Dirty conduct results in filthy ending

On Thursday June 4, 2015, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a Central Precinct sergeant was flagged down about a man trapped in a tipped-over porta-potty near the Eastbank Esplanade at the foot of the Hawthorne Bridge.

The porta-potty was lying on the door so Portland Fire and Rescue personnel responded to lift the porta-potty and free the man trapped inside.

The 48-year-old homeless man was not injured, but was covered in fecal matter and waste from the tank of the porta-potty.

An anonymous homeless person approached the police and said that the man was inside the porta-potty with his pants around his ankles, holding the door open as he pleasured himself. The person told the police that other homeless people were “tired of his behavior” so they knocked over the porta-potty and ran away.

The people involved in knocking over the porta-potty were not identified or located.

Based on the circumstances of the incident, officers decided not to arrest the 48-year-old man and got him some clean clothes.

The Portland Police Bureau discourages people taking direct action in circumstances like this and suggests calling 9-1-1 when witnessing an incident of public indecency.