LINCOLN CITY, Ore. – In a heartbreaking turn of events, a 30-year-old man from Lincoln City has been accused of killing a hotel guest to steal the guest's dog, as revealed by court documents.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lincoln County Circuit Court, Roland Evans-Freke faces charges including two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, and first-degree manslaughter. The incident unfolded at the Ashley Inn on Highway 101, where Lincoln City police were called just after 10 p.m. on May 15 to respond to a reported physical disturbance.
The police report details a tragic scene: officers arrived to find two bystanders restraining Evans-Freke while a 69-year-old victim, Bradley Cole of Milwaukie, Oregon, lay motionless and covered in blood. Video footage from the hotel's security cameras showed Evans-Freke smoking a cigarette outside the hotel when Cole came out to walk his dog. Evans-Freke then approached Cole and launched a brutal assault, punching, kicking, and kneeing him repeatedly before stealing the dog. Shockingly, Evans-Freke returned to the scene twice more to continue the assault as Cole lay on the ground.
Despite resuscitation efforts, Cole, who suffered severe facial trauma, was pronounced dead at the scene. The police report states that Evans-Freke resisted arrest, requiring officers to use a taser multiple times before securing him in handcuffs. Evans-Freke admitted to the assault, stating his intent was to take the dog.
Evans-Freke is currently held at the Lincoln County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on May 22, according to jail records.
This tragic event, reported by KEZI, has left the community in the beautiful Lincoln City area in shock and mourning.
