HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — The man who was shot to death in North Plains late Tuesday afternoon is a 39-year-old man who legally changed his name after killing a Washington County K-9.
Michael Zven Arch — whose previous name was Reiner Schmolling — died after being shot multiple times at a home in the 16000 block of Dairy Creek Road outside North Plains.
When deputies arrived, they found Arch outside and attempted life-saving measures, but he died at the scene. It’s unclear if he lived in the house where the shooting happened.
Arch — then known as Schmolling — killed a Washington County K9 in 1997. It is not clear at this time exactly when he changed his name.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed his identity for KOIN 6 News on Wednesday.
“We are still actively searching for a suspect,” Jeff Talbot with the sheriff’s office said. Investigators do not believe there is any danger to the public.
His previous run-ins with the law
Schmolling shot a detective and killed a Hillsboro PD K9 in 1997. On New Year’s Eve 2015 he was arrested after allegedly hitting a gas station attendant with a stolen motorhome as he pulled out without paying.
Schmolling allegedly stopped at the ARCO station on NW Glencoe Road around 8:15 p.m. that night and left without paying the $40 tab. The attendant’s hand was injured when the motorhome — stolen earlier in the week — pulled away.
Deputies learned another witness was following the motorhome, and Schmolling allegedly backed the motorhome into the witness’s Porsche to prevent him from following on NW Dairy Creek Road.
A trooper and K9 saw the motorhome speeding down the road. Schmolling pulled over and ran into the woods along with a woman passenger.
The K9 found them both.
The woman was not far from the motorhome and Schmolling was hiding in a wooded area behind a fallen tree about 25 minutes later.
In August 2015, Schmolling was arrested after getting into a fight with another man.
The K9 he killed in 1997, Hondo, was honored by Hillsboro when the city’s first off-leash dog park was named in his honor.
Filed under: Crime, Editor's Pick, Headlines, Washington County
