A bizarre case surrounding an Oregon man who shot at another man who asked him to stop harassing a flock of wild peacocks came to a close last week after he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
A Multnomah County judge sentenced 25-year-old Dylan Levi Rhoads to 90 months in prison after Rhoads pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon, local prosecutors said.
Authorities say that Rhoads’ case started with a confrontation he had with another man on Sept. 29, 2023. That day, the victim left his house to go to work when he saw Rhoads and another man harassing peacocks across the street.
The victim asked the pair to stop, but Rhoads and his friend replied with a “violent response,” according to prosecutors, and told the victim, “bock, bock, bock, you next” and “We can bang right now.”
The victim briefly returned to his home, and when Rhoads and his friend drove away, he left his house again and began driving to work.
He only made it a couple of blocks before he saw Rhoads and his friend waiting in their car at an intersection. Authorities say Rhoads, who was seated in the driver’s seat, shot at the victim.
Bullets grazed the man, but prosecutors state that he did not suffer serious injuries. The victim reportedly had a heavy-duty driver’s seat installed in his car that stopped one of the bullets from hitting him.
Investigators found five shell casings at the intersection and multiple bullet strikes to the victim’s car. Police also obtained Ring camera video that helped police identify Rhoads’ car. They found his vehicle within days.
The judge overseeing Rhoads’ case also resolved eight other cases against him, which mainly included charges relating to reckless driving, according to court documents cited by KGW.
“This defendant had a clear pattern of escalating, dangerous, criminal behavior. And yet he was repeatedly released after being arrested for his earlier crimes,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Eric Palmer said. “I believe the system failed here- failed both the victims and the defendant.”
