March 31, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A
Man linked to gun in Goodding’s killing gets 12 years
Jamie Lee Jones
apologizes for role
State Senate honors Jason Goodding
State memorial
ceremony to be
held in May
By Steven Dubois
Associated Press
PORTLAND — A fel-
on whose pistol was used in
the February 2016 slaying
of Seaside Police Sgt. Jason
Goodding was sentenced
Monday to 12 years in federal
prison.
Jamie Lee Jones, 45, apol-
ogized at the federal court-
house in downtown Portland,
saying never in his wildest
imagination did he think his
actions would play a role in
the killing.
“It’s a nightmare that
haunts me every day,” he said.
“My heart goes out to the
family, it truly does.”
Jones pleaded guilty in
December to gun-and-drug
charges not tied to Goodding’s
death. Other charges were dis-
missed in a plea agreement,
including allegations that he
threatened witnesses to keep
them from cooperating with
investigators after Goodding
was shot underneath his bal-
listic vest while trying to
make an arrest in downtown
Seaside.
Goodding’s fellow officer
returned fire, killing Phillip
Ferry, a 55-year-old transient
and drug user.
Investigators linked the
gun to Jones by happenstance
the following morning. Police
responded to Jones’ house on
a noise disturbance and no-
ticed a round of ammunition
on the ground. It was the same
brand used to kill Goodding.
Prosecutors said Ferry
stole the gun while Jones was
sleeping. When Jones awoke,
he became enraged after no-
ticing the pistol was gone, as
well as some methamphet-
amine. He punched a drug
customer and fired a gun in
the direction of several others.
Not an ‘excuse’
In seeking a sentence of
less than 12 years, defense at-
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
JOSHUA BESSEX/EO MEDIA GROUP
Seaside Police Chief Dave Ham hugs Sgt. Jason Goodding’s
wife, Amy, at Goodding’s memorial service last year.
Jamie Lee Jones
Sgt. Jason Goodding
torney Gerald Needham said
Jones had a rough childhood
that included an emotionally
distant father, a mother left
disabled by a suicide attempt
and the suicides of two grand-
parents.
“Not to say that this is an
excuse,” Needham said. “It’s
just information for this court
to make a proper judgment
about Mr. Jones.”
Moreover, Needham ar-
gued his client only had 20
grams of methamphetamine,
and the case might not have
reached federal court except
for the death of the police of-
ficer.
U.S. District Judge Mi-
chael Simon reminded Need-
ham that drug cases are
treated differently when they
include violence and felons in
possession of a firearm.
“I appreciate that you were
not the one that caused the
death of the heroic law-en-
forcement officer — not di-
rectly — but your possession
of a firearm did lead to the
death of Sgt. Goodding,” Si-
mon told the defendant.
Jones was born in Las
Vegas and has an extensive
criminal record in Nevada, in-
cluding convictions for grand
larceny auto, possession of a
stolen vehicle, possession of a
firearm by a felon, attempted
possession of stolen property
and escape.
After spending most of his
adult life in prison, he moved
The state Senate has
unanimously approved a
resolution recognizing and
honoring fallen Seaside Po-
lice Sgt. Jason Goodding
for his service to the state.
The resolution is spon-
sored by state Sen. Betsy
Johnson.
The resolution will go
to the state House of Rep-
resentatives before signing
by the governor, Seaside
Police Chief Dave Ham
said.
A law enforcement me-
morial road sign will be
placed in Goodding’s hon-
or and unveiled in May at
the Oregon Fallen Law En-
forcement Officer Memori-
al ceremony at the Oregon
Public Safety Academy.
Goodding, who was
shot and killed in the line
of duty in February 2016
while attempting to make
a felony warrant arrest on
Broadway in Seaside, was
recognized as “a mentor
and leader who worked to
improve the lives of home-
less people in Seaside and
to the Oregon Coast to get
a fresh start. Jones said he
found a job and was turning
his life around before relaps-
ing into his drug habit.
“As soon as I sprinkled
meth onto my dream, it be-
came a nightmare,” he said.
Seaside Police Chief Dave
Ham and other local law en-
forcement officials went to
Portland for the sentencing.
“It was a little bit of good
news for us in law enforce-
SUBMITTED PHOTO
State Senator Betsy Johnson with the father and step-
mother of fallen Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding,
Dean and Patty Goodding, after the Senate passed a
resolution honoring Sgt. Goodding and his sacrifice.
who was loved and respect-
ed by his co-workers and
the community he served.”
Goodding joined the
Seaside Police Department
in 2003. He was promoted
to sergeant in 2007. After
his death in the line of duty,
he was awarded the Law
Enforcement Medal of Ul-
timate Sacrifice, presented
to his wife and daughters
at the his memorial service
in Seaside by Gov. Kate
Brown.
The Senate resolution re-
calls Goodding’s “immense
smile and his generous na-
ture” and his “passion, ded-
ment,” Ham told the Seaside
City Council Monday night.
U.S. Attorney Billy J.
Williams thanked the federal
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives and
local law enforcement for
their work on the investiga-
tion.
“The tragic and senseless
death of Sgt. Goodding un-
derscores the very real danger
law enforcement officers face
every day while faithfully
ication and diligence” to his
role with police.
“It was an incredibly
moving day,” Johnson said
of the Senate’s reading.
Johnson, D-Scappoose,
said she shared the message
she delivered at last year’s
memorial for Goodding.
“It was a message I wanted
the Legislature to hear and
wanted the message in the
legislative record,” she said.
“Jason’s death is like a fresh
wound. You could hear a
pin drop in the chambers. It
was a well-deserved tribute.
But God, it must have been
difficult for the parents.”
serving their communities,”
Williams said in a statement.
“We owe a tremendous debt
of gratitude to Sgt. Goodding
for his service and his loved
ones for their incredible sacri-
fice. It is maddening to know
that criminals involved in
drug trafficking and the illegal
possession of firearms contin-
ue to present a danger to our
communities.”
R.J. Marx contributed to
this report.
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