Man sentenced in assault case

“The sentence in this case is unique,” said Nisley.

The prison sentence resulted from the defendant causing serious injury to Rachel Burke in a car crash Dec. 1. The 25-year PSRB sentence is the result of the defendant killing three other people in the case.

According to reports, Verhaeghe was driving his Chevy Malibu on Highway 26 near milepost 65 at a speed of 105 miles per hour when he crashed into the back of Adam Clausen and Shannon O’Leary’s vehicle.

The crash caused Clausen and O’Leary’s vehicle to collide head-on into Robert and Rachel Burke’s vehicle.

Clausen, 37, O’Leary, 39, both of Portland, and Robert Burke, 34, of Reno, Nev., died at the scene.

Nisley said Rachel Burke, then 29, suffered serious injuries that she continues to recover from. He credited properly-fitted child safety seats for the survival of O’Leary and Clausen’s young son, then 4, and Rachel and Robert Burke’s son, who was 22 months.

During the crash, Nisley said the defendant suffered minor injuries when his car rolled over after striking an embankment.

“There was no indication of consumption of intoxicants by the defendant or anyone else involved in the accident,” stated Nisley in a Friday press release.

He said the speed of the defendant’s vehicle at the time of the crash was calculated by Senior Trooper Clint Prevett of the Oregon State Police.

Prevett, a trained crash reconstructionist, calculated the speed using data from the air bag control module, also known as a “black box.”

Nisley said the state and victims wanted accountability for the senseless deaths of three young parents and to ensure public safety.

He said all parties believed that having Verhaeghe supervised for two and a half decades met those goals.

“It is impossible to express in words the grief this young man created by his reckless and irresponsible conduct,” he said.

The defendant had no prior criminal history and suffered from bi-polar disorder at the time of the incident. He expressed remorse for his conduct and recognized that he needed to take medication to treat his disease, said Nisley.

Verhaeghe spent several months at the Oregon State Hospital undergoing a mental evaluation after his arrest.

“It’s good to get this case resolved in the way we have resolved it,” said Nisley. “I think it was a fair resolution and the victims were satisfied, and I hope the defendant was satisfied as well. It’s been about a year and the sentencing was a very emotional day.”

Last week, Nisley reported that Zoey Pike, 21, had been sentenced to 99 months in prison for killing Nathan Preyapongpison in January of 2017. Both men were 20 at the time of the murder.

Pike was arrested Jan. 26 after police were called to an apartment on Liberty Street in the Dalles. He had reportedly been in a fight with Preyapongpison when the stabbing occurred.

Even as the two death cases get filed away, a new case file is sitting on Nisley’s desk.

On Dec. 2, John William Dames, Sr., 76, reported to the emergency dispatch center that he had shot and killed his son during a domestic dispute.

The Pine Grove man said the incident had occurred at the family home. He then put away his gun and waited for Wasco County Sheriff’s deputies to arrive.

Found dead at the scene was John William Dames, Jr., 40.

An autopsy performed the next day determined that he had died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Nisley said Dames, Jr., had alcohol in his system at the time of his death. Dames, Sr., a Marine veteran and retired police officer, was treated for injuries at Mid-Columbia Medical Center and transported to a care facility in another location.

On Monday, Nisley said the wife of Dames, Sr., mother of the victim, is in fragile health and has been placed at a care center in Maupin.

He said the evidence being gathered by the Major Crimes Team, including detectives from the sheriff’s office, Oregon State Police and The Dalles Police Department, will be presented to a grand jury later this month.

The grand jury will decide whether Dames, Sr., should face prosecution for taking the life of his son. Nisley said Dames, Sr., does not suffer from dementia or any other known mental condition. He said the shooting was an isolated incident and the public was in no danger.

Also still awaiting adjudication is the case involving Garrett Jack Brennan, 25, who allegedly stabbed his grandmother, Charlene Caldwell, 71, to death March 16 at his apartment in The Dalles.

He has been undergoing a mental evaluation to determine if he has the capacity to stand trial.

A family member spoke to a Chronicle reporter following Caldwell’s death. She said Brennan had been struggling for years with schizophrenia that had, at times, led him to be institutionalized.

“We’re just extremely busy and it seems like every time we finish a case, another one pops up,” said Nisley.