Man groped hotel worker, then pried phone from her as she called cops, OR officials say
A man accused of groping and grabbing the body of a hotel worker and then ripping a phone from her hand as she tried to call for help is headed to prison, prosecutors in Oregon said.
Joshua Birjanu Powers, 31, was sentenced to more than 13 years behind bars, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in a March 4 news release.
It appears Powers represented himself in court, and a defense attorney wasn’t listed.
The assault happened Jan. 18 at a Beaverton hotel, prosecutors said. The name of the hotel was not disclosed in the release.
A 61-year-old hotel staff member was working at the desk alone at night when Powers came into the lobby and started harassing her, according to prosecutors.
“The assault then turned physical as he groped her and grabbed her body multiple times, exposed himself and began masturbating,” , prosecutors said.
Powers “ripped the phone from her hands” when she tried to call police, prosecutors said.
However, “dispatchers were able to identify the caller’s location” and police “quickly intervened,” according to prosecutors. Officers witnessed some of the assault, which also was caught on hotel security video and body-worn cameras, prosecutors said
A jury convicted Powers of charges including attempted rape in the first degree, attempted sodomy in the first degree, two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, sexual abuse in the third degree, two counts of assault in the fourth degree, public indecency, and interference with making a report, according to prosecutors.
Beaverton is about an eight-mile drive southwest from Portland.
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