Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
ENLARGE
Malcolm M. Gerlach
The suspect in an attempted rape of a downtown Roseburg store clerk earlier this year had his insanity plea rejected Wednesday by a Lane County jury in a different case.
A Lane County Circuit Court jury took less than two hours to reject the plea from Malcolm Michael Gerlach that he was guilty but insane in the Jan. 20 abduction and rape of a 10-year-old girl snatched from her north Eugene street.
Gerlach was convicted of three counts of first-degree kidnapping and single counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy.
The same jury will convene Jan. 12 to determine whether aggravating circumstances should be considered by Circuit Judge Debra Vogt when she sentences him. With enhancements, Gerlach could face up to 30 years in prison on the most serious of the charges.
Gerlach, 26, grabbed the Eugene girl while she was riding her bicycle and took her to a remote rural area and sexually assaulted her. He then led police on a chase before officers forced him to crash the stolen car he was driving and they were able to rescue the child.
Five days before that incident, Gerlach allegedly tried to drag a clerk inside Formally Yours Tuxedos, 519 S.E. Jackson St., up a set of stairs in the building. The woman broke free and the suspect fled.
Gerlach was identified as a “person of interest” in the Jan. 15 Roseburg attack days after his arrest in Eugene. The day before that incident, Gerlach was released from the Douglas County Jail, following sentencing in a December vehicle theft case.
Hours after the attempted assault, Gerlach allegedly stole a vehicle in Green. The vehicle crashed the next day in Coos County, where he was arrested on minor charges and later released.
In April, Gerlach was indicted on attempted first-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse in connection with the Roseburg incident. Because of his arrest in Eugene, he has not been formally charged but it remains an open case.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
A Lane County Circuit Court jury took less than two hours to reject the plea from Malcolm Michael Gerlach that he was guilty but insane in the Jan. 20 abduction and rape of a 10-year-old girl snatched from her north Eugene street.
Gerlach was convicted of three counts of first-degree kidnapping and single counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy.
The same jury will convene Jan. 12 to determine whether aggravating circumstances should be considered by Circuit Judge Debra Vogt when she sentences him. With enhancements, Gerlach could face up to 30 years in prison on the most serious of the charges.
Gerlach, 26, grabbed the Eugene girl while she was riding her bicycle and took her to a remote rural area and sexually assaulted her. He then led police on a chase before officers forced him to crash the stolen car he was driving and they were able to rescue the child.
Five days before that incident, Gerlach allegedly tried to drag a clerk inside Formally Yours Tuxedos, 519 S.E. Jackson St., up a set of stairs in the building. The woman broke free and the suspect fled.
Gerlach was identified as a “person of interest” in the Jan. 15 Roseburg attack days after his arrest in Eugene. The day before that incident, Gerlach was released from the Douglas County Jail, following sentencing in a December vehicle theft case.
Hours after the attempted assault, Gerlach allegedly stole a vehicle in Green. The vehicle crashed the next day in Coos County, where he was arrested on minor charges and later released.
In April, Gerlach was indicted on attempted first-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse in connection with the Roseburg incident. Because of his arrest in Eugene, he has not been formally charged but it remains an open case.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
