Lewis describes brutal beating as jury weighs conflicting testimony about robbery

Jason McCollum, far right, on trial for the assault and robbery of Donald Lewis of The Dalles in 2021 leaves the courtroom on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Jan. 28, 2026 — Jurors in the trial of Jason McCollum heard detailed testimony Tuesday and Wednesday challenging both the state’s investigative decisions and the credibility of its cooperating accomplice witness as a defense attorney pressed police witnesses on lack of evidence. and prosecutors presented surveillance-video testimony and graphic firsthand testimony from the victim Donald Lewis of a violent 2021 home invasion.

McCollum, a 50-year-old Portland man, is charged in Wasco County Circuit Court with nine counts: first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, third-degree assault, first-degree aggravated theft, first-degree theft, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing. Judge Janet Stauffer is presiding. He could face more than a decade in prison if found guilty at the trial.

The state alleges McCollum was a participant in the Jan. 22, 2021, home-invasion robbery and beating of “Donny” Lewis in West The Dalles. Three other men — Christopher Allan Jaha, Christian Dlouhy and Jeremy Lee Anderson — have previously been convicted in crimes associated with the home invasion. Anderson is currently serving a 100-month prison sentence after a mid-trial pleading of guilty to beating and robbing Lewis. Dlouhy received 25 months prison time for first degree solicitation of robbery. Jaha awaits sentencing in February.

District Attorney Matthee Ellis told jurors on Monday that investigators determined the suspected robbers used a rented Dodge Charger to travel from the Portland area to The Dalles and back. Police obtained a search warrant for GPS data from the rental vehicle, which Ellis said showed the car leaving Portland area, stopping at Lewis’ home at the time of the crime, and returning to Portland area nondescript auto shop approximately two hours later.

Ellis said the GPS data allowed detectives to gather surveillance video of one occupant of the vehicle at multiple locations in The Dalles. He told jurors that evidence led police to Jaha, who later cooperated with investigators.

Cooperating accomplice testifies under plea agreement

The prosecution’s witness Christopher Allan Jaha sits outside the courtroom on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Wasco County Courthouse. Jaha has pleaded guilty to robbing Donald Lewis of The Dalles and has given testimony against Jason McCollum of Portland who prosectors said was one of two assailants that brutally attacked Lewis and stole more than $150,000 in cash, coins and property. Jaha maintained he was forced to drive the car in the robbery.

Christian Allan Jaha testified Tuesday that he was forced to participate in the Jan. 22, 2021, robbery of Donald “Donny” Lewis under threat of violence and said his role in the crime stemmed from fear rather than intent.

Jaha entered the courtroom in a wheelchair wearing orange jail sweats and was pushed by a Wasco County deputy. After being sworn in, Jaha testified that he knew Jason McCollum, who was seated at the defense table, and Jeremy Lee Anderson, who is currently serving a 100-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to beating and robbing Lewis.

When asked how he knew Anderson, Jaha said, “We were in prison together.”

Jaha testified he was addicted to methamphetamine at the time of the crime but has been clean since being incarcerated at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility in The Dalles. He described himself as a career criminal and told jurors his associations at the time were largely limited to drug users and gang members, including individuals affiliated with the Portland-based Brood Gang, also known as the Krude Rude Brood.

During questioning by Wasco County District Attorney Kara Davis, Jaha was asked whether he was nervous about testifying. “Extremely,” Jaha responded. When asked why, Jaha told the jury that inmates who testify against others face serious retaliation. “I could get stabbed, severely beat, killed, Jaha said.

Jaha testified that he had borrowed a rented a gray Dodge Charger and drove to Southeast Portland, where Monica Moulton lived in a four-plex. Jaha said he, McCollum and Anderson met in an RV parked outside the buildings.

According to Jaha, Anderson and McCollum forced him to go along with the robbery. Jaha testified Anderson struck him in the head with a gun. He told jurors Anderson threatened him, saying, “You help me or chew on a bullet.”

