Sister turns in Oregon brother who kidnapped his ex, feds say. He’s going to prison
An Oregon woman knew something was off the morning of May 18, 2020, when she saw her brother and his ex-girlfriend, who was wearing “only a silk robe and no shoes,” court documents show.
More than her attire, the sister said she also noticed that the ex-girlfriend “had scratches on her legs and a big bump on her head,” a complaint says.
The sister said that the ex-girlfriend told her James Donald Cooley was “going to kill her and mouthed the words, ‘get me help,’” the complaint says, prompting her to call the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to turn in her brother.
Cooley, 61, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping earlier this year, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years’ supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said in a news release on Monday, Aug. 15.
Cooley’s lawyer did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment.
After being sober for more than two years, Cooley expressed he is “finally thinking clearly and is horrified to look back at his actions,” according to a sentencing memo.
“(Cooley) committed a serious crime and he knows there is nothing he can do to change that,” according to the sentencing memo.
Cooley in May 2020 drove his blue Ford Explorer from his home in Rainier, Oregon, across state lines to Ilwaco, Washington, the complaint says. He parked his car along Highway 101 and made his way to his ex-girlfriend’s home.
The ex-girlfriend said she was on the porch when Cooley confronted her, and the pair began to argue, according to the complaint.
“Cooley, who was carrying a pitchfork, told (the ex-girlfriend), ‘You better come with me. I’m going to talk to you,’” according to court documents.
The woman refused, and Cooley zip-tied her hands, court documents said.
“Cooley drug the woman several hundred feet to his vehicle, put a knife to her throat, shoved her into the backseat, and began driving back to Rainier, threatening to kill her several times en route,” according to the U.S. attorney’s press release.
The woman tried to pry open the driver’s side rear door with a pitchfork but was unsuccessful, according to court documents. When Cooley saw this, he began swinging a hammer at her.
After the pair arrived at his home in Rainier around 8 a.m., his sister became suspicious and called the sheriff’s department, who arrived on scene about an hour later, according to the complaint.
Cooley was charged with kidnapping in June 2020 and pleaded guilty in February, according to the district attorney’s press release.
This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Sister turns in Oregon brother who kidnapped his ex, feds say. He’s going to prison."
