Eric Nelson Sharpsteen

A Warrenton man accused of kidnapping was instead found guilty on a less serious charge of fourth-degree assault.

Eric Nelson Sharpsteen, 42, had faced charges of second-degree kidnapping, coercion, two counts of fourth-degree assault and harassment following a fight with his girlfriend in September on a lonely stretch of beach near Delaura Beach Road. He pled not guilty to these charges and the case went to trial.

Sharpsteen has a lengthy criminal history — a fact prosecutor Beau Peterson told the jury it should take into consideration when deciding which witness, Sharpsteen or his girlfriend, was more reliable. The only witnesses to what occurred where Sharpsteen and his girlfriend, and the jury that heard the case essentially had to decide who they believed more.

“Whatever he did in the past does not mean he committed these acts,” said Sharpsteen’s court-appointed lawyer James von Boeckmann, referring to the charges the jury was weighing. Von Boeckmann said Sharpsteen admitted to things on the witness stand that were not in his interest to admit.

“So why would he do that?” von Boeckmann asked, saying that Sharpsteen’s narrative was the truthful account of what happened.

The jury ultimately decided the state did not have the evidence to show Sharpsteen was guilty of kidnapping, a charge that can involve several scenarios including simply holding someone against their will. The state had argued Sharpsteen did this by driving to the isolated beach and not allowing his girlfriend to leave the vehicle. Von Boeckmann countered by saying there was no indication Sharpsteen’s girlfriend was taken anywhere against her will or forced to stay in the car.

Sharpsteen was sentenced to 60 days in the Clatsop County Jail, with credit for time already served. He was acquitted of the other charges against him.