Skip to main content
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office today released additional information about the Aug. 17 arrest of state Rep. James Hieb (R-Canby) at the Clackamas County Fair.
As WW first reported, CCSO deputies arrested Hieb after a woman asked him to stop smoking a cigarette at the fairgrounds, where smoking is prohibited. In an interview, Hieb described the woman as “a Karen” and expressed surprise that the situation escalated. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer.
Today, CCSO released 21 pages of police reports and a body-camera video nearly 23 minutes in length that shows what happened. KGW-TV first reported the new information.
The police report reveals that the woman with whom Hieb had a disagreement was a fair official whose shirt identified her as such.
The footage shows deputies patiently explaining to Hieb why he was being excluded from the fair and that they wanted to help him end the evening as quietly as possible.
Hieb wore a white polo shirt with the words “James Hieb, House District 51″ printed in big letters. “I know you are a political candidate,” one of the deputies says to him in the footage.
But Hieb did not cooperate with deputies’ efforts to deescalate the situation.
“No, I can’t show you ID,” he says. “No, you can’t reach into my fucking pocket.”
After one deputy noticed a bulge under Hieb’s shirt, he said he was carrying a handgun, for which he had a license. They handcuffed him, which seemed to agitate Hieb.
After a CCSO captain filled out a form notifying Hieb of his exclusion from the fairgrounds, Hieb looked at the form.
“So this means that you need to let me go and I can fucking leave, right?” The deputies said that was not the case.
Deputy Tanner Davis explained the consequences of Hieb’s failure to cooperate in his report. “In order to issue the notice of exclusion, I needed to formally identify Mr. Hieb,” Davis wrote. “Mr. Hieb was asked multiple times to present his ID but he refused to do so. By refusing to present his ID, he failed to comply with a lawful order and prevented us from issuing him an exclusion notice.”
The video shows Hieb repeatedly demanding to leave and cursing Davis and other deputies.
“I’m going to leave, motherfucker—let me go,” Hieb said. Continuing to curse and yell, he then threw himself to the ground. The deputies helped him to his feet.
Hieb told The Oregonian after his arrest that he’d had four beers. The police reports suggest he had imbibed heavily.
“Mr. Hieb was very intoxicated and slurring his words,” wrote Capt. Bradley O’Neil.
Deputies escorted Hieb off the fairgrounds to a squad car where he appeared to make an attempt to fall forward onto the car. They placed him in the vehicle and drove him to the Clackamas County Jail.
He was released at 9 am on Aug. 18.
In his report, Capt. O’Neil added one postscript on Aug. 19: “Based on witness statements I learned today, I recommend the DA’s Office also look at adding criminal trespass to the original charges.”
Hieb did not immediately return a call from WW seeking comment.