Rogue Valley News update, from RogueValleyMagazine.com
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019
Rogue Valley Weather
Today A 30% chance of rain, otherwise cloudy with a high near 50. Overnight low of 33.
Monday Sunny, with a high near 63.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 66.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 64.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.
Since the October 11th robbery, Medford Police Detectives have been actively investigating the case of a couple who robbed a couple in their Econolodge motel room. The investigation has revealed the following:
Shortly after 8:00 a.m., the young couple in their twenties reported they had been robbed at gunpoint in their motel room at the Econolodge on Riverside Avenue. Three suspects, one of them armed with a gun, entered the motel room, pistol whipped the 25 year old boyfriend, stole property, and jumped into a VW SUV in the parking lot. The victim couple attempted to block them in with their vehicle, but the suspect vehicle rammed them, before fleeing the parking lot. The victim couple chased them in their 1998 white Mercedes sedan. During the car chase, the victims crashed and became disabled near E. Main Street and Eastwood Avenue.
The victims reported that the suspects stole over $100,000 in gold coins as well as cash and electronics.
On October 12th the suspect vehicle was found in the 2700 block of Payne Road, Phoenix, after a citizen called it in as suspicious. The vehicle was unoccupied and seized for evidence.
Through the investigation, detectives were able to identify two of the suspects as Sadele Threets, 30 years old, and Dustin Mack, 30 years old. Threets was the one armed with the handgun.
Medford Detectives were alerted to individuals attempting to sell gold coins at various local coin stores, which matched the unique coins stolen in the robbery. Detectives conducted surveillance and located the suspects in question near 8th Street and Grape Street, leaving a local coin store. Detectives followed two involved vehicles as they drove away together. While they were stopped in traffic on McAndrews, west of Biddle, a Medford Police Officer and two detective vehicles attempted to box them in. One vehicle fled while the other remained on scene. The vehicle that fled was a white 2006 Mercedes 230. The vehicle eluded officers northbound on Biddle Road, in the southbound lanes of travel. The driver of the vehicle that remained stopped, Mariha Lynn Mack, 24, was arrested on outstanding warrants.
Officers flooded the area but lost the vehicle on Poplar Drive, between Progress Drive and Hwy 62. Officers were eventually able to capture three suspects on Steelhead Run Drive, off of Corona Avenue.
The suspects were identified as Dustin Mack, 30, Matthew Andress, 35, and Michelle Kleiser, 37. All of the suspects had outstanding warrants and Mack was wanted for the original robbery.
The investigation led detectives to the 3000 block of Lone Pine Road, where Sadele Threets was thought to be residing in an Airbnb. The residence was surveilled and detectives saw Threets leave the home and get into an Uber. The Uber was stopped on McAndrews Road and Ross Lane. Threets was arrested without incident and was in possession of property stolen in the robbery. The gun was not recovered. Approximately half of the $100,000 in gold coins has been recovered.
The third robbery suspect remains unidenfied. The case remains under investigation.
Last week, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) held a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic and community health center funding while in southern Oregon.
Before the roundtable discussion, Walden spoke at the Josephine County Drug Court Graduation. Walden delivers congratulatory remarks at the Josephine County Drug Court Graduation.
At the graduation, Walden listened to the stories of the young men and women who were a part of the 69th Josephine County Drug Court graduating class. He delivered remarks and encouraged them to continue to lean on others and live above the influence. Walden noted that while we are making progress on combating the opioid epidemic, there is much more to be done.
Following the Drug Court graduation, Walden spoke with La Clinica and Rogue Community Health officials about what more needs to be done to combat the substance use epidemic. The roundtable discussion was another opportunity for Walden to hear from those on the front lines of the crisis. During the roundtable, they also discussed community health center (CHC) funding and the need to ensure that CHCs are fully funded.
Currently, CHC’s serve more than 240,000 Oregonians in the Second District of Oregon. Walden recently announced over $800,000 in federal funding to help these CHCs improve their quality and efficiency and believes that it is essential that CHCs continue to receive the support necessary to serve their communities.
Walden has held several roundtables on the opioid crisis throughout the district and remains committed to doing all that he can to help local communities fight the epidemic. He has been one of the nation’s leaders in combating the opioid crisis, working to pass historic legislation to combat opioid addiction, and investigating bad actors who are enabling the crisis to spread
The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, a part of state government, today launched a window shopping website for people who need insurance or to re-enroll in insurance.
The site shows what plans are available in your area and estimates how much you are likely to pay for that plan, including whether you qualify for a subsidy. The site is available at www.OregonHealthCare.gov/windowshop.
When you use Oregon’s window shop before enrolling, you will be ready to log in and enroll or re-enroll at HealthCare.gov when open enrollment starts. Open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 and is the only time of year most people can buy health insurance. In 2019, Oregonians who got subsidies paid an average of $140 per month for their coverage.
Visiting www.OregonHealthCare.gov/windowshop can help you answer these questions:
• How can I save money on health insurance?
• What would my health plan cover?
• Once I know what I can afford, what’s next?
“People who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan and do not get health insurance at work may qualify for a subsidy through the Marketplace,” said Chiqui Flowers, Marketplace administrator. “This tool helps get specific about costs and benefits for those Oregonians.”
The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded over $273.4 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Six tribes and one tribal commission in the District of Oregon were awarded over $3.3 million in funding. Award recipients include the Burns Paiute Tribe; Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; and the Klamath Tribes.
“Violent crime and domestic abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native communities remain at unacceptably high levels, and they demand a response that is both clear and comprehensive,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “We will continue to work closely with our tribal partners to guarantee they have the resources they need to curb violence and bring healing to the victims most profoundly affected by it.”
“These awards underscore the Justice Department’s sincere commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the U.S. Pursuing justice on behalf of tribal crime victims in Oregon remains a key focus of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We will not stop until all tribes have the resources they need to keep their communities safe and effectively enforce the administration of justice on tribal land,” said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Oregon Lottery Scoreboard, the state’s first and only, legal online sportsbook launched late last week – offering players myriad opportunities to wager on their favorite professional sports.
A Scoreboard mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices, and a desktop version is accessible from the Lottery website. While the iOS app is available in Apple’s App Store, Android users will download their app directly from Lottery’s website.
This is the Oregon Lottery’s first entry into online sales and gameplay with plans to add in-venue sports betting at select Oregon Lottery retail locations in 2020.
Upon online registration and verification, players may fund their accounts and set wagers on a variety of professional sports including NFL, NBA, MLS, NWSL, MLB and even NASCAR. Betting options cover a wide variety as well, including single-game wagers, parlay, live, in-game betting and more. Geolocation services ensure Oregon Lottery Scoreboard play occurs within state boundaries, and not on Tribal lands.
“This is an exciting day for Lottery, as we launch a new game and a new sales channel, “noted Director Barry Pack. “This game allows Lottery to attract new players – increasing revenue for important state programs without relying on current players to play or wager more.”
In order to ensure the highest level of security, Lottery has set the automatic identification validation to the most stringent setting. Players who input incorrect or incomplete data may be required to validate identification through a manual process to establish an account.