St. Helens, OR — A Columbia County teenager accused of building incendiary devices and planning attacks against federal immigration officers has received three years of supervised probation after pleading guilty to two felony charges.
Rayden Tanner Coleman, 19, of Columbia City, pleaded guilty Sept. 1 in Columbia County Circuit Court to two counts of unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, each classified as a Class C felony, according to reports from KPTV and the Columbia County Spotlight.
Circuit Court Judge Michael T. Clarke sentenced Coleman to 36 months of supervised probation and 75 days in jail, with credit for time already served. Coleman was also ordered to continue receiving mental health treatment, participate in evaluations, forfeit weapons seized during the investigation and pay $550 in fines and court fees.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed 13 other charges. Those included attempted domestic terrorism, second-degree domestic terrorism, attempted assault and multiple counts of unlawful possession and manufacture of destructive devices.
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Coleman acknowledged the two remaining offenses in his plea petition.
“I unlawfully and knowingly assembled, produced, or manufactured two destructive devices,” Coleman wrote, according to KPTV.
The case began Feb. 4, when St. Helens police arrested Coleman, then 18, during a traffic stop outside the assisted-living facility where he worked.
As Right Now Oregon previously reported, police began investigating after people who knew Coleman reported statements and online messages in which he allegedly discussed attacking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Court documents alleged that Coleman wanted to obtain an AR-style rifle and use Molotov cocktails against ICE officers in the Portland area. Investigators said Coleman was making installment payments toward the purchase of the rifle.
Witnesses also told police that Coleman discussed forming a group called the “Cascadia Rangers” and recruiting people from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. According to investigators, Coleman allegedly said an attack against federal officers would demonstrate his seriousness and encourage others to join him.
Authorities said acquaintances helped Coleman gather empty glass bottles. Coleman later told investigators that he filled some bottles with sand to practice throwing them before converting them into incendiary devices, according to court records.
During the February traffic stop, police reported finding bottles filled with sand in the trunk of Coleman’s vehicle, along with surveillance equipment. Investigators said Coleman admitted collecting materials for Molotov cocktails and planning attacks against ICE officers, although he said some of his more extreme statements were made in anger.
A Columbia County grand jury subsequently indicted Coleman on domestic terrorism charges in addition to the destructive-device and attempted-assault counts. His attorney argued during an earlier court hearing that the terrorism allegations did not involve threats against the types of critical infrastructure identified in Oregon’s domestic terrorism law.
The guilty plea and sentence resolve the state criminal case. The dismissed allegations were not adjudicated at trial.
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