Jay Walker Busted — Couldn’t Outrun The Felony Warrant

BEAVERTON, OR — A man with a felony warrant was picked up in Beaverton on Monday after he was seen, in every practical sense, jaywalking, according to Beaverton police spokesman Jeremy Shaw, who added that small incidents — violations or even minor crimes — can often lead to much larger cases when proactively investigated.

Rafael Tovar-Juarez, 22, was taken to Washington County Jail for failing to appear in court for a hearing about a forgery conviction he received in 2016. In addition to his warrant, Tovar-Juarez is also being charged with felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and providing false information to an officer. His bail is set at $3,500.

An officer reportedly saw Tovar-Juarez walking down the sidewalk along Southwest Allen Boulevard near Southwest Main Avenue, just south of downtown Beaverton, around 8:30 a.m. Sept. 3. Sitting his car, casually watching Tovar-Juarez approach a crosswalk, the officer reportedly saw Tovar-Juarez repeatedly turning to watch the officer in his car.

Continuing this behavior right up to when he reached the crosswalk, Tovar-Juarez reportedly stepped into the street against a "No Walk" signal, prompting the officer to pull up to him and initiate a conversation.

While "jaywalking," as such, isn't identified as a crime by that name in Oregon, what Tovar-Juarez did essentially amounts to failing to obey a traffic control device — a pedestrian violation.

When the officer confronted him, Tovar-Juarez initially lied about his identity, Shaw said, noting that for crossing against the walk signal Tovar-Juarez would have likely just gotten a warning — if not for his previously displayed and notably suspicious behavior.

After speaking with Tovar-Juarez for a time, the officer was able to confirm who he was and found that he had a warrant out as well.

While arresting Tovar-Juarez, the officer reportedly found a loaded handgun wedged into the waistband of Tovar-Juarez's trousers. Due to previous criminal convictions Tovar-Juarez is prohibited from possessing a firearm, loaded or otherwise, Shaw said.

"We take a proactive approach to policing in Beaverton — watching a person's behavior to see if they're acting strange, that kind of thing. We do these things all the time," Shaw told Patch on Tuesday. "When we find things that don't fit the norm, that's when we investigate. And when we do, sometimes we find felons with concealed guns."

Shaw encourages all residents to keep their eyes open and to trust their intuition when they see something strange or out of the ordinary. Sometimes it may be nothing, Shaw said, but other times it can turn into something larger.

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Tovar-Juarez, who is listed a Lafayette resident, was last convicted of a crime in October 2017, when he pleaded guilty to third-degree theft.

A Latino with tattoos on his face and neck, Tovar-Juarez could be seen as the victim of police profiling in this situation; however, Shaw said, "We don't judge books by their covers. We watch for suspicious behavior."

Images via Washington County Sheriff's Office