A Portland man, David Pearl, 35, was found guilty on February 10, 2026, of failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.
Pearl was convicted on two counts after a bench trial: one for failing to obey a lawful order and another for creating a disturbance.
Court documents state that on June 21, 2025, law enforcement vehicles were blocked from leaving the ICE facility by a group of people. While most individuals left the area when asked, Pearl and others remained and were detained by authorities.
On June 29, 2025, Pearl returned to the ICE facility. During an attempt by federal officers to arrest another person, Pearl tried to physically separate that individual from officers. He was taken into custody and cited for impeding or disrupting official duties performed by government employees.
Pearl was formally charged with two counts on June 30, 2025: failing to obey a lawful order and creating a disturbance.
The Federal Protective Service led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Bolstad and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Bodell prosecuted the case.
Scott Bradford has served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon after previously holding positions such as Chief of the White Collar Unit and Acting Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/staff-profile/meet-united-states-attorney). The office engages in community outreach efforts across Oregon (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/programs), maintains offices in Portland, Eugene, and Medford (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or), employs 107 staff members (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or), operates under the Department of Justice as one of 93 offices nationwide (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or), and aims to represent the United States in civil and criminal matters while fostering trust in the federal judicial system (https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/about-district-oregon).
