Defeated Oregon District Attorney Seeks Release of 8 Violent Offenders Before Leaving Office

Multnomah County, Soft on Crime, District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who was voted out of office on Election Day, petitioned an Oregon judge on Monday to reconsider the sentences of eight individuals – which could result in reduced charges and see the convicts freed from prison.    

“These have all the appearance of a last-minute giveaway,” Multnomah County District Attorney-elect Nathan Vasquez, the Republican-turned-independent who defeated Schmidt, told the outlet. 

“They’re extremely violent individuals who have committed horrible crimes, and they’re being given some kind of a break,” added Vasquez, who starts his term on Jan. 6. 

Frank Swopes, Jr.

Frank Swopes Jr., who was convicted of felony murder for the death of 75-year-old Jean Stevenson during a December 1993 home invasion, is among the violent offenders Schmidt is seeking to free. 

Swopes Jr., 62, went on to commit another violent crime just a week after his accomplice killed Stevenson by pushing her on the floor during the robbery. 

In the second robbery, Swopes Jr. tied a 76-year-old woman to her bed, “terrorized” her and “touched her sexually” after breaking into her home, according to court documents reviewed by Oregon Live.  

The elderly victim also indicated that she believed Swopes Jr. “either urinated or ejaculated on her” during the home invasion. 

Swopes Jr. has served 32 years of a 35-year prison sentence for his crimes.  

Shane Ebberts

Shane Ebberts, who pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree assault and second-degree assault for bludgeoning a college student in 1995, has already served his 7-½ year sentence but is also on Schmidt’s list. 

The DA’s office is seeking to allow Ebberts, who was 17 years old when convicted, to withdraw his guilty pleas and enter a new guilty plea to a lesser charge of attempted second-degree assault.

The move, if approved by a judge, would allow Ebberts to have the crime expunged from his record . . . 

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More about Mike Schmidt-

Portland’s progressive district attorney, Mike Schmidt, was been defeated in his bid for reelection by one of his deputies, who styled himself as being tougher on crime in November 2024.  

The New District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, a prosecutor in Multnomah County since 2001, made public safety a key component of his campaign for office. “We must take lawless behavior seriously and enforce our laws,” his campaign platform said. “Even ‘petty’ crimes, like theft, vandalism, and littering, public use of illicit drugs and public highs, all contribute to the overall feeling of safety and wellbeing of a community.”

Last month, Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed legislation re-criminalizing the possession of certain drugs, roughly three years after the state became the first in the nation to decriminalize the possession and personal use of all drugs.

The shakeup in Portland comes as public safety issues have driven prosecutor races in other West Coast cities in recent years.

Voters in San Francisco recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022 amid concern that he was advancing progressive policies as a national criminal justice reform advocate at the cost of their safety, and in 2021, voters in Seattle elected Ann Davison, a Republican, as city attorney over a challenger who had called for abolishing jails and police, CNN affiliate KIRO reported.

In Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascón survived two recall efforts, but lost by over 20 points in his bid for election in November.

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