DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of Oregon

For Immediate Release

Monday, June 11, 2018
Billy J. Williams
, United States Attorney

Oregon Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Assault and Firearms Charges

PORTLAND, Ore. – Nicholas James Cantrell, 28, was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm and assaulting a Multnomah County Sheriff deputy while being held on a federal detainer at the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC).
 
According to court documents, Cantrell was arrested and booked into MCDC after fleeing Gresham Police and abandoning a bag containing a firearm and a digital scale. While in custody for the federal firearm charge, Cantrell assaulted a jail deputy by repeatedly punching, choking, and slamming the deputy’s head against the floor until the deputy lost consciousness.
 
Cantrell previously pleaded guilty to one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and assault on certain officers or employees on February 13, 2018.  
 
The case was jointly investigated by the United States Marshals Service, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Gresham Police Department, and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Jane Shoemaker and John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
 
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Seattle Field Division