Whitney Woodworth

Statesman Journal

A Polk County Circuit Court judge has sentenced a West Salem man to seven years and six months in prison for threatening his wife with a gun in July 2015.

Tayde Carranza-Pineda, 48, was sentenced Tuesday by Polk County Circuit Judge Monte Campbell after he pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.

The Salem Police Department investigated the incident in 2015. According to police reports, Carranza-Pineda held his wife at gunpoint in the parking lot of West Salem Christian Church. Carranza-Pineda's wife told police she had requested a divorce a week before the incident. While at church on July 5, 2015, she refused to sit next to him, and he returned to the church parking lot with a loaded gun, according to a probable cause statement.

He told police he wanted to scare her after she disrespected him. According to several witnesses and his wife, Carranza-Pineda threatened to kill his wife and refused to let her leave. During the confrontation, a pastor approached the suspect and tried to calm him down. The pastor told police Carranza-Pineda threatened and pointed the gun at him.

He eventually unloaded the firearm and gave it to the pastor.

Carranza-Pineda was charged with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of coercion. He pleaded not guilty to all counts but later entered a guilty plea for two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of coercion. The two kidnapping charges were dismissed.

Email wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth

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