Reporter for The Canyon Weekly
A Scio man accused of opening fire on two people in a dispute over an RV trailer has agreed to serve nearly a decade in prison after accepting a plea deal.
Todd Michael Zurfluh, 60, reached an agreement with prosecutors March 29 in Linn County Circuit Court to plead no-contest to two counts of attempted first-degree assault.
In a plea petition filed that day, Zurfluh agreed to serve two consecutive 55-month sentences, totaling nine years and two months, followed by three years of post-prison supervision.
As part of the agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop two counts each of attempted second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
He is scheduled for a plea and sentencing hearing April 16 before Judge Brendan Kane.
Judge Kane reserves the right to accept or reject the plea and to set the terms of sentencing.
No trial date had been set. If the case had gone to trial, Zurfluh faced at least seven and a half years in prison.
Zurfluh was arrested Nov. 11, 2023, following a dispute over a travel trailer stored on his property.
According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the couple who owned the RV were originally given permission to leave it there until Zurfluh asked them to remove it. When the couple attempted to haul the trailer away, Zurfluh allegedly accused them of also taking stolen property and blocked them from leaving.
The sheriff’s office said the couple found a way off the property. As they were leaving, Zurfluh allegedly shot at them with a rifle. He told deputies he shot into the air to scare the couple, but deputies found bullet holes in the victims’ truck near where they were seated.
Zurfluh was arrested for attempted murder. The sheriff’s office noted no stolen property was recovered from the victims.
This was Zurfluh’s first conviction for a serious felony.
