PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – New court documents paint a much different picture of the man arrested by officers after Portland Police said they found him outside one of their precincts with an “arsenal” of weapons inside his SUV.
A neighbor told the sheriff’s office Eric Crowl, who remains in the Multnomah County Jail on a $1 million bail, is a “teddy bear” and “is always there when they need him.”
Crowl was arrested August 7 after police found him parked in an SUV cross the street from the bureau’s East Precinct. Officers found “a cache of weapons, ammunition and other items in his vehicle,” a gray Chevrolet Tahoe.
Crowl’s bail reduction hearing will resume Tuesday afternoon before Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric J. Bloch. The report by the sheriff’s office was generated to help Bloch determine if the county could reasonably supervise Crowl if released on bail. A trial date has not been set.
KOIN 6 News first reported Crowl was indicted on August 16 with one count of unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm, then was arraigned on the grand jury indictment the next day. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Crowl, 39, has lived in his southeast Portland home with his wife and their son for the last 2.5 years, according to a report filed by the Multnomah County Pretrial Services Program.
The report states Crowl “appears to believe he can keep police accountable through surveillance. If he persists with this belief, and continues to act in the same manner and capacity, he may provoke another confrontation. It would also appear that [Crowl] has a lot of time to conduct this type of behavior. Requiring him to work full-time or attend schooling seems a reasonable pretrial release requirement to keep [him] reasonably occupied.”
The report also said he denies saying he is a “self-proclaimed Constitutionalist.”
“He did mention…something about liking to study the law and constitution; however, he never claimed any affiliation with a particular belief system, or political ideology,” the report states.
Crowl has no criminal record, earned 8 college credits and is a self-employed computer IT specialist. His wife is going to a local university.
The sheriff’s office spoke with Crowl’s wife, who said he is a good man, husband and father, and that the weapons found in the Tahoe “were from their camping trip to Yellow Stone.”
She also said Crowl records the police because they don’t wear body cams and said she has gone with him occasionally, the report states.
In a statement, Crowl’s court appointed criminal defense attorney, said: “This case is the most shocking abuse of police and prosecutorial power. I am ashamed of my colleagues for filing such trumped up case. We are disappointed he was indicted, but are confident the unlawful use of a weapon, the felony charge will be dismissed. Mr. Crowl’s case is the saddest I have been a part of in 11 years.”
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.