The latest news stories of interest in the Rogue Valley and around the state of Oregon from the digital home of Southern Oregon, Wynne Broadcasting’s RogueValleyMagazine.com
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all rain after 7am. Snow level 1900 feet rising to 3500 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Friday– Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 39.
Saturday– Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Calm wind.
Sunday– Rain likely, mainly before 10am. Snow level 2600 feet rising to 3100 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 41. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday– Rain likely. Snow level 2800 feet rising to 3500 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.
Both Drivers Die in Fatal Crash on Hwy 62 North of Eagle Point
Oregon State Police says that a two-vehicle crash along Highway 62 north of Eagle Point on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of two people. Troopers and emergency crews responded to reports of the crash just before 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to the initial OSP investigation, 35-year-old Whitney Smith of Medford had been driving a Chevy Cruise eastbound on Highway 62 when she moved into the oncoming lane in order to pass another driver who had been preparing to make a left turn on Hammel Road.
When Smith went to pass, OSP said, she collided head-on with 35-year-old Elyse Hines of Eagle Point in a Subaru Legacy heading the opposite direction. Hines received fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. Smith was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center where she later died from her injuries.
Death Investigation in Medford at 10th St. Bridge
On December 15, 2021, at about 8:30 a.m., a citizen flagged down a Medford police officer to advise someone was under the 10th Street Bridge, and in need of help. The officer located the person by the waterline of the creek, but they were beyond help.
A death investigation was conducted, and detectives were assisted by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s office. Evidence at the scene suggests the decedent had possibly suffered from hypothermia. Officers were familiar with the individual and knew him to camp in the area, although no bedding was located on scene. The decedent also had multiple underlying medical conditions, which could be contributing factors to his death.
The official cause and manner of death remain under investigation. The decedent has been identified as Manuel Barboza-Valerio, 29 years old. Next of kin have been notified.
The Medford Police Livability team has been actively contacting homeless individuals to advise them when the Navigation Center is open, as well as other available homeless resources. Receive text notifications when warming shelters are open by texting MEDF4SHELTHERS to 888777.
Sherm’s Markets set to deliver its annual truckload of food items to the ACCESS Food Bank
What is now an annual tradition of helping to fight food insecurity, the Olsrud family, owners of Sherm’s Food 4 Less and Thunderbird Markets, will deliver about 23,000 pounds of food to ACCESS on Friday.
The non-perishable food items will then be distributed out to food pantries throughout the region, which ACCESS says are seeing an increase in the amount of people needing assistance this time of year. The Olsrud family has donated tens of thousands of pounds of food every year since 2000.
In fiscal year 2021, more than 44,000 Jackson County residents received food assistance through ACCESS’ food programs, and 5.2 million pounds of food were distributed through 18 pantries in Jackson County.
Critical Incident Award for Grants Pass Police Department and Josephine County 911 Agency
Wednesday evening at the Grants Pass Police Headquarters, six dispatchers of the Grants Pass Police Department and Josephine County 911 Agency received the Critical Incident Award for 2021 from the Oregon chapters of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) for their part in a rescue that occurred on January 18 – 19, 2021. APCO and NENA are the professional organizations setting industry standards and best practices for professions in 9-1-1.
On Monday, January 18, 2021, our center was transferred a call about two hikers, one that had fallen and had critical injuries. The caller was unsure of the exact location in the remote wilderness on the backside of Grayback Mountain. The hikers had been on the trail since 11:00 that morning and had slid down 1,600 feet at a high rate of speed. The hikers were in approximately three feet of snow, facing high winds and limited visibility as darkness settled. The location was extremely remote, and surrounding agencies determined they would not be able to respond due to the winter conditions.
First-aid instructions were provided by text to 911 in order to save battery on the only operable cell phone on site. Search and Rescue was advised and began working on a solution to bring supplies to the caller and injured hiker by helicopter if a rescue was not possible at night. A Coast Guard pararescue swimmer was lowered to the scene, along with supplies to assist the patient throughout the night while arrangements were made for the Oregon Army National Guard to rescue by Blackhawk helicopter the following morning. On Tuesday, January 19, the hikers and the Coast Guard pararescue swimmer were lifted from the side of the mountain by the Army Guard helicopter after several attempts due to poor weather conditions.
Throughout this event, our dispatchers worked tirelessly to coordinate resources and rescue attempts. This rescue was anything but typical, thinking outside the box to keep our stranded and injured hikers as safe as possible. They served as the critical communication link between those on the scene and the various agencies attempting to reach them, keeping all participants well informed and up to date on the evolving situation and rescue efforts. The cooperation and coordination of this event were phenomenal, and we are proud to have these dedicated dispatchers on our team.
Award recipients are Jackie Pulyer, Naomi LaTourrette, Jamie Farr, Jessica Jones, Katelynn Masters, and Amanda Main.
