Portland Man Told Police He Would “Handle the Situation Himself” Before Assaulting 73-Year-Old Homeless Man

He pled guilty this week to assault in the fourth degree.

Portland’s Central Eastside—with its underpasses, few residents, and little security—is where homeless people go when they have nowhere else to turn. (Laurel Kadas)
By Tess Riski

Jeff Douglas Smeltzer called 911 in August of 2019 to report homeless people living in his North Portland neighborhood. Smeltzer then told dispatchers he was going to "handle the situation himself," hung up the phone, and proceeded to assault a 73-year-old man living in a vehicle nearby.

When police arrived on the scene, the victim was "bloodied with a severe laceration above his left eye." He told police the vehicle was his only shelter, and that he'd been living in it for about two weeks.

Witnesses said Smeltzer pulled the elderly man from his vehicle, and repeatedly punched him in the face.

Smeltzer, 53, was later identified and charged with fourth degree assault. He pleaded guilty Feb. 4.

"For whatever reason, Mr. Smeltzer decided to violently take out his frustrations about homeless individuals in his neighborhood on a 73-year-old veteran who was living out of his car," Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer said in a press release.

Smeltzer will serve 14 days in jail, 24 months of probation, and pay $300 in fines, prosecutors announced on Thursday. He also agreed to pay $1,000 to his victim.

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Tess Riski

Tess Riski

Tess Riski covers cops, courts, protests and extremism. She joined Willamette Week in 2020.

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