Man Killed Outside Home In North Plains Area Identified: Washington County Sheriff's Office

NORTH PLAINS, OR — A man was shot and killed Tuesday outside a home in the unincorporated Washington County community of Mountaindale, roughly four miles north of North Plains. Washington County Sheriff's officials on Wednesday identified the slain man as 39-year-old Michael Zven Arch, also known as Reiner Ralph Schmolling, Jr. — a man with a long criminal history in Washington County, stretching back to a standoff in 1997 when he shot a Washington County detective.

Schmolling's most recent conviction was for several crimes committed around May 2016, including aggravated theft, assault, menacing, and attempting to elude an officer.

Washington County Sheriff's officials say Schmolling's death, which is being investigated as a homicide, occurred at a home in the 16000-block of Northwest Dairy Creek Road around 5 p.m. Sept. 19.

The Hillsboro Tribune, a local newspaper, reports the home is owned by 56-year-old Charles Roscoe Schmidlin, who appears to run some kind of cattle operation there. The Tribune also notes neighbors have complained recently about Schmidlin's cows wandering onto their properties.

It's unclear why Schmolling was at the house Tuesday. Court documents show Schmolling as having former addresses in Portland, Beaverton, Amity, and Forest Grove.

According to the Tribune, neighbors say Schmidlin's home has been without electricity for at least two months and that cows have been found grazing in nearby gardens. The home was formerly owned by Paul Schmidlin, Charles' father, who ran a dairy until the property was bequeathed to his children following his death in 2011, the Tribune reports. Since then, the southern portion of the property has been sold and the home has reportedly been occupied by Charles and upward of 14 other people at any given time.

(Police have not confirmed whether Schmolling was one of these people. Washington County Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jeff Talbot told Patch the investigation is on-going.)

Neighbors also told the Tribune that two shots rang out, possibly from a high-powered rifle, from the western side of the house.

Another local news outlet, the Banks Post, reported additional police calls to the same area within the past two weeks.

According to the Post, Washington County deputies were called twice on Sept. 6: Once for a reported altercation of some kind, and again after a woman said someone had been shooting at her home. No injuries were reported in either incident and no suspect information was given.

Talbot told the Tribune the property has been a hotbed of activity.

"We had a warrant arrest — everything, honestly," Talbot said. "We've been to the house multiple times for multiple reasons."

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the Washington County non-emergency line at 503-629-0111.

This post was updated to include the shooting victim's identity.

Photo Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff's Office