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State prosecutors have charged newly seated Clackamas County Commissioner Melissa Fireside with eight counts of felony theft, saying she forged the signature of a state lawmaker and defrauded an 83-year-old man of at least $74,000.
The Oregon Department of Justice says the alleged fraud occurred last September, when Fireside, a Democrat, was campaigning to unseat former County Commissioner Mark Shull, a Republican. An indictment says she defrauded Arthur Wayne Petrone of at least $74,000 and forged the signature of state Rep. April Dobson (D-Happy Valley).
Fireside was arraigned in Clackamas County Circuit Court today. She was ordered to have no contact with Petrone or Dobson. Shortly afterward, Attorney General Dan Rayfield released the indictment, which had previously been sealed.
In a statement accompanying the release, Rayfield, also a Democrat, emphasized the impartiality of justice—a nod to how politically charged the allegation is in purple Clackamas County. Fireside’s alleged fraud occurred before the election where she narrowly defeated Shull, but word of the investigation was first surfaced by conservative media accounts and reported by The Oregonian. (Lake Oswego police later confirmed to WW that Fireside was under investigation.)
“It does not matter who you are, which political party you’re in or what position you hold,” Rayfield said in his statement. “We will aggressively prosecute those who victimize Oregon’s seniors.”
Much of what Fireside allegedly did—including why she forged Dobson’s signature—remains unclear. A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice said Petrone and Dobson are not related, and that a probable cause affidavit does not exist for the case. That’s the document in which police detectives typically lay out their theory of the case.
Asked by WW for a comment, Dobson issued the following statement:
“Last summer, Melissa Fireside came to me as a friend looking for temporary relief for her personal business. My instinct was to support a single mother of a young child during a tough time.
“I drew up a contract which explicitly stated she would repay the loan within one month, and she did so,” Dobson continued. “In November I was contacted by law enforcement who informed me there was an issue with the source of the money Melissa Fireside used to pay me back. I did not hesitate to share all the information I had to help the detectives with their investigation. I have not been in contact with Melissa since learning about her alleged crimes.
“We have so much work ahead of us in Clackamas County, and our residents deserve leaders they can trust. I believe Melissa Fireside’s actions are unacceptable for an elected official and call on her to resign immediately.”
The case was handled by the DOJ because Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth recused himself, saying he’d have a conflict of interest because he and Fireside are both county officials.
Fireside, who runs a consulting firm, defeated Shull by a 52% to 48% margin after the Republican was mired in controversy for demeaning remarks he made in 2021 about Muslims.