"[W]e will make sure you never win & your family suffers along with all the other f— Mexicans in the area!"— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 8, 2020
A racist, anti-gay threat signed by "America" that was sent to an Oregon politician (@preacherjona) was actually written by himself as a #HateHoax https://t.co/fg5Ld26Adw pic.twitter.com/rfTmrczPF2
KEPR CBS News,
written by Thomas Yazwinski
Monday July 6, 2020
UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. -- A man who claimed he received a hate-filled, racist letter from an anonymous person allegedly wrote the letter himself, Hermiston Police say.
Chief Jason Edmiston tells Action News that the criminal investigation for Intimidation in the Second Degree due to the racist, hate-filled letter received by Mr. Jonathan Lopez on 6/23/20, has been closed. The matter will be referred this week, to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office for Initiating a False Report. Initiating a False Report is a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon.
Edmiston says the investigation has shown that Jonathan Lopez wrote the letter himself and made false statements to the police and on social media. The end result is a verbal and written admission by Mr. Lopez that the letter was fabricated.
Additionally, the Hermiston Police are sending the Office of the District Attorney verifiable information of potential election fraud as it pertains to the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 and other false credentials presented by Mr. Lopez during his run for county commissioner. This in conjunction with a lengthy criminal history record may result in the filing of additional charges.
In a statement sent to Action News, Edmiston wrote, "The time spent on this fictitious claim means time lost on other matters, not to mention it needlessly adds to the incredible tension that exists in our nation today." Edmiston went on to say, "As a lifelong resident of this diverse community, I’m disgusted someone would try to carelessly advance their personal ambitions at the risk of others."
In one line from the letter, the author said, "Don't waste your time trying to become anything in this county we will make sure you never win and your family suffers along with all the other f****** Mexicans in the area!" The letter ends by stating, "Sincerely, America!"
Lopez has since removed his public Facebook profile.
Oregon politician confesses to penning a racist letter to HIMSELF
Newsweek
written by Jocelyn Grzeszczak
Wednesday July 8, 2020
An Oregon politician who claimed last month to have received a "racist letter" in the mail has admitted that he wrote the letter himself, law enforcement officials said.
Jonathan Lopez, a candidate for Oregon's Umatilla County commissioner, said he had received the letter via his mailbox on June 23. In a photo posted to his public Facebook account, the typed letter addressed to "Mr lopez" has parts blurred out and appears to contain racial slurs.
"Your not welcome here and will never be anything in this community or state," one part of the letter reads. "Umatilla County kills [redacted] like you and are dumped in the fields and river. That's why our crops are the best!"
Lopez's post had been shared hundreds of times in less than 24 hours, KEPR-TV reported.
Along with the letter, Lopez stated on Facebook that he had "no resentment for whomever wrote this" and that he was "heart broken for the lack of knowledge, education and respect missing," according to KEPR-TV.
Social media accounts for Lopez seemed to have been removed as of Wednesday. His official website, lopez4umatillaco.com, was also unavailable.
On Monday, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston wrote in an email statement to Newsweek that Lopez had confessed that he was the one who wrote the letter.
"From the onset, this alleged incident has been thoroughly investigated," Edmiston wrote. "Our investigation has shown that Mr. Lopez wrote the letter himself and made false statements to the police and on social media. The end result is a verbal and written admission by Mr. Lopez that the letter was fabricated."
Police had initially launched an investigation into the incident for second-degree intimidation but closed it after realizing that the letter was fabricated, according to Edmiston's statement.
Edmiston added that the case would be sent to the Umatilla County District Attorney's office for review for initiating a false report, which is a Class A misdemeanor in Oregon.
Edmiston wrote to Newsweek that officers would also send to the district attorney's office "verifiable information of potential election fraud as it pertains to the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 and other false credentials presented by Mr. Lopez during his run for county commissioner," which could result in additional charges.
A representative from the Umatilla County District Attorney's office told Newsweek that a report under Lopez's name did not appear in their system.
Umatilla County District Attorney Daniel Primus told Newsweek that his office was aware of the investigation into Lopez and is awaiting the report.
In an emailed statement to Newsweek, Lopez apologized to Umatilla residents and the nation for his "wrongful doings."
"The letter written by me came from a dark low place," the apology statement read. "It should have never been written."
In the apology statement, which was dated July 8, Lopez said that he had accepted that he "was not suited or fit to be in public office or leadership," stating that he has been "dealing with many emotions, feelings, and thoughts for several months."
Lopez had told the East Oregonian that he "never meant to mislead the public," and that the situation was a big misunderstanding.
Lopez had initially wanted to speak with Edmiston about racism in Umatilla County and use the letter as an example of the kinds of racism people can experience, the East Oregonian reported.
Edmiston told Newsweek that what happens next will be up to Primus and his office.
"Under normal circumstances, we would have arrested and lodged Mr. Lopez in the Umatilla County Jail," Edmiston wrote, on one count of initiating a false report. "However, due to medical concerns relayed to us by Mr. Lopez, the follow-up interview was conducted via telephone."
Edmiston is hopeful that the district attorney's office and the Oregon Department of Justice will work together to decide the best outcome concerning Lopez's case, he said.
During the May 2020 primary, Lopez had run for a seat on the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners but placed fourth.
The letter incident is not the first time Lopez has encountered law enforcement officials, Edmiston told Newsweek.
Lopez, who said he had moved to Hermiston in January 2018, had applied four times to volunteer with the city or its fire district. Each time, Edmiston had to run a background check before Lopez could begin volunteering, Edmiston wrote.
When Edmiston ran a complete criminal history for Lopez through Oregon's Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS), he noticed a 2013 arrest in Virginia concerning "some very serious person-to-person crimes involving a weapon," Edmiston wrote.
LEDS showed that Lopez had also been arrested on January 3, 2018, for "impersonating a police officer," Edmiston wrote.
Neither of the charges resulted in convictions, Edmiston acknowledged, and the "matters in Virginia were all dismissed," he added.
But technicalities within LEDS allowed for some of Lopez's background checks to come back clean, enabling him to serve as a volunteer, Edmiston wrote to Newsweek.
According to the Umatilla County voters' pamphlet, Lopez, 29, had served with the U.S. Coast Guard Fire/Rescue team. He has also served as a pastor and worship leader.
Lopez aimed to "reestablish our place in the world by steering our government away from special interests and introducing policies that put money in people's pockets, restore love of our county and restore our presence in our state," the pamphlet reads.
He has served on the Hermiston Hispanic Advisory Committee and the Harrisonburg Chamber of Commerce, according to the pamphlet.
"Under a Lopez administration, as part of the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners, Umatilla County residents will begin winning again," the pamphlet reads.
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