Molalla Officer Assaulted in Local Park; Attacker Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

On November 26, 2025, Montgomery Ellsworth Gardner, 40, was sentenced to 24 months in prison in Clackamas County Circuit Court, Oregon. Gardner pled guilty to assaulting a Molalla police officer and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The incident happened on July 25, 2025, at a city park on South Molalla Avenue. Officer Justin Brenner found Gardner in a tent with a meth pipe and a large knife. When Brenner tried to detain Gardner, Gardner attacked and injured the officer. Gardner then barricaded himself in a patrol car, leading to a two-hour standoff with the SWAT team before surrendering…

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