29 dogs found in stabbing suspect’s home

OREGON -- More than two dozen dogs and a marijuana grow were discovered at the home of a stabbing suspect following an altercation and standoff in Southeast Portland Tuesday evening.

Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told KOIN 6 News that 48-year-old Gerald Mathews will be charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and felon in possession of a firearm.

Officials said Mathews stabbed a person during an altercation. Sources told KOIN that Mathews made statements to some of the first officers on scene that the victim was a burglary suspect. Investigators are looking into the possibility that an argument over drugs or video games may have played a role in the stabbing.

The stabbing was reported shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 3100 block of Southeast 26th Avenue. A neighbor called police after finding the victim bleeding in the middle of the road. Paramedics took the man to Oregon Health & Science University in critical condition. Detectives have not released his name.

Mathews barricaded himself inside a home and refused to cooperate with police. At times he taunted officers by yelling at them. At one point, he could be seen from at a window with bloody hands, sources said. Several nearby homes were evacuated.

Washington County Tactics Negotiation Team responded because Portland’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was out of town training.

 

Matthews was taken into custody sometime late Tuesday night following a nearly six-hour standoff.

Portland police confirmed Wednesday that officers found 29 chihuahuas inside the home, along with a marijuana grow was also found in the backyard. Multnomah County Animal Control was called in to remove the dogs from the home.
 

Detectives have questioned several potential witnesses. Portland police forensics officers were processing the crime scene.

Neighbors described Mathews as polite and friendly. Many said what unfolded Tuesday night was unexpected. He will likely be arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Thursday.

(KOIN - Sept 24, 2013)