Male Suspect Enters Home and Strangulates Woman in Shower
02/16/2022 12:00 PM
Media Contact:
Lt. Ryan Eaton, Corvallis Police Department
(541) 766-6420 / ryan.eaton@corvallisoregon.gov
Male Suspect Enters Home and Strangulates Woman in Shower
On February 12, 2022 at approximately 12:33PM, officers from the Corvallis Police Department responded to the 200 block of SW 7th Street for a report a burglary that occurred moments earlier. The caller reported a male suspect had entered he and his girlfriend’s residence, and then attacked his girlfriend while she was in the shower. The victim reported the male pulled his pants down to his knees, while opening the shower door. The victim attempted to flee the bathroom, at which time the male grabbed her by the shoulders, shoving her against the bathroom wall, strangulating her with both of his hands. The victim continued to fight off her attacker as he continually grabbed at her and prevented her from escaping the bathroom.
Awoken by the victim’s screams, the caller reported entering the bathroom where he saw the male suspect standing over the victim who was laying on the floor. The caller confronted the suspect, causing the male to flee from the residence towards SW Jefferson Ave. Both the caller and the victim were able to provide a description of the male suspect to officers as they were responding.
Officers began canvassing the neighborhood and located a male matching the description nearby. Through their investigation, officers were able to determine the suspect, now identified as Garrett Caspino (29) of Albany and Corvallis, was the suspect in the attack.
Prior to the attack on SW 7th Street, Caspino had been arrested twice earlier in the day by Corvallis Police Offices. Officers originally contacted Caspino at approximately 10:53 AM in the 200 block of SW 2nd Street where Caspino was reported to have entered an unlocked vehicle. The caller in that incident reported finding Caspino sitting in the driver seat of the vehicle and acting “totally out there.” Caspino was arrested for Criminal Trespass, but due to the severity of the crime not meeting the criteria for booking and lodging at the jail, Caspino was transported to the Law Enforcement Center. Caspino was issued a citation to appear in court and released.
A short time later, an officer was conducting vehicle maintenance in the restricted parking area of the Law Enforcement Center when he was alerted to a male concealing himself in the behind a pillar. Caspino was contacted a second time and once again cited for Criminal Trespassing. Caspino was transported to the area on NW Monroe Ave and NW 6th Street to facilitate his access to local service providers. Caspino was last seen in the area at approximately 11:50 AM.
Upon his third arrest, and due to the severity of the crimes, Caspino met the criteria to be booked and lodged at the Benton County Jail. Caspino was transported to the jail at approximately 2:48 PM where he was booked on the following charges:
Burglary in The First Degree (ORS: 164.225),
Menacing (ORS: 163.190),
Strangulation (ORS 163.187),
Coercion (ORS 163.275),
Harassment (ORS 166.065),
Sexual Abuse in the First Degree – Attempted (ORS: 163.427)
Note: At this time there is no additional information available related to this incident. Any updates on the investigation will be disseminated via a press release at a later date. Effective January 1, 2022, and in accordance with Oregon House Bill 3273, the Corvallis Police Department is prohibited from releasing a booking photo of the suspect in this investigation.