Grants Pass Man arrested for Child Pornography
The Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) joint inter-agency task force alongside the Grants Pass Police Department served a search warrant on Wednesday morning, December 15, 2021, at a residence in the 800 block of NE D Street in Grants Pass. Investigators discovered numerous images of child pornography had been uploaded at the residence.
Investigators conducted interviews and ultimately arrested Dalton Bateman, a 22-year-old male, for the following offenses: Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse 1st Degree (6 counts) and Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse 2nd Degree (6 counts). Bateman was lodged at the Josephine County Jail.
Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) initiated the investigation, which led to subpoenas and ultimately a search warrant at the residence. Digital devices were seized that will be forensically examined by the Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force for evidence of child exploitation.
SOCET is a joint inter-agency task force that started in June of 2020 to combat child exploitation and human trafficking. The task force consists of investigators from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Department, Grants Pass Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations as well as prosecutors from our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in Jackson and Josephine Counties.
If you have any information about this ongoing investigation, please call Detective Heather Yerrick at 541-450-6260 (GPPD Case #21-48259).
Police are trying to find another missing woman in Josephine County
The Grants Pass Police Department said 39-year-old Rachael Behnke was last seen dropping her child off at a Grants Pass school on Friday, December 10. She was reported missing on Monday.
According to investigators, Behnke left her cellphone at home and her current whereabouts are unknown.
Behnke was last seen driving a white 2016 Ford Explorer with Oregon plate 684 MTH.
Last known location was at North Middle/Highland Schools area. Please check security cameras and Ring door bells.
Anyone with information regarding Behnke’s whereabouts is asked to call Grants Pass police at 541-450-6260.
Oregon reports 907 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 39 new deaths
There are 39 new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll at 5,508, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.
OHA reported 907 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 403,329.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (3), Benton (8), Clackamas (63), Clatsop (25), Columbia (5), Coos (23), Crook (12), Curry (7), Deschutes (39), Douglas (51), Gilliam (3), Grant (12), Harney (3), Hood River (5), Jackson (63), Jefferson (5), Josephine (36), Klamath (18), Lake (2), Lane (68), Lincoln (8), Linn (45), Malheur (4), Marion (90), Morrow (3), Multnomah (128), Polk (28), Tillamook (13), Umatilla (16), Union (2), Wasco (2), Washington (87), and Yamhill (30).
More than 3 million Oregonians have received COVID-19 vaccines
More than 3 million Oregonians have received at least one dose of the three authorized COVID-19 vaccines as of Tuesday, OHA is reporting.
Oregon reached the milestone just two days short of the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 vaccine doses — made by Pfizer-BioNTech — administered in Oregon on Dec. 16, 2020. All told, 3,002,602 persons have been vaccinated, or 70.4% of all people living in Oregon, as reported to the state’s vaccine registry known as ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
“Vaccines continue to be our most effective tool in our ongoing response to pandemic,” said Dean Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., health officer and state epidemiologist at OHA. “All of the vaccines now authorized for people ages 5 and older in the United States provide protection from COVID-19 infection and illness, including the more transmissible variants. Thank you to everyone who has taken this important step to protect themselves, their families and loved ones. We continue to ask all Oregonians who have not received a shot to get vaccinated as quickly as they can, and for those who already started their vaccine series, to get their next shot or schedule a booster as soon as they are able.”
Along with increasing vaccinations and boosters, OHA continues to encourage Oregonians to wear masks in indoor public settings as the state continues to fight the impacts of the Delta variant and prepares to the face the even more transmissible Omicron variant.
COVID-19 illness remains the greatest threat to anyone who is not yet vaccinated.
The vast majority of Oregonians hospitalized or who recently died with COVID-19 illness had not received a COVID-19 vaccine. The overall incidence of COVID-19 also continues to be lowest in the five counties where vaccination rates are more than 70%.
Note: Data updated daily on OHA vaccine trends dashboard from the ALERT IIS registry does not include some doses administered from federal providers, such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The total number of persons who are vaccinated in Oregon is likely to be greater than the current figure showing the total number of people vaccinated.
This week’s Omicron estimate not accurate, OHA believes
The estimates on OHA’s Daily Data Dashboard and Variant Dashboard that Omicron represents 50% of Oregon’s specimens from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11 is much higher than expected due to a small number of specimens (n=6) available in GISAID during that week.
OHA epidemiologists do not believe this estimate to be accurate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker Nowcast model estimates that about 2.9% of SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the U.S. during the last week were Omicron. OHA believes the state’s true Omicron estimate to be similar to the national figure.
Oregon Wildfire Recovery Update
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management has posted the Oregon Wildfire Recovery Update for Dec. 15, 2021, to the Oregon Wildfire Response & Recovery website. View today’s Wildfire Recovery update here.