Jaha testified he drove himself, McCollum and Anderson in the Charger toward The Dalles believing he would be shot if he refused to help. He said the group arrived in The Dalles in the afternoon and waited until after dark to carry out the robbery. During that time, Jaha testified he stopped at a convenience store to buy beer and other locations in The Dalles.

When asked why he did not alert the clerk or seek help, Jaha testified, “I didn’t want to be a rat. I thought it would be bad for me. People get beat up, pistol whipped. That’s the way it is.”

Jaha testified they drove to Lewis’ home after dark and parked the Charger in Lewis’ front driveway off Pomona Street. He said he remained in the vehicle while Anderson and McCollum entered the house to commit the robbery.

“Anderson came out with the safe,” Jaha testified. “He had me move the car. He carried it over to the car.”

Jaha testified Anderson and McCollum had previously took his cell phone, wallet and key fob to prevent him from fleeing. He said Anderson removed a black glove to retrieve the key fob from his pocket, then struck him in the head again.

Earlier in the trial, The Dalles Police Sgt. Josh Jones testified a black glove was recovered from the driveway at the crime scene. Jaha identified the glove in a photograph shown to him by prosecutors and testified gloves had been taken from the Charger’s glove box before Anderson and McCollum entered the house.

Jaha testified that after the robbery, the group immediately drove east on Interstate 84 toward Portland, stopping briefly to throw Lewis’ wallet over a guardrail.

He testified they returned to an auto shop at 4118 South Macadam Avenue in Portland, across from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Jaha said McCollum had a sleeping area at the shop and kept clothing, a motorcycle and personal belongings there. He described the shop as equipped with vehicle lifts, jacks and tools, including grinders and crowbars used to open safes.

Jaha testified McCollum and Anderson broke open Lewis’ safe at the shop while he was in a bedroom with a woman. He said thick envelopes of cash were found inside, along with gold, silver and collectible coins.

They filled a five-gallon wastebasket partially full, Jaha testified. “It was mostly silver.”

Jaha testified Anderson later allowed him to leave and that McCollum separated the coins because he knew where to sell them. Jaha said he and McCollum later returned to Moulton’s residence and then traveled to Willamette Park, where they dumped a different safe in a dumpster, before Jaha returned to his home in Longview, Washington.

Jaha also testified he later saw McCollum driving a Maserati purchased after the robbery. After being shown a photograph by prosecutors, Jaha identified the vehicle.

“That’s the one he bought,” Jaha testified. He said McCollum told him he purchased the car using cash and coins from the robbery and estimated the purchase price at between $40,000 and $60,000.

During questioning by Wasco County District Attorney Kara Davis, Jaha acknowledged he entered into a plea agreement requiring him to testify. He testified his anticipated 60-month prison sentence could increase or decrease depending on his participation but said he was not required to secure convictions and was required to testify truthfully.

Asked whether he was nervous to testify, Jaha responded, “Extremely.”

When asked what could happen to inmates who testify against others, Jaha testified, “I could get stabbed, severely beat, killed.”

On cross-examination, defense attorney Hoevet Olson questioned Jaha about inconsistencies in his statements to police, including differing accounts of where he was struck with a gun and his initial insistence that he had nothing to do with the robbery. Jaha testified he later recanted and said confusion from drug use contributed to inconsistencies, adding that detectives “twisted my words all around.”

Olson also questioned Jaha about his plea agreement, noting he originally faced multiple Measure 11 charges carrying mandatory prison sentences. Jaha acknowledged he could face more than 90 months in prison if convicted at trial and agreed he could argue for a lesser sentence by providing truthful testimony.

“I’m hoping to get 60 months, obviously,” Jaha testified. “I’d like less, but I doubt it.”

Defense presses police on evidence and investigative choices

Defense attorney Hoevet Olson cross-examined The Dalles Police Detective Sgt. Austin Ell, attempting to poke holes in the investigation and highlight what the defense contends are missing links between McCollum and the crime.

