Four years for knife attack
An Aumsville man has been sentenced to almost four years in prison after pleading guilty to attacking a woman with a knife during a domestic assault in February. Daniel John Nelson, 33, pled guilty Aug. 13 in Marion County Circuit Court to unlawful use of a weapon, strangulation and fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison. As part of a plea agreement prosecutors dropped a charge of second-degree assault, which carried a minimum of 70 months in prison.
Nelson was arrested Feb. 14 for offenses occurring Feb. 4. In his plea agreement he admitted to attacking the victim with a knife, impeding her breathing with his hands and causing minor injuries. The incident occurred in front of a minor child, according to court records. He was separately sentenced to 150 days in jail for a probation violation in another case involving the same victim, to be served alongside his prison sentence. He pled guilty Dec. 19, 2024, to reckless endangerment after threatening her with a gun and was sentenced to a year of probation. His arrest for the knife threat was a violation of this sentence.
Plea deal for child porn
A Stayton man is facing more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. The defense is asking for a lesser sentence of probation and therapy.
Frederick Neil Cusimano, 23, pleaded guilty July 14 in Marion County Circuit Court to four counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse and two counts of encouraging sexual assault of an animal.
According to a plea agreement filed that day, prosecutors are prepared to argue for 10 years and 11 months in prison during sentencing Sept. 15 before Judge Lindsay Partridge. The defense is prepared to argue for five years of probation to include sex offender therapy, and the forfeiture of all electronic devices in Cusimano’s possession. He remains released on bail while sentencing is pending and may not have contact with minors or any internet access except for legal aid.
He was charged July 29, 2024, with offenses occurring that April and May. According to court records, he downloaded multiple media files depicting sexual acts involving children.
Arrest for bat assault
A Stayton man is facing a felony charge for allegedly threatening a man with a baseball bat and later contacting the victim in spite of court orders. Kermet Nelson Bodda, 65, was charged Aug. 22 in Marion County Circuit Court with unlawful use of a weapon and contempt of court for an incident on July 26.
According to the Stayton Police Department, Bodda and the other man were arguing and throwing objects at each other when Bodda allegedly began chasing the other man with a baseball bat. Bodda was booked and released from the Marion County Jail with orders to possess no weapons and to have no contact with the victim or his residence. Bodda allegedly returned to the residence later that day and was arrested a second time. He was released from jail again with the same conditions. If convicted, Bodda faces up to five years in prison. He is due in court Sept. 30 for arraignment.
Janice Davis death ruled accidental
A Stayton woman who went missing in July and was later found dead in the woods near her home died accidentally, according to authorities. Janice Christine Davis, 58, was reported missing July 16 and was last seen on foot “disoriented and confused,” said police. She was known to walk the paths near her house and on July 21 police announced they had found her deceased in a wooded area far from the established paths. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the cause of death was “probable fall and drowning” and Davis’s passing was ruled accidental.
