Breaking News: Arrest made in Jeffrey Beach murder
Published 1:27 pm Saturday, May 18, 2024
LONG BEACH — The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office says it has cracked a cold case from 2015 and arrested a man for second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.
The incident took place on July 3, 2015, when friends of Jeffrey Beach called 911 to report that he had been assaulted in the dunes at 120th Place. When first responders arrived on the scene, he was unconscious and taken to Ocean Beach Hospital.
Beach was then airlifted to a trauma center in Portland, where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy report listed his manner of death as “homicide” with also a finding of “strangulation.”
The official cause of death is listed as “blunt force head trauma.”
Over the course of 8 years, the case had no significant breakthroughs and sat unsolved under two different sheriffs.
In March 2023, Sheriff Daniel Garcia handed the case over to Det. Cory Nacnac, hoping that reexamination would identify a suspect.
Formal charges were filed against Charles J. Watts, 43, on May 17.
“Charles Watts was apprehended following 15 months of diligent investigative efforts,” PCSO Cmdr. Michael Parker said.
Watts is currently being held on $1 million bail at the Pacific County Jail. He is scheduled to make a preliminary appearance in the Pacific County Superior Court on May 20.
Watts is one of the original suspects in the case.
The Observer will have an in-depth write-up in the May 22 edition.