Man charged with sexually assaulting woman at used car lot in Portland

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Just off North Albina Avenue sits a used car lot — the site of what Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez is calling a “horrific crime.”

“Our office is being very aggressive on this case because we’re concerned about the victim, and we’re very concerned about this behavior,” he said.

Vasquez said the victim, who is a woman, was serving an eviction notice to ABS Auto Sales when Anthony Hardy sexually assaulted her. The 36-year-old appeared in court Thursday, where he was arraigned on more than a dozen charges. That includes kidnapping, sexual abuse and assault.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim is an independent contractor who provides eviction services.

She reported she had spoken with a real estate agent in charge of the property, who told her there was a hole in the fence on the western side of the property that she could enter to post the eviction paperwork.

Hardy was already at the car lot when she arrived, according to court documents. The suspect claimed ABS Auto Sales was his business before starting to follow and harass her. As she tried to leave, Hardy “bear hugged” her and started punching her in the face.

That is when the woman pulled out a small folding knife from her front waist band, Vasquez said.

“She ended up stabbing this individual,” he said. “There was a lot of back and forth but eventually he did sexually assault her.”

Vasquez said the woman refused to back down. Hardy let her leave after she told him she would not tell anyone what happened. She then called the police.

“I felt an immense sense of just very humbled by what a fighter she was and how she is standing up for herself not only in that moment but going forward,” he said.

Now, prosecutors are trying to figure out if this is an isolated case or if there might be others connected.

“We always want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to stand up for victims, and if there’s a victim we don’t know about, we want to help that individual,” he said.

Court records show Hardy has a criminal history dating back to 2024. He also faces several charges in a robbery case.