Robberies in the Mid-county area on rise due to drug

addiction, the poor economy, and 9-11 terrorist attacks

 

Violent crimes on the increase in Mid-county as more people become desperate

 

Sean P. Nelson

THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

 

Drug addiction tragically ended the life of a man fleeing reserve Portland Police Officers on Dec. 9 as they shot and killed him during a robbery at the Village Inn at 10301 SE. Stark. Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Reserve Officers Mike Glass and John Wood were unharmed after shooting 18-year-old Daniel Matthew Cromb at about 6:49 p.m., said Homicide Assault Detail Sgt. Ed Brumfield.

“The suspect entered the location, displayed a handgun from his waistband and demanded money from the till,” said Robbery Detail Sgt. John Cordell. The boy was responsible for The Village Inn and several other robberies although police hadn’t issued a warrant for his arrest at the time of the incident,” Cordell said.

The veteran Supervisor of six PPB Robbery Detectives arrived on the scene of the crime shortly after the shooting and determined Cromb’s motive quickly. “I made contact with a witness who said Dan used heroin,” he said. The witness, a family friend, said Cromb and his father argued about his kicking the heroin habit—to no avail. “Drug use was the motivation behind this robbery,” Cordell said.

Though this case appears solved, another robbery last month at Bill’s Steakhouse 10227 NE. Sandy Blvd. has investigators still seeking information. “A different individual is now in custody, but the case investigation is not complete so his identity has not been released”, Sgt. Cordell said. This suspect is also under suspicion of being involved in other robberies in the area. Those with more information on this case should contact Det. Anthony Christiansen, Cordell said.

Another suspect is also still at large who held up the Wells Fargo Bank at 4233 NE. Sandy Blvd. on Jan. 8 at 3:12 p.m. He is described as a white male, 35, with a medium build. Since the FBI investigates bank robberies, those with more information should call the Portland office of the FBI at (503) 224-4181.

An additional robbery suspect still at large held up the Walgreen’s Drug Store at 3 NE. 82nd on Jan. 7 at 7:20 p.m., Cordell said. He is described as a white male, 20 years old who is about 5 feet tall, weighs 180 lbs., and is armed with a handgun.

A masked man still on the run held up the Powellhurst Tavern at 12344 SE. Powell on Jan 4 at 1:38 am.

“The suspect entered the bar, approached the (bartender) and told her to put the money in the bag. He wore a mask and is a white male, 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighed 170 lbs. He made the bartender go into the bathroom and left,” Cordell said.

Why have so many recent robberies occurred? “I believe that things have increased since Sept. 11,” Cordell said.

“I say that because to me, in looking at the number of hours my detectives are working, called out for investigations and overtime expenses, I see an escalation.”

He also speculates the recession in general may have caused the increase in activity. “Robberies seem to increase when there’s a lot of activity or news in our society,” Cordell said. He has noticed this increase in both Portland and the Tri-County area. For example there were 153 robberies reported to the PPB data system in the month of December, 2001.

Divided by Precinct, Central Precinct had 25, East Precinct had 39, Northeast Precinct had 27, North Precinct had 16 and Southeast Precinct had 26, Cordell said. Robberies are divided into 5 categories for the purposes of the PPB: Residential Robberies, Commercial Robberies, Street Robberies, Purse Snatches, and Carjackings.

In December, statistics for East Precinct not including carjackings showed 39 robberies. Of these 6 were residential robberies, 12 were commercial robberies, 10 were street robberies and 4 were purse snatches. So businesses were the most frequent type of robberies in the Mid-county Memo’s coverage area in December, Cordell said.