After release from jail, man detained in lobby by person in ‘Federal Agent’ vest

A person wearing a vest that appeared to read “POLICE Federal Agent” walked into the Lane County Jail’s public lobby Oct. 15 and detained a man recently released from jail, according to an internal sheriff’s office report.

“The person in the ballistic vest took the AIC to the ground,” the report reads, using an acronym for Adult In Custody, “scuffling with him for a short time before escorting him out the front doors in handcuffs.”

The report titled “Lobby Incident” refers to how “an AIC we had recently released looked to be in handcuffs.” Video showed another recently released person detained in the jail’s courtyard, the report also states.

The Eugene Register-Guard first reported on the sheriff’s office memo.

Sgt. Tim Wallace, a sheriff’s office spokesman, declined to release the names of those observed to be detained in public areas of the jail.

But Wallace said it was his understanding that the two men detained are part of a suspected burglary ring targeting Asian American households. Eugene police announced the arrest of seven suspects on Oct. 10, with all but one having since posted a security bond for their release from Lane County Jail, according to court and jail records.

Lane County District Attorney Christopher Parosa said Wednesday before the sheriff’s office released the “Lobby Incident” report that he had heard rumors of a burglary suspect being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after posting a security bond. Parosa said, however, that ICE does not inform his office of its immigration enforcement activity.

Wallace, asked if there have been similar jail incidents, said in an email Wednesday that “these circumstances are unique, to our knowledge.”

Sheriff Carl Wilkerson has said the sheriff’s office does not assist ICE with immigration enforcement. Under state law, local and state law enforcement agencies are generally prohibited from doing so.

The report said no one previously had called seeking information about the person’s release date.

The “Lobby Incident” memo, provided to Lookout Eugene-Springfield by the sheriff’s office, states that the person in the vest and another person in plain clothes escorted the man outside before a jail sergeant could arrive.

Another detention

The sheriff’s office report also noted that video showed what appeared to be another person detained.

“During the review of the video, it was noticed that another individual who was released a
few minutes earlier was approached by the same individuals in the ballistic vest and plain
clothes in the courtyard in front of the jail,” the report states. “After speaking with the recently released individual, they placed that individual into handcuffs.”

A second person in plain clothes led the man away, out of camera view, the report says.

Lobby scuffle

After that detention, the person in the “POLICE” vest and the person in plain clothes entered the lobby after it had closed, according to the report. It states that two attorneys exited shortly after 5 p.m., the time the doors are locked.

“Our lobby doors are secured everyday at 1700 hours, so both attorneys had to wait for Central Control to open the doors. When the first attorney … left, the person in plain clothes caught the door, and entered the lobby holding the door open for the other person wearing the ballistic vest,” the report states.

The name of the attorney is redacted, and the report does not name the people detained after their jail release.

The report describes an attempt by the man in the lobby to run away before being detained.

“They approached the newly released AIC and attempted to place handcuffs on him. He quickly sprinted away from them for the front doors. The lobby doors were still secure, so he ran into the doors, nearly colliding with the female attorney waiting to leave,” the report states.