DOJ's Dan Wendel to serve as interim Gilliam County DA

Governor Tina Kotek has asked the Oregon Attorney General to take charge of the Gilliam County District Attorney's Office.

The Attorney General's Office tapped Senior Assistant Attorney Dan Wendel to serve as the interim District Attorney for Gilliam County.

Gilliam County's former District Attorney, Kara Davis, vacated the office at the end of December after being elected as Wasco County's District Attorney in the May primary election.

Despite having several months to identify a candidate, the Governor's Office was unable to finalize a permanent appointment. Two candidates had expressed interest – Dean Morgan of Pennsylvania and Ryan Rodighiero of Union County, Oregon.

Morgan withdrew his name from consideration several months ago, leaving Rodighiero as the lone applicant. The Governor's Office has not responded to questions as of press time to the status of Rodighiero's status as a candidate for the position.

Dan Wendel has been with the Oregon Department of Justice for over 15 years. Prior to joining the DOJ, Wendel was with the Umatilla County District Attorney's Office in Pendleton, where he was chief deputy district attorney. He has been licensed to practice law in Oregon since 2002.

Wendel's time in office is likely to be brief, as he oversees a large jurisdiction for statewide offenses and internal investigations at the Attorney General's Office.

As Gilliam Co. District Attorney, Wendel is expected to work remotely.

Wendel has worked on various cases as the Oregon Department of Justice's senior attorney and has prosecuted several high-profile cases for the State of Oregon.

In 2010, he oversaw the prosecution of a Lincoln County prosecutor who coerced women into sexual favors. In recent years, he investigated the shooting of a man by Portland Police in 2023, and another officer-involved shooting in Crook County in 2022. He also was involved in the investigation of a Grant County Sheriff's Deputy who was accused of having inappropriate contact with female inmates.

But Wendel also has experience in helping smaller counties that are experiencing issues with capacity.

Wendel stepped in to support Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson in 2024, who was working on a homicide from March of 2022. Wendel helped to prosecute Caleb Marion Beehler, who shot Richard Broadbent in Boardman, as the Morrow Co. District Attorney's Office lacked the personnel and resources to oversee the case and manage other priorities on its caseload.

As Gilliam County's interim District Attorney, Wendel will provide criminal prosecution, victim, and witness services and will represent the State in a variety of other proceedings as required by State law. The primary purpose of the District Attorney's Office is to fairly, impartially and honestly enforce all criminal laws.

The county's website says that "The ultimate goal is to make Gilliam County a safer and healthier place to live."