Prolific Multnomah County car thief indicted on 20 charges by grand jury

Published 12:38 pm Monday, August 28, 2023

A “well-known” car thief was indicted Monday, Aug. 28, by a grand jury on 20 charges related to vehicle and identity theft, as well as fleeing police and reckless driving.

Johnathan William Hanna was indicted in the Multnomah County Circuit Court of unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, six counts of identity theft, computer crime, fraudulent use of a credit card, felony fleeing, misdemeanor fleeing, six counts of recklessly endangering another person, and reckless driving.

The case was presented in court by Deputy District Attorney Cody Linderholm, with the Auto Theft Task Force.

The investigation began on Aug. 17 when Gresham Police took a stolen vehicle report from a victim, who also had video evidence of the theft. That was shared with Portland Police Bureau officers, who found the car parked outside an apartment building the next day while on patrol in Southeast Portland. A suspect, later identified as Hanna, was sitting inside the vehicle, who fled as officers approached on foot.

Police used spike strips to deflate both passenger tires, but Hanna continued to flee at a high-rate of speed. Eventually he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers found him and made an arrest.

During the arrest officers found five pieces of identification, including that of the initial victim who reported the stolen vehicle. The investigation revealed Hanna had used one of that victim’s credit cards to make a purchase shortly after the theft.

Police said Hanna is well-known as a car thief. He previously was convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle and served 2 and a half years in custody. He also has two pending cases in Multnomah County and one in Washington County.