Angel

A Redmond whitewater salvage expert known in Northwest search and rescue circles was arraigned Monday for allegedly attempting to murder his wife.

Prosecutors allege Marshall Glenn Angel, 77, also known as Mark, beat his wife, Judy Angel, with a rock, attempted to strangle her with the sash of a robe, placed a bag over her head, threatened her with a firearm and attempted to throw her in a pond before she escaped.

According to previous coverage in The Bulletin, Angel is a renowned whitewater rescue expert, credited with pulling boats, valuables and human remains from bodies of water around the state. He’s especially well known for his rescues from the rapids of the Deschutes River and his practice of offering his services for free to families searching for lost loved ones.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a dispute near the couple’s Redmond residence Saturday morning and found Judy Angel, who was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, according to the sheriff’s office.

In an unusual hearing in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon, Angel was arraigned on six charges, including second-degree attempted murder and four other felonies. Angel spoke for himself and appeared to accept what prosecutors accused him of.

Circuit Court Judge Alycia Sykora repeatedly suggested he accept a public defender to assist in his defense.

“I don’t want you to talk about the details of your case Mr. Angel, but there are some very serious allegations here,” Sykora said, noting that Angel could face 20 years in prison for the attempted murder charge alone.

He vehemently turned down offers of an attorney to assist in his defense.

“Guilty is guilty. I don’t need anybody to help me say it,” Angel told the court, appearing by video from the Deschutes County jail.

Angel remained Monday in jail on $500,000 bail, and he is scheduled to return to court Sept. 27. Sykora noted Angel would again be offered an attorney at that time.

“I’m not going to leave this room I’m in right now,” Angel said from the jail. “They’d better make sure I stay here.”