4 Oregon Teens Charged With Carving Swastika in Man’s Forehead
Four Portland teenagers have been charged with luring another teen into a shed, hitting him with a crowbar, shooting him with a BB gun, forcing him to eat cat feces and carving a swastika on his forehead, court documents provided on Friday revealed.
The documents indicated the victim in the case, Dustyn Murrain, was lured to the shed earlier this month by a girl and then attacked by the other teens.
When Murrain, 15, asked what they wanted, the four told him money and a skateboard, the documents showed. They allowed him to leave to get the money and skateboard, but he fled instead to a nearby auto shop, where employees called police.
Jenna Montgomery and Blue Kalmbach, both 15, and Jess Taylor, 17, were charged on Wednesday with assault, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and robbery in connection with the Feb. 10 incident, authorities said. They were being held on nearly $3 million bail each.
The three will be tried as adults, while a 14-year-old boy also accused in the case is being charged in juvenile court.
Montgomery told police she was used as “bait” to lure Murrain to the shed.
Although some reports have said the swastika indicated the four teens were white supremacists, Portland Police Bureau Sergeant Pete Simpson said on Friday that does not appear to be the case, although he did not elaborate.
“We are continuing to work with the victim and his family to make sure that his recovery goes smoothly,” Simpson said.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
