News from around the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon, from RogueValleyMagazine.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2019
Rogue Valley Weather
Today
Sunny, with a high near 71. Overnight, clear with a low of about 41 degrees.
Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 69.
Monday, Veterans Day
Partly sunny, with a high near 70.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.
Today’s Headlines…
On Tuesday, November 5th, Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a two vehicle crash on Highway 140 at the intersection of Kershaw Road.
Preliminary Investigation revealed that 2000 gold Ford Explorer, operated by Enrique Hames (25) of Argentina, was northbound on Kershaw Rd. when it failed to stop at the traffic control device onto Hwy 140. The Ford drove into the path of an eastbound 2005 Fleetwood Motor home operated by William Silva (41) of Grants Pass.
Hames was transported with serious injuries. Silva was transported with minor injuries.
There were two passengers in the Ford – Nicole Rossi (24) of Argentina was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. Cristina Hernandez Selles (26) of Spain sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Next of kin was notified with the assistance of the Spanish Consulate.
An autopsy performed on November 5, 2019, confirmed that Scott Lee Ashbaugh died as the result of suicide by ligature asphyxiation.
A final media release regarding this incident will come from the Jackson County District Attorney at the conclusion of the investigation. Detectives had been investigating the death of Ashbaugh after officials found him unresponsive during a cell check and initiated life-saving efforts. Medical help was summoned from Medford Fire & Rescue and Mercy Flights; however, Ashbaugh was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ashbaugh was arrested by Medford Police on October 19 for a probation violation for failing to report as a sex offender and resisting arrest. He was serving a sanction for the probation violation and was set to be released from jail on November 7. Jail officials say Ashbaugh was housed in a cell with no other inmates present at the time of his death.
JCSO officials say mental health services are available to inmates in the jail, as well as locally for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The Jackson County Mental Health 24-hour crisis hotline number is (541) 774-8201. Walk-in mental health services are also available at 140 S. Holly Street, Medford (Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5 pm). The number to the National Suicide Prevention Helpline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
In August of 2019, Medford Police Detectives opened an investigation into a local resident involved in the sharing of child pornography.
While these images are not believed to be of local children, they were being shared and downloaded nationwide via the internet. Thanks to advancements in “Child Rescue Coalition Technology,” Medford detectives were able to track these images to a computer inside a home in the 900 block of Mt. Pitt Street, Medford.
A search warrant for the residence was obtained and detectives executed the search warrant on Wednesday, November 6th, 2019.
Detectives found the suspect, Timothy Jay Hanson, 59 years old, at the residence, along with evidence of child pornography. Computers and electronic devices were seized during the search warrant.
Hanson was arrested on 3 counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse 1st Degree, and 3 counts of Encouraging Child Sex Abuse 2nd Degree, bail $100,000.
The Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, will hold a public open house on Thursday, November 14, 2019, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the Jackson County Expo.
The BLM will have displays to help explain the draft chapters and BLM staff specialists will be available to answer questions and provide information and gather feedback on the development of the Integrated Vegetation Management for Resilient Lands Programmatic Environmental Assessment.
This environmental assessment would assist the BLM in increasing the pace and scale of resiliency and restoration work. The integrated vegetation management represents a combination of methods the BLM could use to improve habitats, decrease catastrophic fire risk, and improve resilience. These methods include: silvicultural or other vegetation treatments, fire and fuels management activities, harvest methods, and restoration activities.
Many forest stands in southwest Oregon are overly dense and susceptible to loss from wildfire, drought, and insect infestations. In some areas, high quality habitat that supports recovery of threatened and endangered wildlife species is lacking. In other areas, conifer forest encroachment into meadows and oak woodlands threaten conservation of threatened, endangered, or sensitive botanical species. The documents associated with the environmental assessment are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website at: https://go.usa.gov/xmuJV
Jackson County Expo, Mace building
1 Peninger Rd
Central Point, OR 97502
Oregon Cannabis Commission meets November 12 in Portland
What: The regular public meeting of the Oregon Cannabis Commission.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Portland State Office Building, Conference Room 1B (main floor), 800 NE Oregon St., Portland.
Background: The Oregon Cannabis Commission was established in the 2017 legislative session through HB 2198. The commission consists of the state health officer or designee and an eight-member panel appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The commission is tasked with determining a possible framework for future governance of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, steps to address research on cannabis in areas of public health policy and public safety policy, agronomic and horticultural best practices, and medical and pharmacopoeia best practices. Along with this, they advise the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission with respect to the statutes governing medical and retail cannabis. For more information, please visit the commission’s website at http://www.healthoregon.org/cannabiscommission.