Man arrested in Newberg park had convictions for domestic violence

An armed man, reported to have been wandering in a Newberg park in late June, has a record of domestic violence in a neighboring county.

According to probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Ariel Siqueiros of the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, officers were dispatched to Renne Field on South School Street early on the morning of June 21 after a caller said she saw a man in the park with a handgun.

“The complainant … reported that she observed a male wandering around the park,” Siqueiros said in the document. “The male was reported as having a handgun tucked in the waistband of his shorts.”

NDPD officers employed a drone to investigate the area and viewed Zelaja Alonna Battles Jr. sitting on bleachers within the Renne Field complex, which is bordered by Blaine, Ninth and School streets. After they determined that Battles, 48, had his hands in his pockets and with no sign of a handgun, officers descended on the area.

“Officers contacted Zalaja and gave verbal commands,” the affidavit said. “Zalaja complied with commands and was detained without incident.”

A Ruger handgun was found on the ground about 50 feet from where Zelaja was detained, the document said, in an area where the drone had witnessed him lying prone.

“Zalaja stated he found the gun without being asked about it,” Siqueiros said in the affidavit.

Upon searching law enforcement data bases the officers discovered that Battles was on post-prison supervision following a conviction in Washington County in February 2010 on charges of attempted murder, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon on a family member.

Following his June arrest, Battles was arraigned in Yamhill County Circuit Court and charged with felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm. Security was set at $100,000, and Battles remains ensconced in the Yamhill County jail.

Judge Jennifer Chapman appointed McMinnville attorney Kiyana Parvas as his counsel. Deputy District Attorney Meuy Foy Chao will serve as prosecutor in the case. Additional charges are likely to be filed against Battles in Washington County as he appears to have violated the terms of his post-prison supervision. A plea hearing is set for July 16.

Battles was also arrested this spring for alleged crimes unrelated to the incident at Renne Field, most recently on May 23 when he was detained on a charge of second-degree criminal trespass. He was also arrested in March for initiating a false report and second-degree disorderly conduct. Both cases are still in process.