PORTLAND, Oregon — An alleged serial vandal accused of damaging more than a dozen Gresham businesses made an appearance in court on Monday.
Garret Fine, 25, was arrested Friday on felony vandalism charges, his fifth brush with law enforcement in two months. He’s accused of breaking windows at 14 different Gresham businesses since the end of June.
After his first few arrests, the court deemed Fine "low risk" for not showing up for his court dates and released him before he could be arraigned, but he failed to appear on the appointed day. After his fourth arrest, a judge did order that Fine be held in jail until his arraignment, but he was released again because there were no public defenders available to represent him.
For a few weeks after that last release in July, Fine seemed to have gone quiet. Then, on August 8, surveillance video at a Gresham business captured a man smashing windows with rocks. Gresham police identified the man as Fine and said that he'd smashed seven windows on businesses in the area of Northwest Eastman Parkway and 3rd Street.
During his arraignment in court on Monday, Fine pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of felony vandalism. His court-appointed attorney argued for supervised release, saying that Fine has a history of substance use but is now clean and sober, with access to a shelter where he can stay.
When Fine stood before the judge, the state did not hold back.
“(Fine has) frankly made a mockery of our justice system,” said a Multnomah County prosecutor. “Every time he's released he just simply goes back to breaking more windows and gets arrested and brought back.”
The judge set bail at $30,000. As of Monday evening, Fine remained in jail. He is due back in court on September 6.