A homeless man who told police he was looking for sex and things to steal when he sneaked into a Southeast Portland house and sexually assaulted a 76-year-old woman was sentenced Monday to 8 ⅓ years in prison.

The woman told police she knew the attacker -- Joseph William Green Jr. -- as a neighborhood panhandler.

Green, 31, told authorities he used methamphetamine daily.

“I hope that by having food and shelter for the next several years will give you time to figure out how to support yourself without taking away from others,” the woman told Green at his sentencing hearing.

Joseph William Green Jr., 31, was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in prison. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

“I hope that you develop relationships that are meaningful and that you never again want to force yourself on another person,” the woman said, according to a news release by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. “ I don’t think you’re a bad person, but I hope you understand that forcing yourself on another person is a hurtful thing to do to everyone, including yourself.”

The woman lived with her adult daughter near Southeast 17th Avenue in the Clinton neighborhood.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Sept. 12, 2018, Green entered the basement of their home through an unlocked door, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the prosecution.

The elderly woman told police she awoke to what she thought was a dog in bed with her, but she soon realized it was a man. The man -- later identified as Green -- climbed on top of her, slapped her face, choked her and tried to cover her mouth, the woman said. Green was unable to rape her because of sheets that were in the way, the woman said. The woman’s daughter came running into the room and -- arms flailing -- forced Green out of the home.

Green left behind his jeans and a key on a lanyard that he later told police he’d stolen from a house next door. He said he’d gone into that house earlier that night looking for sex, but no one was home, according to the affidavit.

Police who responded to a 911 call from the elderly woman’s home found Green, wearing only boxer shorts and shoes, standing in the street while another man was yelling that Green had tried to break into the man’s house, according to the affidavit. The man’s mother said she had heard someone trying to open the front door of their home on Southeast 15th Avenue and her son had arrived home to find Green sitting on their front porch. Police said it was the third house Green had targeted that night.

Green pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree burglary, fourth-degree assault and first-degree criminal trespass. Other charges, including attempted first-degree rape, were dismissed.

The plea agreement was negotiated between the prosecution and the defense. Multnomah County Circuit Judge David Rees approved the deal.

“When we first met, you were asking for help because of your situation of being homeless,” said the victim’s daughter during Green’s sentencing hearing, according to the news release. “You came across as a kind, gentle and intelligent person. ...That evening could have been so much worse. ...I want you to get help and to be a better person in the future."

“I hope that during your time in prison you can get mental health counseling and proper medical care and continue educating yourself,” the daughter continued. "I want you to forgive yourself and to leave prison with a mission to become a meaningful member of our community.”

Court records state that Green had one previous conviction -- for resisting arrest in 2018. He told authorities that he’d been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depression.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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