HILLSBORO, Ore. — The mother of a man attacked by a Washington County Sheriff's deputy is breathing a sigh of relief. The deputy, who was caught on camera assaulting Albert Molina, is now behind bars himself.
"My son Albert will get the justice he deserves after years of waiting," said Esther Summerville.
In March 2018, deputies booked Molina, an American of Mexican descent, for riding a bike while drunk. Security video shows Deputy Rian Alden rushing Molina, throwing him against the wall, then to the ground. Molina suffered serious injuries he still deals with today.
"My son is waiting and he's getting mentally healed and working on having peace," said Summerville.
Peace has been hard to come by. Deputy Alden got away with the assault for years.
"At the conclusion of the investigation the District Attorney's office believed there was not enough evidence to proceed at the time," said Sheriff Pat Garrett just a couple of weeks ago. "We reviewed the case and that review did not result in policy violations and I recognize that does not add up."
Fast forward to May of this year. Authorities were tipped off to an old racist email of Alden's. Investigators reopened Molina's case. Alden was charged with first degree official misconduct.
On Thursday, the District Attorney's office presented even more evidence to a grand jury. That resulted in assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and official misconduct charges.
"It never happens so the question is - is this the beginning or just a fluke, something to be forgotten when the protests are gone," said Molina family attorney Greg Kafoury.
Molina's mother believes demonstrations locally and across the country played a major role in her son getting the justice he deserves.
"It's my son. I gave him breath. I want what's good for him and justice is good for him," she said.
Alden turned himself into the Washington County Jail Friday morning. He was booked and transferred to the Columbia County Jail for safety reasons. Bail is set at $250,000.
Washington County settled with Molina, agreeing to pay him more than $600,000.