June 15, 2021
Contact:
Brent Weisberg, Communications Director
Click here to download a copy of the District Attorney’s video statement on this case.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a grand jury indicted Portland Police Officer Corey Budworth with one count of Assault in the Fourth Degree for alleged criminal conduct that occurred during a protest.
It is alleged that PPB Officer Budworth unlawfully caused physical injury to another person on August 18, 2020.
Under Oregon law, physical injury means impairment of physical condition or substantial pain.
The indictment in State v. Corey Budworth stems from criminal conduct that is alleged to have occurred on August 18, 2020 near the Multnomah Building, located in the 500 block of Southeast Hawthorne Street in Portland, Oregon.
At the time of this alleged incident, PPB Officer Budworth was assigned to the PPB Rapid Response Team.
The identity of the complainant/victim was unknown to both law enforcement and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office until a civil lawsuit was filed on September 23, 2020 in U.S. District Court.
District Attorney Mike Schmidt released the following video statement:
“Earlier this afternoon, my office filed a criminal assault charge against Portland Police Officer Corey Budworth stemming from what we allege to be an excessive and unlawful use of force on August 18, 2020 during a political protest. I want to start by thanking and acknowledging the Portland Police Bureau for their dedicated work on this investigation into one of their own. I further want to thank the many members of the Portland Police Bureau who have showed up night after night in response to civil demonstrations that have at times turned violent. Despite these pressures, these law enforcement professionals remained professional, and their actions lawful.
But when that line is crossed, and a police officer’s use of force is excessive and lacks a justification under the law, the integrity of our criminal justice system requires that we, as prosecutors, act as a mechanism for accountability. Public trust requires nothing less. In this case, we allege that no legal justification existed for Officer Budworth’s deployment of force, and that the deployment of force was legally excessive under the circumstances. My office will continue to do everything we can to ensure justice is done without error or delay and that we make sure our work and practices are rooted in fairness and equity.
It is important to emphasize that Officer Budworth is innocent until proven guilty and is entitled to the same degree of due process as any other person who is charged by my office.”
No arraignment date is currently scheduled in State v. Corey Budworth.
Under state law, the recordings of the grand jury proceedings in State v. Corey Budworth cannot be released, nor can any of the police reports associated with this case.
A charging document is only an accusation of a crime. PPB Officer Budworth is innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and the Oregon Department of Justice continue to investigate other cases of potential criminal conduct involving police use-of-force that occurred in 2020 during instances of civil unrest. No additional information on these investigations can be provided.
Media interested in scheduling a short interview with District Attorney Mike Schmidt should email Brent.Weisberg@nullmcda.us
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