A federal grand jury in Portland has returned an indictment charging a Tigard, Oregon man with threatening a mass shooting at a local elementary school.
Brandon Richard Riess, 26, has been charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, on May 15, 2022, Riess submitted to a federal agency multiple electronic messages threatening a mass shooting at a Portland area elementary school. A federal agency alerted Sherwood police after it received threats from Mr. Riess via its website threatening to shoot children at a particular Sherwood elementary school before killing himself. On May 16, 2022, law enforcement arrested Riess at his apartment in Tigard. Prior to his arrest, Riess admitted to sending the threatening messages and owning a pistol that was taken away several years earlier by his parents.
Riess made his initial appearance in federal court today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You. He was arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and ordered detained pending a three-day jury trial scheduled to begin on August 16. 2022.
If convicted, Riess faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
Riess also faces six counts of disorderly conduct in Washington County Circuit Court.
Administrators and parents of the affected elementary school have been notified of Riess’s arrest. No known active threat exists.
Oregon law does not provide adequate means to address threats of mass violence to public places such as schools or places of worship. According to the DA’s Office, District Attorney Kevin Barton is actively working with multiple state legislators to remedy the issue. In 2020, DA Barton collaborated with lawmakers to craft HB 4145 which sought to address this gap in Oregon law. However, despite broad support, that bill did not pass.
“This office continues to advocate for the legislature to address the problem and to ensure we have the public safety tools needed to keep our communities safe,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
