Crossbow Assault Exposes Cross-County Criminality

PORTLAND, OR — A Portland woman formerly of Tacoma, Washington, was arrested Thursday morning for "accidentally" shooting her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend with a bolt from a crossbow, according to court documents. Her arrest has exposed the alleged criminal doings of two additional people in three different counties — one of whom was the crossbow assault victim.

Cecilia Leigh Bruinsma, 24, was taken to the Multnomah County Jail on one charge of felony assault. She is being held on $250,000 bail.

Bruinsma's supposed boyfriend, 26-year-old Michael Andrew Cordes, was taken — after a brief hospital visit — to the Multnomah County Jail Friday morning on an alleged domestic assault charge from October 2016. He is also being held for possession of methamphetamine and for a bench warrant out of Clackamas County. His bail is set at $40,000.

According to Portland police, officers began their investigation after Shawna Diane Scott, 24, reported she'd been shot with a crossbow bolt just before 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at Sellwood Riverfront Park, 8049 S.E. Oaks Park Way.

Scott told officers she'd been in a "verbal dispute" with Bruinsma, and that Bruinsma fired the bolt during the course of this argument, police said; but officers were unable to locate Bruinsma after a search of the park area.

On Dec. 7, a Portland resident called police to report a suspicious vehicle in their neighborhood. Police recognized the description of that vehicle as the same one associated with Cordes and Bruinsma.

Upon finding the car, police arrested Bruinsma and Cordes together. However, while being taken into custody, Cordes told police he'd swallowed heroin prior to the arrest. He was subsequently taken to hospital for monitoring.

Bruinsma, who officers listed as homeless, told investigators she's been in the Portland area for the past five years and that she's been with Cordes for the past two months.

Cordes' domestic assault victim from October and Scott, the woman who was allegedly shot by Bruinsma, are not the same ex-girlfriend, Portland police spokesman Sgt. Christopher Burley confirmed.

Incidentally, Scott was booked into Yamhill County Jail Nov. 14 for a probation violation stemming from possession of meth and assault charges in March 2017.

Cordes has reportedly earned three misdemeanor domestic assault charges against three different people since September 2015. This is Bruinsma's first major criminal charge.

In September 2015 and March 2017, Cordes was convicted of misdemeanor assault charges. The first was against a woman in Washington County, and the second was against a man in Multnomah County who was reportedly dating another ex-girlfriend of Cordes.

The most recent assault charge stemming from the October 2016 assault was only filed Sept. 8, 2017, Burley said. Despite multiple attempts, he said, it reportedly took officers that much time to contact her after she reported the initial complaint.

On March 30, 2017, Cordes was accused of stealing a bicycle in Clackamas County. After Cordes failed to appear for court in May, a Clackamas County judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

Cordes was booked into the Multnomah County Jail after his release from hospital Dec. 8.

Anyone with information about the crossbow incident is asked to contact Portland police detective Christopher Traynor at 503-823-0889, or email Christopher.Traynor@portlandoregon.gov.

Images via Portland Police Bureau, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office