Crimes in the Portland area are being tied to recent attacks. From arson to murder these crimes are pointing to criminals who seem to be mentally ill and have drug habits. Some suspects turn themselves in recollecting they heard voices in their heads that they would be harmed if they didn’t burn something down.
Some take Oxycontin pills each day and have histories of schizophrenia. Some have histories of mental illness and addiction prevalence with low access to treatment services. Possible causes of mental illness include:
-Physical illness
-Drug use
-Trauma
-Prolonged insomnia
-High stress
-Biological predisposition
Psychosis affects approximately 3 out of every 100 young people. Full recovery is possible. Psychosis is most likely to first occur during young adulthood, and onset tends to be earlier for males.
One sad case was arson related at an historic downtown church that burned down. A suspect came forward and claimed the crime. According to court documents, 27-year-old Cameron David Storer, also known as Nicolette Fait, said to have turned himself in claiming drugs and schizophrenia tied to these attacks.
Just across the river, a teacher was arrested in Vancouver who was accused of sending nude photos to a student. To add, Brianna Workman was accused of pushing a 3-year-old child off the platform of the Gateway MAX onto the tracks. Earlier this week, Koryn Kraemer was accused of assaulting a 78-year-old man on a MAX platform in Gresham and chewing off an ear and part of his face until his skull was exposed (The Portland Medium has a full story on the face chewing incident).
The Portland Street Response, a program within Portland Fire & Rescue, assists people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises. The program is currently responding citywide.
