On May 8, 2025, Marion County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Tracy A. Prall sentenced Brandi Cortes (41) to 90 months (7.5 years) in the Department of Corrections for eluding law enforcement and attempting to stab Keizer Police Officers Cody Stupfel and Jeremie Fletcher with a knife from July 28, 2024.
Judge Prall sentenced Cortes to 45 months at the Department of Corrections for each conviction of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree to be served consecutively. She also sentenced Cortes to 6 months at the Department of Corrections for two convictions of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude to be served concurrently. The court ruled that convictions of Assaulting of a Public Safety Officer and Attempted Assaulting of a Public Safety Officer would merge into the convictions for Attempted Assault in the Second Degree.
The sentencing came after a jury trial which concluded on April 29, 2025, where the jury found Cortes guilty of two counts of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police, two counts of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree, one count of Assault of a Public Safety Officer for causing injury to Jeremie Fletcher, and one count of Attempting to Assault a Public Safety Officer for attempting to injure Cody Stupfel. Cortes was found not guilty of Attempted Aggravated Murder and Attempted Murder in the First Degree.
During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Cortes took Keizer Police on a high speed chase throughout the City of Keizer that ended at Keizer Rapids Park. Cortes then armed herself with a knife and repeatedly stabbed both Officer Cody Stupfel and Officer Jeremie Fletcher. As a result of having protective ballistic vests on, neither officer was significantly injured by the knife.
At the time of the incident, Cortes was on supervision for DUII. Cortes had previously been convicted of two counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree (Marion County Circuit Court Case 13C45497) and Criminal Mischief (03C47081).
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Sarah Meyer and Braden Wolf.
The Marion County District Attorney’s Office is grateful that the officers were unharmed, and wishes to thank Keizer Police for their professsional response and work on this case.
