PORTLAND, Oregon – Today Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that Jarl Judson Rockhill, 35, was arraigned today on two charges including Bias Crime in the Second Degree and Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree.
The charges stem from an incident on April 23, 2022. At 5 am that day, Rockhill allegedly put a Nazi propaganda sticker on the fence outside the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) in East Portland. IRCO serves the needs of Oregon’s immigrants, refugees, and mainstream community members. According to police reports the sticker was red with a male figure holding up his right arm in a Heil Hitler pose. The word “pure” is written above the figure’s head. Video surveillance captured Rockhill putting the sticker on as well as his vehicle and license plate which helped police identify him. Portland Police Bureau also uncovered a cache of firearms and additional Nazi propaganda.
Subsequent investigation determined that Rockhill’s online activity was associated with multiple white supremacist groups and photos of a tattoo on Rockhill’s forearm that the Anti-Defamation League identifies as a white supremacist symbol.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office was an active participant of the Oregon Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Task Force and helped draft the language that was in Senate Bill 577. The law, which went into effect on July 15, 2019, renamed the crime of “intimidation” to “bias crime,” added gender identity to the list of protected categories, and removed the requirement that two or more people commit the crime in order to make it a felony in certain circumstances.
Under Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, the office has developed and published a Bias Crimes Data Dashboard to raise awareness about bias crime and bias crime prosecution with the aim of reducing the occurrence of these crimes.
All potential bias crime cases, whether they are a felony or misdemeanor, are reviewed by the Violent Crimes Unit within the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. If a misdemeanor bias crime is issued, the felony-level attorney will retain the case.
If you are the victim of a bias crime assault or you are witnessing one, immediately call 9-1-1. If you are the victim of a bias crime and the suspect is no longer present or if you have information about a bias crime committed in the past, call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
A charging document is only an accusation of a crime. Rockhill is innocent unless and until proven guilty.