Ell testified investigators swabbed multiple interior surfaces of the rented gray Dodge Charger — the steering wheel, gear shift, glove box and door handles — for DNA. The defense has argued and prosecutors agree there is no DNA from the crime scene or vehicle that matches McCollum’s.

Ell testified detectives discussed obtaining a search warrant for the auto shop at 4118 SW Macadam Ave. in Portland — the same shop where surveillance video later showed the Dodge Charger about two hours after the robbery. Ell told the jury they believed the location had gone “stale,” meaning it likely no longer contained evidence related to the crime by the time the auto shop became known to investigators.

Olson asked whether boots worn by Lewis’ assailants or tools used for opening a safe could have been at the shop.

“It was a consideration,” Ell testified.

Olson then keyed in on the GPS mapping evidence, pressing Ell that GPS points tied to the Charger did not match the address where prosecutors say the group met in Portland before traveling to The Dalles — Monica Moulton’s residence on Southeast Division Street. Ell agreed the GPS data did not match that address. However, on redirect examination, Ell testified the GPS location was in very close proximity to Moulton’s address.

Olson also pressed Ell on the state’s cooperating witness, Jaha, as he continued to show inconsistencies between his testimony and what he told detectives in 2021. Olson highlighted that Ell agreed Jaha repeatedly insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery. On redirect, Ell testified it is common for a criminal suspect to initially deny involvement during an interview.

Olson also hammered away at Jaha’s story that he was pistol whipped by Anderson during the planning of the crime and coerced into doing the robbery.

Olson also questioned Jaha about where Lewis’ stolen safe was discarded. Jaha testified he and McCollum dropped the safe near Skyline Boulevard off Highway 26 near the Portland Zoo. When Olson stated police later recovered the safe in The Dalles, Jaha responded, “That’s impossible.”

Prosecutors later presented testimony from Sgt. Ell, who told jurors the safe was recovered in a Safeway parking lot in The Dalles on May 19, 2021 - the very same day that Jaha told a grand jury in The Dalles that McCollum, Anderson and Dlouey were complicit in the robbery.

Ell also testified detectives were never able to determine how Lewis’ stolen safe ended up in the Safeway parking and no fingerprints were lifted from the safe because of its exposure over time.

“The prints were likely gone,” Ell said.

Video evidence at Macadam auto shop

Homeland Security narcotics investigator Nathan Bresee testified to the validity of surveillance video of the Dodge Charger at the auto shop across from the ICE building on South Macadam Avenue. In the video, three men can be seen getting out of the Charger and entering the auto shop. Jaha has testified the men were himself, McCollum and Anderson.

Coins taken from McCollum on unconnected arrest

During testimony Tuesday, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office property technician Jeremiah Calvin told jurors he handled Jason McCollum’s intake at the Multnomah County Justice Center on Feb. 23, 2021 - one month after the robbery in The Dalles. Calvin testified that McCollum possessed 11 silver dollars, 11 half dollars and 13 gold coins at the time of his booking. Prosecutors inferred the coins were the same as those Lewis reported stolen from his safe during the January 2021 home-invasion robbery.

Lewis describes attack, injuries and stolen safe contents and who knew about his money

File Photo - Donny Lewis with his dogs in April 2024 while collecting shopping carts on West Fourth Street.

Donald Lewis testified Wednesday about how Christian Dlouhy learned of his safe and personal holdings years before the robbery.

Lewis told jurors that Dlouhy and her mother, Dede Carter, stayed on his property several years earlier after the gas pump on their vehicle failed. Lewis testified he allowed the two to remain on his property in their trailer while the vehicle was repaired.

Lewis said Carter offered to clean his house in exchange for the help, and he agreed. Lewis testified that during that time Carter and Dlouhy became aware that he kept a safe in his home and had significant personal property.

Lewis said the women left after their vehicle was repaired a day or two later.

Lewis, who has been watching the trial with a few friends this week, was called to deliver testimony today about the attack on him. He told the jury he was cooking dinner on Jan. 22, 2021, and expecting a neighbor to visit when he heard a knock at the door.

Lewis testified that “two guys dressed in black with guns kicked in the door.”

