A judge has found a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent liable for civil assault for pointing a gun at a hotel maintenance man who had arrived at the agent’s room to unclog his toilet.
U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson will hold a future hearing to determine damages.
Agent Joshua Jones was part of a Phoenix-based Border Patrol tactical unit sent to Portland in July 2020 to guard the federal courthouse and other federal buildings during nightly unrest downtown after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Jones was staying in Room 428 at the Residence Inn by Marriott in North Portland and had called down to the front desk to report a malfunctioning toilet.
Christopher Frison, a chief maintenance engineer at the hotel, arrived at Jones’ room about 5 p.m. on July 27,