Mike Arnold, Oregon Attorney

10/04/2026

We get more than 1,000 calls a month from people looking for legal help, and we can only take a very select few of those cases.

Our rates are among the higher rates in Oregon because of the demand and because we use a full team approach on serious cases: lawyers, case managers, investigators, digital forensic analysis, and proprietary AI-assisted systems we’ve built to help organize evidence, pressure-test cases, and prepare them properly.

Most people who call us will never become clients, which is one of the reasons we started the St. Maximilian Kolbe Justice Clinic. Every weekend we host a free educational clinic to help people understand how the legal system actually works, ask better questions, use AI more intelligently, and become better prepared whether they hire us, hire somebody else, or have to represent themselves.

Yesterday we did some additional Westlaw Deep Research for one of the Clinic participants and promised to send it to her. The participant sent us their email address privately through Zoom, and when we logged back in, the private message was gone.

We were able to send the other participants the research we promised, but we don’t have this email address.

If that was you, please send us a private message or call the office at 541-359-1040. We did the research. We have the packet. We just need to find you.

The Clinic is educational only and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

We had a participant in yesterday’s St. Maximilian Kolbe Justice Clinic send us a private Zoom message with their email address so we could send them some Westlaw Deep Research we did after the clinic.

When we logged back into Zoom, the private message was gone, so we no longer have your email address.

We were able to send the research we promised to the other participants, and we don’t want you to miss yours.

I’m deliberately not putting any facts about your question or situation here. But if you were the participant who sent us your email privately in Zoom, please send the Clinic a private Facebook message or call the office at 541-359-1040 and let us know.

We’ll get the research packet to you.

This is part of what we’re trying to build with the St. Maximilian Kolbe Justice Clinic: not just answering random questions, but helping people learn how to identify the real legal questions, research them properly, pressure-test what they think they know, and become better prepared before they talk to a lawyer or walk into court.

As always, the Clinic is educational only. We do not represent participants, and nothing we provide creates an attorney-client relationship or constitutes legal advice.

Preparation beats panic.

10/01/2026

Defense Seeks Eyewitnesses to Alton Baker Dog Park Encounter (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)

Older Man who appeared to be in his 70s with a shaggy dog and a male paddleboarder may have important independent observations.

EUGENE, Ore., Oct 1, 2026 – The defense team for Charles Gordon Otto (see photograph) is asking the public to help locate two potentially important independent witnesses who were at or near Alton Baker Park and the adjacent riverfront on September 24, 2026: (1) an older man who appeared to be in his 70s and was accompanied by a medium-sized shaggy dog, and (2) a male paddleboarder believed to be in his 30s.

According to the defense investigation, the older man was near Mr. Otto and a woman in her mid- to late-thirties while the two were sitting on a log near the river. He was described as an older, well-dressed man wearing a nice cap made of what appeared to be a warm material, in a somewhat classic or European style. It was unclear whether the cap had a brim. The man remained in the immediate area for approximately two to five minutes. He was accompanied by a medium-sized, longer-haired dog, which moved around nearby off leash.

There was brief conversation between the accuser and Mr. Otto while the older gentleman was present, and the parties were making an effort to cover up. The defense is asking him to come forward so investigators can document, in his own words, anything he independently remembers seeing or hearing. If anyone knows of a man that matches this description, please contact defense investigators.

The defense is also seeking a male paddleboarder, believed to have been in his 30s, who passed the same area on the river during the relevant time. There was no known conversation or contact with him. Because he traveled directly past the area, however, investigators want to determine whether he remembers seeing anything that may be relevant.

Additionally, according to the defense investigation, as Mr. Otto and the woman were leaving the area, the woman and Mr. Otto crossed the wooden footbridge near the Science Factory, from Franklin Boulevard toward Hudson, and continued toward the parking lot on Leo Harris Parkway, across from Autzen Stadium and near the dog park.

The account indicates that the woman stated that she believed Mr. Otto was going to take her out for drinks; after he made clear that was not the case, she reportedly said something to the effect of, “You’re just like all the other men. You’re not going to text me and…whatever. Have a good day,” then turned and walked away, speaking loudly and sarcastically. The defense seeks to speak with anyone who saw them cross the footbridge or may have witnessed or overheard their exchange.

