I was interviewed earlier today by KGW about the local case involving a Portland couple who, while "role playing" on Valentine's Day evening, ended up attracting the attention of nine(!) police cars. The role playing involved gagging her with duct tape and putting her, naked, into the truck of the car while they drove around. Neighbors and a store manager called 911 . . . .
The couple was initially charged with disorderly conduct, but at the arraignment today, that was reduced to a violation, which they pleaded guilty to.
That seems about right to me. This doesn't seem like the kind of case that should result in any kind of serious prosecution, not even a misdemeanor. It was consensual, and no one was hurt, nor even intended to be hurt. (Of course, the nine police units were unable to respond to other calls during the time they were tied up, so there were collateral effects on others.)
Still, I think it's undeniable that the neighbors and the store manager acted entirely appropriately. I remember a case once where two defendants carjacked a couple, locking the male in the trunk, and repeatedly raping the woman in the backseat. They then drove to a convenience store, and both defendants got out of the car. The woman had the presence of mind to drive away, which was a good thing since she and her boyfriend might well have been killed otherwise. This could have been a really frightening and horrific situation. Calling the police was the right thing to do.
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