died as a result.”
Typically, people charged with murder are held in jail before trial over concerns about public safety.
Morrisey O’Donnell said she spoke to Ivey’s family and expressed remorse.
“I cannot imagine what they’re feeling right now reliving this incident,” the sheriff said.
Brent Weisberg, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said in a statement late Tuesday that deputies “acted in good faith” and attempted to “seek clarification from the judiciary” before Sage was released from custody. He said an initial release order included information “that indicated Sage’s bail had been set to $5,000.”
FILE - Exterior of Multnomah County Justice Center, in Portland, Ore., July, 2023.
Caden Perry / OPB
After Sage’s detention hearing last week, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Bryan Francesconi signed a bail order, dated Sept. 17, that clearly noted with a checked box “release is denied.”
But that same form included an unchecked box noting bail was reduced from $5,000. An amended order signed Monday is nearly identical but does not include dollar figures.
“I know there are still questions about the specifics about how this could have happened, and I share our community’s concern,” Morrisey O’Donnell said Wednesday. “We will get those answers in time. Our priority now is to find Sage.”
On Tuesday, Judge Francesconi issued a warrant for Sage’s arrest. He’s white, 5-foot-10-inch and 150 pounds. Sage has blond hair, blue eyes and several face tattoos.
Police have asked anyone with information to call 9-1-1.