“They said they were police,” Lewis said. “But the .45 he was holding had a rusty barrel. I knew it was not the police. I tried to run but they grabbed me.”

Asked by District Attorney Kara Davis whether anyone had been wearing a high-visibility coat, Lewis testified, “No.” Prosecutors asked the question because, earlier in the trial, jurors heard testimony that Jaha was seen wearing a high-visibility green-and-orange coat in videos taken around The Dalles in the hours before the robbery.

Lewis testified both men were taller than him. Lewis testified he is 5 feet 6 inches tall. “I had to look up,” he said.

Lewis testified he was on the floor when he pulled his .38-caliber handgun from the right waist of his pants, but the assailant holding the .45 grabbed the cylinder and prevented him from firing.

“He twisted it out of my hand,” Lewis testified. “My hand hurt for months after that. They fell on top of me.”

Lewis testified the men forced him face down, zip-tied his hands behind his back and zip-tied his ankles.

“When I was laying there they kicked my face with new steeltoed boots until I passed out,” Lewis said.

Lewis testified he regained consciousness and attempted to move away using his toes and his forehead. He testified the assailants caught him, beat him again and dragged him down the hallway.

“They used my arms like suitcase handles,” he said.

Lewis testified it took a year for him to regain enough mobility in his arms to dress himself after the attack.

Davis showed gave Lewis a police photo of his bedroom closet. Lewis testified the closet photograph showed where his safe sat before it was stolen.

Lewis testified the safe contained $150,000 in cash in 15 envelopes.

“I was going to travel with it in my retirement,” Lewis testified.

Lewis testified the safe also contained a satchel of 1897 silver dollars and silver 50-cent pieces, as well as coins from around the world, arrowheads, and military medals belonging to his father and grandfather.

Lewis testified the assailants covered his head with his seabag and tied the drawstrings to his hands. He testified that after the attackers left, he feared he would not be found.

“I was afraid that nobody would find me. Afraid I might possibly die,” Lewis testified.

Lewis testified he was in the hallway and could see the assailants had dumped pocketknives and scissors from a drawer onto the floor. He said he used his forehead and feet to move to the bedroom and tried to cut the zip ties on his hands, breaking scissors in the attempt.

Lewis testified cutting the restraints was difficult because every time he moved his hands, the drawstring on the bag around his head and neck tightened and choked him.

Lewis testified he eventually got a saw blade in a knife opened and was able to cut through the zip tie on his wrists.

Lewis testified he then pushed pots of burning food off the burners in his kitchen and made his way to a neighbor’s house across the street. He testified the neighbor did not recognize him because his face was so damaged and the neighbor called police. The neighbor retrieved rose shears and cut the zip tie around his ankles, he said.

Lewis testified Carolyn Layson convinced him to go to Mid-Columbia Medical Center, where doctors discovered multiple fractures and breaks in the bones of his face. He testified he was transported to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where he underwent five surgeries that night.

Five weeks later, Lewis said he had a bone fragment removed from under his eye.

During recovery, Lewis told the jury he had to be careful not to cough or sneeze for fear of blowing his eyeballs out.

Lewis said eating remains difficult because of loose teeth, requiring soft foods. “I have not eaten in public since,” he said, adding that he used to regularly get french toast and bacon at Mama Jane’s in The Dalles.

Lewis testified Detective Sgt. Ell later brought coins for him to examine that were recovered during the investigation. Lewis testified the coins were from his jewelry box, including a unique mix of coins from Vietnam and Hong Kong, as well as 1897 silver dollars and half dollars.

Cooperating witness contradictions remain central

Defense attorneys have argued the case against McCollum depends heavily on testimony from Jaha, who has testified he is a career criminal with an extensive record and that he entered a plea agreement requiring him to testify truthfully.

The defense has emphasized contradictions and inconsistencies in Jaha’s accounts, including his repeated early denials of involvement and conflicts in his statements regarding key locations and details surrounding the robbery and the movement of the stolen safe.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday morning.