Crime
85-Year-Old ‘Hero’ Thwarted Attempted Kidnapping In Oregon, Authorities Say
An Oregon man is facing charges for allegedly posing as a utility worker in an effort to kidnap a woman, after he was thwarted by an elderly bystander, authorities said.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said 42-year-old Matthew Hokulii Aranda, described as a transient, was indicted by a Jackson County grand jury last week on two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree attempted kidnapping, second-degree attempted kidnapping, two counts of stalking, unlawful use of a global positioning system device, unlawful use of a weapon, and menacing.
On May 8, Aranda allegedly disguised himself as a utility worker then laid in wait for “several hours” while the 25-year-old victim worked as a caregiver at a mobile home park on the 3900 block of South Stage Road in rural Medford. When she emerged, he allegedly used a Taser to “incapacitate and physically attack her,” the sheriff’s office said.
That’s when an “85-year-old hero” heard the victim screaming and confronted the suspect, allowing her to escape to her vehicle.
Aranda allegedly Tased the elderly good Samaritan then chased the victim with a large hunting knife. She managed to get inside her car safely, but Aranda allegedly jumped onto the hood of her vehicle. She drove away, causing Aranda to fell off the vehicle, sustaining injuries.
Body-worn camera video shared by the sheriff’s office shows deputies and a K-9 locating Aranda hiding in some nearby bushes and taking him into custody.
Authorities say Aranda previously served six years in prison following a 2016 conviction for delivering a controlled substance to a minor; using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct; and stalking. Charges of first-degree rape, sexual abuse, encouraging child sexual abuse, and coercion were dropped as part of the final plea deal.
The sheriff’s office said it was assisted in the current case by Oregon State Police, the Medford Police Department, and the Jacksonville Police Department, and that the investigation remains ongoing.
