(THE DALLES, Ore.) – Today, Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis announced that Jeremy Lee Anderson (50) received a hundred (100) month sentence from Judge Marion Weatherford following a plea to Kidnapping in the First Degree, Assault in the First Degree, and Burglary in the First Degree. Under Ballot Measure 11, ninety (90) months of the sentence must be served day for day.
The pleas came on November 1, 2023 during the second day of of a jury trial, resolving the matter, instead of sending it to the jury for a verdict. Anderson was sentenced the same day.
The home invasion occurred at Donald (Donnie) Lewis’s home in The Dalles, on January 22, 2021. Anderson was one of two men that forced their way into Donnie’s house while he was home, pistol-whipped and beat him. They then hog-tied him, while they removed his safe and valuables from the back bedrooms, and kicked him numerous times. The men took over a hundred thousand dollars in cash, valuable coins, and jewelry. They left him alone on the floor with his injuries. He would not have been able to call for help, but for managing to get a knife out of a dresser drawer and cut himself free, before running to a neighbor’s house. The men then drove back to Portland where they cracked into Donnie’s safe.
At this time, three defendants have been found guilty in the home invasion. In addition to Anderson, Christian Dlouhy has pled guilty and sentenced for the Solicitation of Burglary concerning Lewis’s home. Christopher Jaha has pled guilty to Robbery in the Second Degree, Burglary in the First Degree, and Assault in the Third Degree for his role as the driver in the incident. Jaha is pending sentencing after taking a deal with the State to testify against his co-defendants at grand jury and trial. Jason McCollum is the other co-defendant alleged to have gone into the home. McCollum is currently in federal custody on other charges, and his Wasco County trial is scheduled to begin in December.
The investigation in this matter has been a team effort in its intensity, length, and complicity. The Dalles City Police, Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team, Oregon State Police Crime Lab, along with the Wasco County District Attorney’s Office have all played a role. The District Attorney’s Office would like to give particular recognition to Sergeant Detective Austin Ell, former Detective Joey Lick, and Sergeant Koji Nagamatsu for their incredible work in this investigation.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court placed Anderson on thirty-six (36) months of post-prison supervision. If he violates conditions put in place by his post-prison supervisor, he could receive further sanctions in the future.
Following the conviction and sentence, Donnie Lewis commented today that he finally slept through the night. Letters of support for Donnie can be dropped off at the District Attorney’s Victim Advocacy Office on the main floor of the Wasco County Courthouse or at The Dalles City Police Station.
This case was handled by District Attorney Ellis.
No additional information is available for release at this time.
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