Salem man arrested after entering woman's home, standing in her bedroom

A Salem man was arrested earlier this week after going to two West Salem homes overnight — first knocking on a door while holding a knife and hammer, then entering and standing in a woman's bedroom until police got there, according to the Salem Police Department.

The two homes were on Bald Eagle Avenue NW and Sunwood Drive NW, respectively, according to Salem Police Lt. Treven Upkes.

The suspect, Benjamin Mariano Moralez, 25, was walking in West Salem, and around 12:45 a.m., he went onto the front porch of the Bald Eagle Avenue NW house and started ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door while holding a knife and hammer, Upkes said.

A video camera at the residence captured him knocking on a door and looking around the area. Social media users circulated an image of him at the residence.

He left the house, then entered the Sunwood Drive NW home of Amy Timpe close to 1 a.m. "He entered her bedroom and stood there until police arrived," Upkes said. "He did not menace anyone or threaten anyone."

Moralez was booked into the Polk County Jail on Wednesday and faces two trespassing charges. His next court date is April 19 in Polk County Circuit Court, jail records show.

"Before being booked into jail our Polk County Mobile Crisis Response Team performed a mental health evaluation on Moralez," police said in a statement posted to Facebook, though they declined to specify the results. "These evaluations serve to identify services and treatments which can positively impact future behavior."

Contact reporter Jonathan Bach at jbach@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6714, or follow him on Twitter at @jonathanmbach.