Anyone else who was walking a dog, running, cycling, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding or otherwise using the Alton Baker Park riverfront on the afternoon of September 24, 2026 is also asked to contact the defense team. Anyone with photographs, video, GoPro footage, phone recordings or other images from the area should preserve those materials. Please reach out to the defense team if you have any of these materials and are willing to provide them.

Finally, if there are any other witnesses regarding credibility and truthfulness of any of the involved parties or witnesses please contact investigators.

Lane County Circuit Court Charges

Mr. Otto is charged in Lane County Circuit Court with So**my in the First Degree and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree. The State alleges forcible compulsion of fe****io. The defendant maintains that the sexual encounter was consensual. The alleged encounter occurred in a public park and riverfront area where other people were passing through, making independent observations especially important.

“Cases like these are exactly why the public should allow investigations to follow the facts and for cases to make their way through the process and to trial if necessary,” said defense attorney Lissa Casey. Casey is co-counseling this case with attorney Mike Arnold. “The State alleges that forcible sexual acts occurred in a public park. The defense investigation has revealed two witnesses at that park, who saw these two individuals together on the date the acts are alleged to have occurred. Before anyone decides what happened, let us find these witnesses and hear what they have to say. Complete investigations are always what’s best for everyone involved. It’s also what’s best for justice and Due Process.”

Casey continued: “An accusation is the beginning of the fact-finding process, not the end of it.” Casey said, “If you were there, we want to hear what you actually saw and heard. We want unbiased, truthful information to help us complete our investigation.”

Potential witnesses are asked not to compare memories with other potential witnesses before speaking with an investigator so their recollections can be documented. The defense wants each person’s independent recollection preserved accurately.

WITNESS INFORMATION
Defense Investigator: Monty Holloway
Witness Tip Email: [email protected]
Direct Telephone/Text: (541) 621-6812

MEDIA CONTACT
Law Office of Mike Arnold
401 E. 10th Ave., Suite 470
Eugene, Oregon 97401
541-359-1040

A criminal charge is an allegation. Mr. Otto is presumed innocent unless and until the State proves the charges beyond a reasonable doubt to twelve jurors after a complete and thorough investigation and exchange of discovery.
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Oregon trial attorney Mike Arnold specializes in complex criminal defense, DUII, and high-stakes family law and is known for his work defending the falsely accused in challenging cases statewide.

09/28/2026

A police report is not a magic truth certificate. A report does not automatically make every statement inside it admissible; witnesses, purpose, exceptions, and local law matter.

Watch the full Procedural Literacy Lesson 1:
https://youtu.be/qBKoUkNHRhE

Register for the free Saturday webinar:
https://go.saintkolbe.org/webinar

General education only—not legal advice.

09/13/2026

No battle plan survives first contact—but battle planning is invaluable. Preparation gives you something to pivot from when stress, cortisol, and adrenaline hit.

Watch the full Procedural Literacy Lesson 1:
https://youtu.be/qBKoUkNHRhE

Register for the free Saturday webinar:
https://go.saintkolbe.org/webinar

General education only—not legal advice.

09/11/2026

“We had an altercation” is a label—not a fact pattern. Courts need the sequence: what happened first, what happened next, what was said, and what proves it.

Watch the full Procedural Literacy Lesson 1:
https://youtu.be/qBKoUkNHRhE

Register for the free Saturday webinar:
https://go.saintkolbe.org/webinar

General education only—not legal advice.

09/06/2026

You may have hit rock bottom. Do not give up. Decide how future you will act with dignity and purpose.

Watch the full Lesson 1: https://youtu.be/qBKoUkNHRhE
Join the free Saturday webinar: https://go.saintkolbe.org/webinar

Educational only—not legal advice.

09/05/2026

A case begins as chaos. The work is turning competing facts and witnesses into an organized legal story without manufacturing anything.

Watch the full Lesson 1: https://youtu.be/qBKoUkNHRhE
Join the free Saturday webinar: https://go.saintkolbe.org/webinar

Educational only—not legal advice.