57-Year-Old Facing Criminal Mischief, Burglary, and Unauthorized Entry Charges

Eleven aircraft were impacted in a break-in at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, earning the perpetrator more than a dozen charges of criminal mischief, burglary, unauthorized entry, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and trespassing. He was released from custody after a short stay in Coos County Jail and a mental health evaluation.

The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Melvin Myhill of North Bend, allegedly accessed multiple planes on September 3 and even moved one from its hangar before airport staff and police tracked him down. Officers found him sitting inside a private aircraft near the commercial hangar and arrested him without a hitch.

Myhill was booked on 11 counts of first-degree criminal mischief, two counts of burglary, two counts of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, one count of attempted unauthorized entry, one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and one count of second-degree trespass. He was quickly released from custody and transported to Bay Area Hospital for a mental health check-up.

Airport officials say that, while no major damage was immediately visible, all eleven affected aircraft must be given a thorough once-over before returning to service.

"Right now, we're working with the TSA, the FAA, our operations staff is debriefing on what happened - it's because there is constant evaluation and security protocols in place that we noticed that this incident had happened,” explains Stephanie Kilmer, Coos County Airport District spokesperson. “We're constantly training, we're constantly evaluating and ensuring that the public is safe to use this airport.”

Police are continuing to investigate and encourage anyone with additional information to come forward.

FMI: www.cooscountyairportdistrict.com