Dark Horse Comics releases comic book exploring how to prevent and prepare for Northwest wildfires
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management and Dark Horse Comics have released a new comic book titled, Without Warning! Wildfire. Addressing what to do before and during a Northwest wildfire, the comic is third in a series of educational and entertaining comic books promoting emergency preparedness.
“The Without Warning! comic book series began because we found that many public education publications struggled to resonate with younger audiences,” said Althea Rizzo, OEM Geologic Hazards Program Coordinator. “The series has been a huge hit, helping us engage with youth while introducing and reinforcing the concept of readiness.”
Emergencies and disasters can happen at any time, often without warning. Empowering every Oregonian – including youth – to reduce their risk, be ready, and know what to do when disaster strikes is critical to staying safe. Kids and teens who are prepared often experience less anxiety and feel more confident during actual emergencies and disasters.
“Smokey Bear offers a variety of educational options for young children, but it’s been challenging to find engaging and creative resources to talk with teens and young adults about wildfire prevention,” said Kristin Babbs, President and CEO of the Keep Oregon Green Association. “This comic book fills that important gap.”
Without Warning! Wildfire features characters hiking and camping in a Northwest wilderness area who are forced to flee for their lives to escape a quickly moving wildfire. The comic helps teach readers how to protect themselves, their loved ones and wildlands when wildfires occur.
Without Warning! Wildfire is available to read for free at Dark Horse Digital, OEM’s website, and on iOS and Android apps. It is also available on Kindle, Comixology, Google Play and Apple Books. Printed copies are available in English and Spanish through county emergency management offices, Clackamas Community College and Keep Oregon Green.
The first two comics in the series, Without Warning! Earthquake (published in 2014) and Without Warning! Tsunami (published in 2016), have been distributed throughout the Northwest and adapted for other regions, helping support readiness in communities across the U.S.
The comic book series originated with OEM’s GeoHazards program, which works with partners to create tools and programs to make Oregon more resilient to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. This latest issue was produced in collaboration with OEM, Dark Horse Comics, Clackamas Community College, Oregon Dept. of Forestry and Keep Oregon Green.
Oregon Dentist Faces Federal Charges for Stealing Nearly $8 Million in COVID-Relief Program Funds
A federal criminal complaint was unsealed today charging an Oregon dentist with fraudulently converting to his personal use nearly $8 million in loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salwan Adjaj, 43, a former dentist residing in West Linn, Oregon, has been charged with aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
According to court documents, in and around March 2021, Adjaj allegedly submitted dozens of fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in an attempt to obtain funds through the Economic Impact Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. The EIDL program was one of several economic relief programs originally authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). It enabled SBA to issue low-interest loans to small businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic and associated mitigation measures.
Adjaj used the names and employer identification numbers (EIN) of fictitious business entities on the fraudulent EIDL applications. He further provided false information about the business start dates, number of employees, and locations, and the identities of the purported applicants and business owners. Most of the fraudulent applications were submitted in other peoples’ names, but with Adjaj’s personal residence as the business mailing address. All of the applications were submitted online from an internet protocol (IP) address associated with Adjaj’s dental practice.
After SBA rejected most of Adjaj’s EIDL applications, he shifted his sights to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), a pandemic economic relief program aimed at supporting restaurants, bars, and other food- and drink-related businesses. The RRF program was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March 2021. Adjaj had substantially greater success stealing RRF funds than he did EIDL. In May 2021, Adjaj submitted three RRF applications for restaurants allegedly located Sarasota, Miami, and Daytona Beach, Florida. Like his fraudulent EIDL applications, Adjaj’s RRF applications contained false business information and all listed his personal residence as the business mailing address. Together, Adjaj’s RRF applications generated nearly $8 million in fraudulent loan payouts.
Adjaj was arrested yesterday following alleged pretrial release violations. Today, he was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the SBA Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan W. Bounds is prosecuting the case.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A Bend Police officer charged with assaulting a man while on duty has pleaded not guilty
Kevin Uballez, 38, appeared by video Tuesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court, where he entered pleas of not guilty and was given future court dates. Uballez now has an address in southwest Portland listed with the court. He has been on paid leave since October, when he was charged with harassment and fourth-degree assault, both misdemeanors.
A call and email from reporters to Uballez’s attorney, Steven L. Myers, were not returned. Prosecutors said that in June, while attempting to take Caleb Hamlin into custody, Uballez slammed him into the ground.
Crab Boat Captain Criminally Cited
The captain of a commercial crab boat in Oregon has been criminally cited for ‘Taking Undersized Commercial Dungeness Crab’. Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers were inspecting catches at a seafood processing plant in Warrenton when they noticed many of the crab were too small.
The boat had 46-thousand pounds of crab. Nearly 12-thousand pounds were inspected and over 22-percent of the crabs were undersized. The illegal crab was worth 49-thousand dollars. Besides being cited for the illegal catch, the captain could also face restitution of twice the crab’s value, or nearly 100-thousand dollars.
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