Former Willamina resident charged with rape, assault

Jack Marion Matheny, 38, formerly of Willamina, was charged on Oct. 17 with first-degree rape, a Class A felony and Measure 11 crime, and second-degree assault, a Class C felony, from an alleged 2014 incident against a then five-year-old.

At the Oct. 17 arraignment Matheny requested a conditional release in order to better fight his case and have the religious support he needs.

Judge Ladd Wiles said given the seriousness of the case and Matheny’s 33 prior charges and homeless status, he is not likely to be released. He noted that the maximum for rape in the first degree is 25 years in prison.

The state requested bail set at $500,000, which Wiles agreed to.

On Oct. 18 in a probable cause affidavit, the details in the investigation were released. Corporal Tokata Tehmas of the Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department was made aware of a late sex offense on June 6, 2024, and began his investigation. An alleged victim, now living in Las Vegas, Nevada, had reported she was raped in 2014 on the Grand Ronde Reservation.

Tehmas was trying to get in touch with the alleged victim’s mother and Jack Matheny was suggested as a contact who might know the mother’s whereabouts. He was interviewed at the Marion County Jail on June 27 and shared that he was still friends with the mother on social media.

Detective A. Gomez Brown took over the case and reached out to the Nevada Department of Human Services about the alleged victim. He was able to get in contact with the Las Vegas Metro Police to collaborate on the investigation. The alleged victim was interviewed by the Las Vegas police; she revealed she was raped in 2014 by her mother’s then-boyfriend, but didn’t know his name.

A photo of Matheny was then provided and she identified him as the man that raped her, according to the probable cause affidavit.

On Sept. 14, during a forensic interview, the alleged victim described that incident, claiming on Christmas Eve she went to the bathroom in the home where both were present and Matheny allegedly followed and assaulted her.

Gomez Brown wrote that his next step in the investigation was to make contact with Matheny. After a phone call, Matheny wanted to talk about drug crimes he knew about in the Grand Ronde community.

On Oct. 16, Matheny consented to an interview and visited the Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department. After a while the conversation turned to the alleged victim, who Matheny admitted he knew and placed himself in the house on the date of the alleged incident. However, he denied the allegation and claimed she was conspiring against him.

Matheny was then arrested on the charges.

An arraignment on a grand jury indictment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 24.

Matheny’s most recent address is the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, where he was serving two sentences since 2020.

On July 22, 2020, Matheny pleaded guilty to sexual abuse, unlawful delivery of marijuana to someone under the age of 21 and endangering the welfare of a minor in Lane County for a sentence of 91 months.

On Oct. 11, 2020, he pleaded guilty in Yamhill County to first-degree theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm, related to stealing firearms from an individual, and two additional counts of first-and second-degree theft. He was sentenced to 13 months and 24 months in prison, to be served concurrently with two years’ post-prison supervision.