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A 41-year-old Portland man was sentenced to 72 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last week to two counts of first-degree aggravated theft and one count of organized retail theft.
Martin Duane Castaway had multiple prior property-related convictions, which made him a repeat property offender, and warranted a significantly stronger sentence than if he were not a repeat property offender. Castaway was taken into police custody on Jan. 25, 2023 in Portland with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and Multnomah County’s Special Investigations Unit.
Throughout much of 2022 and early into 2023, Castaway was engaged in organized retail theft with several others heavily impacting numerous Fred Meyer and Dick’s Sporting Goods locations throughout the Portland-metro area.
Castaway routinely entered retailers, damaged store anti-theft measures and left with large quantities of merchandise. In fact, officials with the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said the majority of Castaway’s thefts took place in the course of just two minutes, fleeing from retailers with thousands of dollars worth of goods. All told, authorities said Castaway is responsible for more than $30,000 in losses between Fred Meyer and Dick’s Sporting Goods locations alone. He has been identified in other cases impacting different retailers, but those cases are being charged in different venues – primarily Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties -- and are still pending.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office worked jointly to resolve this case, which is another reason why the Clackamas County District Attorney’s office continues to advocate for the passage of Senate Bills 318, 340 and 900. These bills address increasing retail crime in Oregon, primarily by making it easier to prosecute organized retail theft rings.
“In Clackamas County, we see that everyone is affected by retail thefts,” said Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth. “Whether it’s bigger retail organizations or smaller family-owned businesses, we’re doing our best to protect the residents of Clackamas County. We hope the passage of Senate Bills 318, 340 and 900 will go a long way in doing just that.”