GRESHAM, Ore. — A man accused of attacking another man with a hammer in Gresham early Friday morning has been arrested.
Jonathan Jones, 39, was taken into custody Friday night. Gresham police said Jones was caught at 160th Avenue and East Burnside Street.
Jones has been charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and interfering with peace officer.
The attack occurred just after 5 a.m. at the 7-Eleven at 1430 NE 181st Ave.
The victim, 37-year-old Paul Dovgan, was taken to the hospital with serious head injuries, according to Gresham police. There is no known connection or relationship between Jones and Dovgan, police said.
Dovgan's wife said he went to the 7-Eleven to get coffee, something he does regularly. Friday morning's trip almost was almost fatal, she said.
"He told me, 'I could've been gone today.' It was a pretty strong impact. It just cracked open his forehead. The bone is all broken up, so they had to put stitches and screws and plates to close it up," Natalie Dovgan said.
Natalie said the attack appeared to be unprovoked.
"As far as I know [Paul] did not say anything. They just walked in to get coffee and he didn't finish making his coffee. He just started making his coffee and this guy whacked him with a hammer," she said.
It's not the first time Jones has been accused of being involved in this type of attack. In 2011, Jones was accused of assaulting a man with a hammer at a Walmart parking lot. According to court documents, Jones went to prison as a result of that attack.
From 2011: Hammer victim though he was going to die
In a jailhouse interview following the 2011 assault, Jones told KGW he was high on meth and hearing voices in his head at the time of the attack.
The victim of the 2011 attack said Jones "was a bad person, very dangerous. We don't need him on the street."
Eight years later, Natalie Dovgan is saying the same thing.
"He was charged and sent to prison, but I don't know why he was out again walking on the streets repeating the same actions," Natalie said. "People like that, who commit a crime like this, need to be evaluated so they can't go out again into the public and commit the same things."
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Govgan family.