YIKES

Man Charged With Stalking, Harassing Oregon Newspaper Editor: Cops

The 51-year-old man allegedly stalked and harassed Therese Bottomly, the editor of The Oregonian/OregonLive.

A Portland man was arrested and charged Tuesday for allegedly stalking and harassing the editor of The Oregonian, Therese Bottomly. Kevin Michael Purfield, 51, allegedly accused journalists, like Bottomly, of publishing false information about horrific national events, including mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, the Aurora, Colo., movie theater, and a Pittsburgh synagogue. Purfield allegedly repeatedly harassed the newspaper editor and the website over articles about these mass shootings, claiming at least two of them didn’t take place. He was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center for the felony stalking and misdemeanor telephone harassment charges, and his bail has been set at $2 million. Purfield, who has reportedly struggled with mental illness, previously pleaded guilty in 2013 to harassing family members of the Aurora shooting victims via social media and phone calls, and telling them their loved ones had not died in the mass shooting. A Multnomah County judge sentenced him to probation, limited his phone use, and ordered him to undergo mental health treatment for a documented mental illness.