SALEM, Ore. — A Salem man has been arrested for assaulting a woman at a popular south Salem park Monday afternoon, according to Salem Police Department.
David William Baynes Belluno, 27, of Salem was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a medical evaluation and clearance at Salem Health. He was placed at the Marion County Jail and is facing charges on attempted kidnapping, strangulation and assault in the 4th degree.
Around 5:20 p.m. on Monday, a woman reported that a man attacked her while running on a path through Minto-Brown Island Park in south Salem.
The woman said that the man followed her after she passed him. In an attempt to avoid high water, she took an alternative path. That is when the man reached out and attacked her, she told police — grabbing her by the throat and beginning to pull her away.
She fought back and was able to free herself, Salem police said. She ran to a safe location and called police for help.
When officers arrived on scene, they began searching the area for the suspect. During the search they received a 911 report of a man seeking assistance because he was stranded in a high-water area of the park, police said.
The man was rescued with help from a fire department water rescue crew and was transported to Salem Health. The woman was not hospitalized.
The rescued man was later identified as 27-year-old Belluno. Police determined that he was the suspect in the attack based on the description provided by the woman, according to police.
“The woman in this incident is an incredible person,” said Deputy Chief Jake Burke of the Criminal Investigations Section. “She was able to get away from the attacker and call for help. She is tenacious, and we’re glad she is safe.”
KGW looked up Belluno's criminal record and found that he was previously arrested on very similar charges back in 2018.
In September 2018, Salem police arrested Belluno after he knocked a woman down and dragged her into some bushes, wielding a knife. The victim said that he tried to rape her. Court documents indicate that Belluno was unable to aid and assist in his defense, and a judge dismissed the case after he received treatment at the Oregon State Hospital and was not sufficiently restored to his faculties.