Eugene police arrest man with replica gun, meth near River Road clinic

Eugene police arrested 62-year-old Todd James Ottem early Thursday after responding to a report that a man was waving a firearm outside the OMG Northside Medical Clinic at 3915 River Road. Officers used a less-lethal sponge round and a Taser to subdue Ottem before taking him into custody, and later found a realistic-looking replica pistol and methamphetamine in the tarp-covered camp area where he had been staying.

Police responded at 1:54 a.m. on Feb. 5 after a caller reported a man waving a gun in the air outside the clinic. Multiple Eugene Police Department officers and a Lane County Sheriff’s Office K9 team arrived on scene and located Ottem at the clinic’s sliding glass doors. Reports differ on whether those doors serve as the building’s main entrance or a side entrance, but both accounts place Ottem camped at that doorway, behind a tarp attached to an exterior post.

Eugene Police described Ottem as confrontational when officers began issuing commands. “He was argumentative and refused to listen to officer commands,” the department said. Officers told Ottem to face away; “Ottem was advised to face away from officers, but instead he dropped his hands towards his waist,” the department said, which officers say raised concerns about an accessible weapon given his long coat. After officers deployed a less-lethal sponge round and used a Taser, they secured Ottem and searched the immediate area.

Investigators recovered a realistic-looking replica pistol in Ottem’s tarp area, and officers also located methamphetamine that led to an Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine charge. Eugene Springfield Fire personnel evaluated Ottem at the scene before he was transported to the Lane County Jail. He was lodged on charges including Resisting Arrest; Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree; Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree; Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine; and an outstanding warrant.

The incident underscores ongoing safety and public-health tensions along River Road, where medical services and street encampments can intersect. OMG Northside Medical Clinic serves patients in the neighborhood, and an incident near clinic doors during overnight hours can disrupt access and raise alarm among staff, patients, and neighbors.

For Eugene residents, the arrest highlights the risks responders face when a report involves a possible weapon and the complications that can arise when someone is camped at or near service entrances. Eugene Police continue to investigate the circumstances of the encounter while Ottem remains lodged pending prosecution; officials have said the recovered pistol appeared to be a replica.