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2B | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2022 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Sentence handed down for spraying mace at officers Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A Portland man has been sentenced to just over a year in prison for spraying mace at Salem Police officers during a riot at the Oregon State Capitol in late 2020, making him among the last of more than 30 people sentenced for crimes committed during protests and riots after the death of George Floyd and the election loss of Donald Trump. Chandler Pappas, 28, pleaded guilty Feb. 22 to three counts of first-degree unlawful use of mace. Pappas was one of a dozen defendants indicted for crimes committed during the protest decrying COVID-19-related closures while the Oregon Legislature was in ses- sion on Dec. 21 — and the last of six sen- tenced for actions that occurred at or near the west-facing door opened by former Republican Rep. Mike Nearman, according to Marion County Deputy District Attorney Keir Boettcher. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Courtland Geyer also ordered Pappas to serve three years of probation and have no contact with victims, co-defendants and the state Capitol, Boettcher stated in a press release last week. Pappas is one of the defendants who were arrested and charged with crimes committed during multiple protests that began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. For nearly a year, the Capitol — and various loca- tions throughout Salem — were subject- ed to protests and rallies around various issues including policing, social justice issues, vaccine requirements, mask mandates and the 2020 presidential election. The initial protests spurred by Floyd's murder marked the first time the city instituted a curfew and used tear gas on residents. Some protesters also pointed to a difference in the way police treated protesters versus militia groups in downtown Salem. Salem Police De- partment arrested 14 people involved in the protests on charges of riot and inter- fering with a peace officer on May 31 and June 1, but officials with the Marion County District Attorney's Office dis- missed the charges in order to serve the "interests of justice." Pappas sprays 6 Salem Police officers with mace On Dec. 21, 2020, rioters broke glass doors on the west side of the Capitol building, tore tarps from the marble re- liefs on the front steps, and engaged in a brief standoff with police officers while trying to storm the Capitol, which was closed to the public during the one-day special session. An estimated 100 to 200 individuals were in attendance at the six-hour rally, which became increasingly violent, Boettcher wrote. Two reporters were attacked, and bear spray was used against police. Investigators later found that Near- man, who represented parts of Polk County, had opened a side door to allow protesters to enter the building. He was expelled from the House last June. Before the protest, Pappas shared a post on his Twitter account inviting fol- lowers to a “non-permitted flash mob” at the Capitol during the live special ses- sion that was set to begin on Dec. 21, Boettcher said. After the side door was opened, Ore- gon State Police and Salem Police De- A woman pepper-sprays live-streamer Joe Smothers after he was assaulted during an American Lives Matter, pro-Trump rally at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL partment officials, who were stationed inside the Capitol, were met with a crowd of protesters attempting to flood the building. The Salem Police Department Mobile Response Team (MRT) arrived shortly thereafter to help. Boettcher said Pap- pas drew a can of mace, or a similar damaging chemical agent, and sprayed six Salem Police officers in the body and face, causing brief incapacitation and pain. After Pappas’ attack, two additional protesters sprayed the same line of MRT officers with bear mace. Video footage showed Pappas retreat back into the crowd after spraying the officers. "The increased violence that fol- lowed Pappas’ attack required law en- forcement to retreat into the Capitol and secure interior doors to prevent Pappas and others from further entering the Capitol and endangering state legisla- tors," Boettcher wrote. Pappas later made his way into the building armed with what looked like an AK-47-type firearm and began to "taunt" police by kicking the interior doors, Boettcher stated. Officials said he also appeared to be wearing body armor. Pappas repeatedly rattled the interior doors until they opened and advanced on law enforcement without a firearm. Two other individuals who came through the doors threw items that ulti- mately struck one member of the MRT. Police ultimately forced Pappas out of the Capitol. In total, six defendants were arrest- ed, charged, and sentenced for crimes including riot, unlawful use of mace, ha- rassment and assaulting a public safety officer for their violent acts on Dec, 21, 2020. "This sentence today closes an em- barrassing and disgraceful chapter in our state’s history," Marion County Dis- trict Attorney Paige Clarkson said in a statement last week. "I am pleased that Judge Geyer held this defendant ac- Chandler Pappas, a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, is seen facing off with Salem Police after breaching the Oregon State Capitol with a group of anti-lockdown protesters on Dec. 21, 2020. