Democrat-Herald, AP
The woman accused of running down state Rep. Kelley Wirth of Corvallis was arraigned this morning in Marion County Circuit Court.
Lisa Temple, 22, was charged with attempted murder and second-degree assault, according to the Salem court administrator's office.
Scott Howell was appointed to represent Temple. She is being held in the Marion County Jail without bail.
According to Salem police, Temple struck Wirth intentionally as Wirth left the Capitol Tuesday evening.
Wirth told a Portland television station Wednesday that she had spoken with the driver hours before she was hit.
Wirth, a Democrat, told KATU that Temple was jealous of her friendship with Temple's boyfriend and the two had discussed the situation before Tuesday night's incident.
Salem police said Wirth was attempting to get into her car when Temple struck her. Wirth suffered injuries to both legs and a foot and underwent surgery at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
"Our investigation determined this was not an accident,'' Salem Police Lt. Bill Kohlmeyer said. "It was an intentional assault. It involved a personal issue between the two of them. It does not appear to involve her work as a legislator.''
Kohlmeyer said that after pinning Wirth between the two cars, Temple got out of her Ford Thunderbird and started yelling at her.
Wirth, a 40-year-old divorced mother of two, said Temple backed her car up and tried to run her over a second time.
"I put my head down and thought of my kids,'' the legislator said. "I thought I was going to die.''
Wirth told KATU she had been friends with Temple's boyfriend for several years, but the two were not having a sexual affair.
However, Fernando Mendez, Temple's boyfriend, told The Oregonian that he and Wirth had been having an affair for about 18 months and he recently confessed it to Temple, with whom he shares a house.
Mendez, 27, a janitor at the Capitol, said he was in the process of breaking up with Wirth, and she showed up at the house for an angry confrontation roughly two hours before the incident.
Rep. Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said he visited Wirth at the hospital Tuesday night.
"She is in a lot of pain,'' he said. "She has suffered a major injury. At this point, all of our focus is upon her personal safety and her health.''
The charges against Temple are both Measure 11 offenses. If she is convicted, she could face 7½ years in prison for attempted murder and five years and 10 months in prison for second-degree assault.
Wirth was first elected to the House in 2000
_________________________
Amo i Gemelli!!