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Background: An image of Dustin Rotbart”s vehicle allegedly approaching a group of pedestrians. Inset: Surveillance camera image of Dustin Rotbart allegedly chasing someone while wielding a knife. (Both images via the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office)
An Oregon resident has been apprehended and faces multiple felony charges after allegedly intimidating his neighbors with an assortment of weapons.
Dustin Rotbart, 40, is currently detained at the Multnomah County Detention Center without the possibility of bail. According to authorities, Rotbart has been repeatedly involved in incidents where he menaced his neighbors. Court records accessed by Law&Crime reveal that Rotbart’s arrest took place on February 23, following reports from a Portland business about a man causing a disturbance by pounding on windows.
This was not the first complaint about Rotbart’s behavior. Earlier, on February 14, Rotbart allegedly brandished a knife at the same business, threatening patrons with questions like, “Do you want to get stabbed? Do you want to die today?”
Per the court documents, a witness to the February 14 incident recounted to police how he tried to disarm Rotbart, who was reportedly wielding both a knife and a stun baton. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Rotbart being pushed or shoved by the bystander. Subsequently, Rotbart is said to have chased the bystander back to his apartment, wielding the weapons. The altercation seemingly concluded when Rotbart’s attitude shifted, and the two men exchanged high-fives.
A doorman at the bystander’s apartment complex confirmed to the police that the bystander’s account was accurate.
On February 15, another neighborhood reported sightings of a man aiming a bow and arrow at homes and individuals. Authorities later identified the man as Rotbart. Police noted that Rotbart had exhibited similar behavior the previous week, but no arrest was made since he was on his own property at the time.
Minutes after the deputy who responded to the bow and arrow call left, dispatchers received another call about a woman who said her neighbor — Rotbart — tried to hit her with his car. Surveillance video from the area allegedly caught Rotbart’s vehicle accelerating toward a group of people.
Police wrote in the charging documents that Rotbart’s erratic and allegedly violent behavior was seemingly driven by “psychedelic mushrooms” and his wife filing for divorce. According to police, Rotbart’s wife kicked him out of their house, and he responded by breaking down the door and throwing a book at her. An AR-15 rifle was reportedly found in his vehicle at the time.
On Jan. 19, police responded to a call about shots fired, allegedly by Rotbart. When police arrived, Rotbart, reportedly high on mushrooms, took his clothes off. Police apparently found mushrooms in the car, and a search of his garage yielded an AR-15 rifle and a revolver. The next day, a judge prohibited Rotbart from possessing deadly weapons, writing in a ruling that there was “clear and convincing evidence that [Rotbart] presents [the] risk of suicide and/or causing physical injury to another person in the immediate or near future.”
KOIN reported that a letter from seven of Rotbart’s neighbors expressed serious concerns about neighborhood safety due to his alleged behavior. The letter read, “Over the past several months, our community has collectively witnessed and experienced a sustained pattern of threatening and intimidating behavior, including but not limited to: Rapidly discharging approximately 20 rounds from a firearm from his house, verbally assaulting a neighbor, and recurring loud parties at early morning hours.”
The neighbors wrote that Rotbart’s alleged behavior caused them to change their everyday routines and keep their children inside.
Rotbart was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on Feb. 23 on three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of menacing, two counts of burglary, and one count of disorderly conduct. He was ordered during a court hearing on Tuesday to be held without bail. His next court date was scheduled for April 13.