Melcher-Villalba gets 25 years to life for murder of his girlfriend

Before being sentenced Friday for the 2016 murder of his girlfriend Lilia Cosco-Ortiz, 37, Victor Melcher-Villalba, 46, asked for forgiveness from, among others, the victim’s children. “I ...

Arrests & Citations: June 9, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Department Jeremy Lynn Spires, 50, McMinnville, June 5, parole violation, failure to report as sex offender; booked into the Yamhill County Jail without bail. John Alan ...

Arrests & Citations: June 6, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Sophie Maryann Larson, 24, Dayton, June 2, fourth-degree assault, harassment; booked into the Yamhill County Jail on $10,000 bail. Robert Antonio Perez, 27, Sheridan, ...

Wolfdog owner appeals own plea agreement

After agreeing to a plea deal in McMinnville Municipal Court in April, wolfdog owner Sandra Atwood has appealed the ruling in Circuit Court and filed several motions attempting to regain custody of her ...

Forfeiture case submitted to U.S. Supreme Court

A Yamhill woman this week petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her case involving the civil forfeiture by Yamhill County of her Pike Road residence northwest of Yamhill. Sheryl Sublet pleaded guilty ...

Former Mac teaching aide sentenced for harassment

A former Willamette Elementary School specialized programs aide was convicted of harassment, a Class B misdemeanor, for slapping a 6-year-old nonverbal student with autism on May 19. Beverly Lou Belt, ...

Woman sentenced for using pit bull as weapon

Ashley Rae Gene Higgins, 38, of McMinnville was sentenced on Thursday, May 29 to 15 days in jail and three years probation stemming from a Sept. 5, 2024 incident outside Mazatlan restaurant in McMinnville. Higgins ...

Arrests & Citations: June 2, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Joshua Michael Holmes, 43, Grand Ronde, 43, May 29, criminal driving while suspended or revoked; booked and released. Matthew Michael Hunt, 41, McMinnville, May ...

Sheriff announces specialized team for drug enforcement

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott announced last week the launch of a new drug enforcement team. “This specialized unit will focus its efforts on aggressively combating the trafficking, distribution ...

Court Records: June 2, 2025

CIVIL FILINGS Discover Bank vs. Olivia Dupon, Portland: Granted $9,680.27 judgment. Synchrony Bank vs. Angela Douglas, Sheridan: Granted $5,424.00 judgment. Wells Fargo Bank N.A. vs. Jorge C. Chavez, ...

Arrests & Citations: May 30, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Melissa Clarice Dutra, 38, Salem, May 27, post-prison supervision sanction; booked into the Yamhill County Jail without bail. Kalee Dawn Dayton, 31, Olympia, Washington, ...

High speed chase starts near Amity

A vehicular pursuit that started just south of Amity about 5:30 a.m. on May 24 ended in Polk County and led to the arrest of an Independence man. A Yamhill County Sheriff deputy was heading northbound ...

Arrests & Citations: May 28, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Roger William Sump, 65, Portland, May 22, parole violation; booked into the Yamhill County Jail without bail. Zachary Ray Henn, 32, Willamina, May 22, strangulation, ...

Rachel Thompson/News-Register##McKenna Davidson, right, plays the murder suspect and Emily Fletcher her defense attorney in McMinnville High School’s mock trial in a real Yamhill County courtroom on May 9. The two seniors are in the school’s criminal justice pathway, and they conceived of and wrote the trial as part of their internship class.

Trial Run: Mac High students portray attorneys, jurors, accused in mock case

After about 15 minutes, the six members of the jury filed back into Judge Jennifer Chapman’s courtroom with a verdict: Guilty. The defense attorney was surprised, as was the defendant, an elementary ...

Arrests & Citations: May 23, 2025

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Jeffrey Alan Greenfield, 42, McMinnville, May 19, post-prison supervision sanction; booked into the Yamhill County Jail without bail. Clarence Raymond Sellers, 58, ...

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