PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A man who was reportedly naked when he vandalized more than 40 homes and caused nearly $50,000 has been indicted by a Multnomah County grand jury.
Moyhijah Widger-Chongo was taken into custody August 4 after police went to the 1500 block of SE Holly after being called about a naked man turning on a water faucet. The 911 caller told police he believed the man was responsible for a string of incidents in the Ladd’s Addition neighborhood.
At the time he was arrested, PPB Sgt. Chris Burley said, “Investigators learned that at the beginning of July 2017, Widger-Chongo began turning on the exterior water faucets at homes in the Ladd’s Addition Neighborhood. Widger-Chongo would leave the water faucets running, which flooded basements of some homes.”
Widger-Chongo was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on 14 felony and misdemeanor crimes. This week, a Multnomah County grand jury handed up a 2-count indictment against Widger-Chongo: 1st-degree burglary and offensive littering.
The burglary charge stems from a crime in May in the 3800 block of SE Taggart. The littering charge is from when he was arrested August 4 when he allegedly got rid of “rubbish, trash, garbage, debris and other refuse” on land without the property owner’s permission and degraded the property.
When Portland police reviewed video evidence they said they saw Widger-Chongo causing more than $1,000 in damage to a house in the 1500 block of SE Maple. More video shows him crossing the 2000 block of SE Salmon and flooding the homeowner’s basement, a probable cause affadavit shows.
Police said Tuesday that they expect a separate grand jury will be convened to review the criminal mischief charges for the alleged flooding.
Filed under: Crime, Editor's Pick, Headlines, Multnomah County, Portland Tagged: Brent Weisberg
