Marion Co. Dist. Attorney’s Office – 07/21/23 8:57 AM
On Thursday, July 21, 2023, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Channing Bennett sentenced Sean K. Beck (9/29/1973) to 205 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections for series of crimes committed on July 28, 2021. Those crimes include Manslaughter in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm x 5, Felon in Possession Firearm x 3, and Driving Under the Influence. Judge Bennett also found substantial and compelling reasons to deny Sean Beck earned time or any programming that could shorten his sentence.
A summary of the facts of the case are as follows:
On the morning of July 28, 2021, Keizer Police received a report from Crystal Billings, that Sean Beck, had stolen her 2014 silver Nissan X-terra as well as 3 guns – a Glock pistol, an A-R 15 and a Savage (.338 Lapua Magnum) rifle. Later that same day, a citizen reported that the stolen X-terra was parked behind a business off River Road in Keizer. It was further reported that a man with a pistol on his hip, later identified as Sean Beck, was standing near the vehicle. Keizer Police responded to that location and made contact with the Beck, who had by then gotten back into the X-terra. Beck was given repeated orders to surrender but refused to comply and eventually opened fire in the general direction of the police, who then returned fire.[1] Despite being shot several times, Beck then drove away from the scene and eluded police officers who were following him with lights and sirens. As the chase progressed down River Road, Beck ran a red light at a high rate of speed, struck, and then ran over a woman named Becky Dietzel, killing her. Despite this, Beck did not stop and instead continued to elude until police[2] were able to execute a pit maneuver and stop the X-terra by force.[3] After an approximately twenty-minute stand-off, Beck was taken into custody and transported to Salem Hospital to be treated for his wounds. A medical blood draw at the hospital showed that the defendant had a .35 BAC. A subsequent search of the stolen X-terra recovered the 3 stolen guns.
Sean Beck has an extensive criminal history that includes criminal convictions in four states as well as federal convictions for Robbery of a Banking Institution and Bank Robbery.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Matthew Kemmy and Katharine Semple.
District Attorney Paige Clarkson thanks Keizer Police Officers Jeremy Darst, Scott Kenniston, Chad Fahey, Michael Kowash and Sergeant Kevin DeMarco as well as the rest of the Keizer Police Department for their bravery and service.
Video from the incident can be located here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16dZvcGJpmOiPMR9aM89IAuBceMiBLy3k?usp=sharing
[1] Dash cam videos of the shooting scene and the chase can be viewed here (warning – graphic) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16dZvcGJpmOiPMR9aM89IAuBceMiBLy3k?usp=sharing[1] Keizer Police Officers Jeremy Darst, Scott Kenniston, Chad Fahey, Michael Kowash and Sergeant Kevin DeMarco were all cleared by a Marion County Grand Jury for their justified use of deadly force during the incident.
[2] Corporal Matthew Groat of the Salem Police Department joined the pursuit and executed the pit maneuver that brought Beck to a stop.
[3] Dash cam videos of the shooting scene and the chase can be viewed here (warning – graphic) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16dZvcGJpmOiPMR9aM89IAuBceMiBLy3k?usp=sharing
