Valentine's Day courthouse incident yields arrest

SALEM — An extended standoff which involved the threat of firearm violence ended with a Valentine's Day arrest at the Marion County Courthouse.

Marion County Public Information Officer Jeremy Schwab reported that a man had pitched his tent on the courthouse front entryway, and was asked to move at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The location of the tent was directly in front of the passageway where visitors enter into the courthouse before proceeding through security screening.

Schwab said judicial security deputies contacted a man in the tent who in turn told the deputies that he had a gun, and he had no intention of exiting his tent, much less removing it.

The front entrance of the courthouse was subsequently placed on lockdown, while law enforcement officers from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Salem Police, and Oregon State Police were called in.

Schwab said a trained MCSO negotiator was on scene and attempted to get the suspect to surrender peacefully. Ultimately, the suspect refused to surrender, and he was tased prior to being taken into custody.

No injuries were reported from the morning’s incident, though as a precaution the suspect was evaluated by medics at the scene. No firearm was recovered.

The suspect, James Allen Boyles, 54, was lodged at the Marion County Jail for charges that included menacing, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, obstructing judicial administration, and second-degree trespass. He was scheduled for Feb. 15 arraignment at 2:30 p.m.