PORTLAND, Ore. — A 20-year-old is out of jail after serving 20 days behind bars in Multnomah County for a crime she didn't commit, according to her defense attorney.
"It's not something anyone would want to experience," said Clay Graham, an attorney with Multnomah Defenders, "I think it's disappointing because it shows that it's still kind of a dangerous thing to be Black and be downtown in Portland. And I don't think I'm misstating that for her."
Portland Police said back on Saturday June 22, three people were robbed at gunpoint. The incident occurred on Southwest Taylor Street and 14th Avenue around 12:37 a.m. According to PPB, three people — a 28-year-old man, a 35-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man — were robbed on the street at gunpoint by two suspects, a man and a woman. One of the suspects — a woman — shot the 28-year-old man in the leg and pistol-whipped the woman in the head.
As detailed in court documents, and first reported by the Oregonian, Portland Police officers taking the report that night found and detained Wise who matched a suspect description and did what's called a "show-up."
"They just basically say, 'Is this the person?'" Graham explained. "Research shows that that's impermissibly suggestive to do that. And that any kind of... if you want to call it identification or a lineup procedure, one person is just fundamentally unfair."
Court documents showed that two of the victims told officers, yes, Wise had done it. But although Wise admitted she was in the area at the time, she told police that the shooter was different woman.
Graham told KGW surveillance video he later obtained confirmed just that.
"There's a different person in the video that meets the description for being the female involved in the actual incident," he said.
After sharing those findings with prosecutors, Graham said all charges were dismissed the next day, and Wise walked free Thursday morning.
"The District Attorney's office did the right thing for the right reason in this case," he said, "Instead of this being a case where someone spends time in prison for years and years, like we've had the unfortunate experience of seeing over the last 20 years, we get someone who, on the bright side, only spent 20 days."
PPB told KGW that although the indictment was dismissed, the investigation into the robbery and assault continues, and they're still seeking out suspects. Since the case remains open and active in the Major Crimes Unit, police declined to provide further details at this time.