The man accused of robbing the Canby Music Store last August and assaulting the store’s manager has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The crime
Canby Music manager Taylor Andersen was there the afternoon of Aug. 3, when Douglas Wayne Dunn entered the store, claiming to be interested in buying a guitar. Taylor says the man seemed perfectly normal and was dressed presentably, wearing what appeared to be a FedEx shirt. He could also play, at least well enough to convince Taylor that his interest in buying a guitar was sincere.
That all changed when Taylor went to the store counter to make a phone call. As soon as his back was turned, Dunn grabbed a second electric guitar and bolted for the door.
He didn’t get very far.
You have to remember: Canby is one of the safest cities in Oregon. Taylor was never trained in how to handle a violent robbery. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen everyday.
Remembering the incident, Taylor says he didn’t think; he just reacted. He made it to Dunn just as he was getting to his feet, still clutching the two now-ruined guitars. The two grappled with each other outside Canby Music Store and eventually wound up in front of neighboring Rounder’s.
Taylor says he was just trying to corral Dunn and prevent him from getting away. He eventually wrapped an arm around the other man in an attempt to restrain him. Dunn began swinging one of the guitars like a club, trying to hit Taylor in the face.
Store owner Brian Haines, who wasn’t there at the time, says the guitar Dunn was using as a weapon weighed 8 pounds — about four times as much as your average baseball bat. Fortunately, Taylor escaped the scuffle without serious injury.
Dunn managed to scramble away, running west down First Avenue, then turning the corner and heading north. Taylor followed but kept his distance. He says he remembers yelling and trying to alert passers-by or people in the other storefronts to call the police.
“I tried to be as noisy as I could,” he recalled. “I thought if I could make as much noise as I can, the police will show up eventually. I just had to keep him in my sights at that point.”
He pursued Dunn through the parking lot that serves Pappy’s Greasy Spoon and other local businesses, then across Second Avenue to KeyBank. There, Dunn was cornered, as other passers-by had noticed the commotion and come to help Taylor. Dunn continued to swing the guitars at anyone who got close, and also purported to have a deadly weapon.
When Canby police arrived, Dunn claimed that he’d put a $500 down payment on one of the guitars, and that Taylor had actually attacked him with the other. But they didn’t buy it. He was taken into custody and lodged at the Clackamas County Jail.
The prosecution
The court process moved fairly quickly, especially considering there was no plea deal, but the store owner, Brian, says it didn’t feel all that fast. He was at every hearing, and eventually expressed frustration at the delays — many of which were related to issues that kept coming up with Dunn’s court-appointed attorneys. He went through at least four of them.
Why was he so involved (besides the obvious)? Two reasons. First, he felt he owed it to Taylor, his employee, to advocate for him wherever possible. Canby Music had interior security cameras, which showed the initial theft, but most of the allegations, including the assault, could be backed up only by Taylor’s testimony.
Because of this, Taylor knew he would be the subject of a ruthless cross-examination by Dunn’s attorney at trial, and that’s exactly what happened.
But the other reason was the brazenness of the crime itself, and how much worse it could have been.
Dunn’s bench trial was held March 11 before Clackamas County Judge Heather Karabeika. He was convicted on all charges: two counts of robbery, assault, unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree theft and menacing.
The sentence
He was sentenced the following week, March 18, to 10 years in prison. The judge also ruled him ineligible for credit for time served or early release.
The mandatory minimum sentence for robbery I is 90 months, or seven and a half years. Brian says he thinks Dunn was given a lengthier sentence because of his criminal record and because of the attitude and distinct lack of remorse he showed throughout the trial.
Looking back, and now knowing much more about the kind of person Dunn is, Taylor realizes he got off lucky. Both Taylor and Brian are just glad that it’s over and they can finally move on.
Once the appeals run their course, that is.
