PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Portland’s mass transit agency has banned for life a 32-year-old man who has a history of cutting, gluing or masturbating into women’s hair while riding on buses and trains.
TriMet issued the lifetime ban Thursday to Jared Walter, who became known as the “TriMet Barber” for his behavior that has resulted in several criminal convictions over the last decade, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
“The decision to issue this individual a lifetime exclusion from the TriMet system was not one made lightly,” TriMet general manager Doug Kelsey said in a statement. “As a public transit provider, people rely on our buses and trains to get to jobs and services. But we cannot allow Mr. Walter to continue to ride based on his recent actions and behavior that threatens the safety and well-being of our riders and employees.”
Walter was placed on probation for five years in March 2018 following a 2017 conviction for cutting a woman’s hair on a bus. He was initially banned from public transportation as part of that probation, but those requirements were later dismissed.
He has been temporarily banned at other times, including a five-year ban issued in 2013.
Walter’s crimes prompted TriMet’s board to approve an ordinance in September 2017, allowing agency officials to issue longer exclusions and lifetime bans.
“While TriMet worked with authorities to make a ban on riding transit part of Walter’s parole or probation, we had no control over the ultimate length of his sentences,” said Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokeswoman. “With new criminal charges pending just four months after his latest release from jail in November 2018, TriMet has invoked the strongest penalty that we as a transit agency can - a lifetime exclusion.”
Walter will be able to seek a modification or end to the lifetime ban if he gets treatment and can prove rehabilitation, according to the agency.
While the ban is in effect, Walter could face criminal trespassing and interfering with public transportation charges if he is caught on buses or trains. He is currently in jail involving two more cases of sexual abuse on TriMet light rail trains, stemming from a March 20 incident.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com
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