News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The dismissal of the indictment followed a victory by Sherman earlier this year when charges of drug possession were dropped by the Deschutes County District Attorney's office.
The robbery charges followed an incident in July, 1995 when Sherman allegedly brought a baseball bat into the office of Bend attorney Jonathan Basham and demanded that Basham return $10,000 Sherman claimed he paid the lawyer.
Basham had represented Sherman, Brent Sherman's father Jack and Cascade Aircraft Salvage, a business they operated for a while in Sisters prior to an Oregon State Police raid investigating stolen aircraft radios.
Radios seized from Sherman were later returned, he claims.
Sherman represented himself in court, with assistance from Bend Lawyer Michael Henderson, who was retained by the court to assist Sherman with procedures.
Henderson said his role was to inform Sherman on when to speak, when to stand, etc., but he had only been on the case two weeks and the defense was of Sherman's own preparation.
Sherman demonstrated that Deschutes County violated the Interstate Agreement on Detainers Act when they returned him to federal custody after indicting him but before trial and sentencing, according to court documents.
Sherman was in federal custody because he lost his parole on a prior bank robbery conviction as a result of the Deschutes County charges.
That act, the only way besides extradition a prisoner can be returned to the state against their will, according to Henderson, says that an indictment will no longer in force if a prisoner is returned to federal jurisdiction before trial and sentencing on the local charges.
Sherman had warned his jailers that he wanted to get the Deschutes County trial finished before his return to federal custody.
In fact, according to lawyer Henderson, Sherman showed in court that he asked his jailers to keep the police radio on in case they were ordered back to Deschutes County.
Sherman told The Nugget that he intentionally advised every one involved with his incarceration that if was returned before resolution of the case then the indictments would have to be dropped.
"It is a chess game. I just captured a piece. The other side is severely injured and will not be able to recover," Sherman told The Nugget on August 16.
Sherman has been returned to federal custody in Lompoc, California.
Sherman said he has appealed his parole revocation, and that his appeal has been on hold pending outcome of the Deschutes County trial.
At this point, Sherman says he has evidence that police raids against him in Sisters and Bend were under the authority of search warrants obtained by officers who perjured themselves.
Sherman says he has lost a lot as a result of what he calls a "conspiracy by bad cops," and that he intends to make a "lot of money" as result of what he calls an injustice and that he wants those officers who were involved "out on the street."
Lawyer Henderson said he did not know what would become of the Sherman's parole revocation, nor additional allegations by prosecutors that Sherman was stealing avionics from aircraft.
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