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL countable for his violence toward our law enforcement officers. I am grateful to the officers from both the Salem Po- lice Department and the Oregon State Police who willingly put their own per- sonal safety on the line to protect our Capitol and our community.” Status of individuals arrested during protests between 2020 and 2021 The following are case statuses for individuals who were arrested during protests in 2020 and 2021. The names of individuals were publically released by Salem Police Department and the Ore- gon State Police at the time of the arrest. The Statesman Journal has kept track of the individuals' case statuses. Seven individuals who were arrested during protests and publically identified by law enforcement officials have case statuses that are unclear. Event: Labor Day protest 2020, Oregon State Capitol grounds Magen Marie Stevens, 37, of Salem. h Status: Pleaded guilty to second- degree use of mace/tear gas March 9. Fourth-degree assault charge dropped. Sentenced to a 1 and 1/2 years bench probation. Trenton Wolfskill, 38, of Eugene. h Status: Pleaded guilty to third-de- gree robbery April 7. Sentenced to 15 days in county jail and two years super- vised probation, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Ty Anthony Parker, 54, of Sandy. h Status: Pleaded no contest to first- See RIOT, Page 3B ‘Battling river dinosaurs’ Pruning Continued from Page 1B pruning later. It’s best to establish a structure that will keep the tree beau- tiful and strong – strong enough to survive a wind or ice storm. Pruning may take longer with an overgrown tree because no more than a third of the branches should be taken out at once. But when it comes time – or past time – to pick up a tool and approach an overgrown tree, people are intimi- dated by the idea, Sanchez said. They don’t want to make mistakes that cost the tree in the long run. In that case, it’s time to call an arborist. “I hope we helped fulfill the role of giving people the opportunity to see what pros are thinking about and what they use as far as tools and technique,” Bellom said. “We wanted to give advice to homeowners about proper pruning practices, how to prune, when and when not to prune.” For those who want a more in-depth look at the principals of pruning take a look at “Pruning Basics for Trees and Shrubs“ by Amy Jo Detweiler, OSU Ex- tension horticulturist in central Ore- gon. About the OSU Extension Servi- ce: The Oregon State University Exten- sion Service shares research-based knowledge with people and communi- ties in Oregon’s 36 counties. OSU Ex- tension addresses issues that matter to urban and rural Oregonians. OSU Ex- tension’s partnerships and programs contribute to a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for Oregon. Catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon at Willamette Falls Henry Hughes Special to the Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK “Incredible,” Charles says over the misty white roar as we idle my 16-foot skiff below Willamette Falls in Oregon City. Just south of Portland, 26 miles above its confluence with the Colum- bia River, the Willamette thunders over mossy basalt and crumbling con- crete. It’s America’s second-largest wa- terfall and once the region’s center for hydropower and industry, but only one revived paper mill still turns. What re- mains are ghostly buildings and a rusty steampunk circus of pipes, steel beams and acid tanks. Also remaining are major runs of chinook and coho salmon, and the breeding grounds for thousands of lamprey, shad and white sturgeon. Twenty feet from our boat, the gray fuselage of a sturgeon — easi- ly 5 feet long — rockets out of the wa- ter. “Amazing,” Charles says. “How do we do this?” Charles Rangeley-Wilson is visiting from Norfolk, England. He’s a re- nowned fly angler and author, and all week we’ve been drifting streams chasing trout and a few unwilling salmon. But today things get heavy. Downriver a half-mile, we find a 100- Western Oregon University professor Henry Hughes fishes for sturgeon in the Willamette River near Willamette Falls. foot trench and drop a 30-pound rocker anchor, cleating the line and securing it to a big red buoy. We also run the trolling engine in reverse to get a steady, straight hold. “You don’t want your baits swing- ing around for sturgeon,” I explain to Charles. “Really?” he questions, as another le- viathan arches its armor-studded back out of the water. “They seem quite frisky for bottom feeders.” A bit too excited for our own good, we rig up with 80-pound braid, 6-ounce sinkers and 6/0 barbless hooks. Charles loves casting dry flies to rising trout on chalk streams, but today he drives the big hook through a bloody pound of cut shad and plumbs the murky wash. With the baits resting on the bottom and the rods in their holders, we wait and talk. It’s a mild, early-October day. Steller sea lions bark from the docks, and trucks rumble over the Highway 43 bridge. Charles has fished all over the world for dozens of species, but he’s never pursued sturgeon. “They’re quite See STURGEON, Page 3B