EUGENE – Donald Wayne Johnson was sentenced to 75 months in prison with no possibility of early release after being found guilty of kidnapping in the second degree, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and assault in the fourth degree. Lane County Circuit Court Judge Kamala H. Shugar issued the sentence following a one-day bench trial on March 12.
The charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 20, 2022, when a husband and wife were driving to the University of Oregon to help their daughter move into her dorm. While the wife slept in the passenger seat, the husband left the car running in a rest area off I-5 near Saginaw. Johnson entered the vehicle, awakening the wife, and she attempted to stop him by grabbing the steering wheel. Johnson assaulted her and drove off, but the husband caught up and subdued Johnson after a brief struggle.
Johnson, on probation for previous offenses, was arrested nearby by Oregon State Police troopers Jonathon Padgett and Blake Preston. Deputy District Attorney Spencer Gwartney prosecuted the case.
