Rogue Valley News, Wednesday 3/16 – Grand Jury Finds Lethal Force Justified In I-5 Officer-Involved Shooting, Ashland Food Project Need Donors and Coordinators

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

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Rogue Valley Weather

Today– Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind.

Thursday– Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind.

Friday– Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday– Rain, mainly before 2pm, then showers likely after 2pm. Snow level 4500 feet lowering to 3300 feet in the afternoon . High near 51. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Sunday– Partly sunny, with a high near 53.

Grand Jury Finds Lethal Force Justified In I-5 Officer-Involved Shooting

A Jackson County grand jury says a trooper’s usage of lethal force is justified from an Interstate 5 police chase this month.

Jackson County District Attorney (JCDA) Beth Heckert says the grand jury convened today to consider whether Oregon State Police (OSP) Trooper Carter Ellis was justified in his use of lethal force against 25-yera-old Cole Reeves. The same grand jury also considered whether sufficient evidence supports an indictment on criminal charges against Reeves.

The incident in question occurred March 6, 2022, near mile marker 50 on southbound I-5 east of Grants Pass. Medford Police Department’s investigation of the incident confirmed it involved an officer-involved shooting including the trooper, Reeves, a police chase at speeds up to 120 miles per hour ending with a crash, and Reeves wielding knives as he approached the trooper.

Heckert says today the grand jury considered two separate matters: whether the law enforcement officer was justified with lawful use of deadly physical force, and whether sufficient evidence supports criminal charges against Reeves.

Heckert says, “Oregon law provides that a police officer may use deadly physical force against another person when it is objectively reasonable, under the totality of circumstances known to the peace office, to believe the person poses an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury to the peace officer or to a third person, and the use of deadly physical force is necessary to defend the peace officer or a third person from the imminent threat of death or serious physical injury.”

The JCDA’s office identified the officer involved as OSP patrol Trooper Carter Ellis, employed by Oregon State Police since May 2019 after working as a jail deputy in Lane County. It says when Trooper Ellis saw a white Jeep Commander engaged in reckless driving on southbound Interstate 5 March 6, he attempted contact with the vehicle, and “he found the vehicle was weaving in and out of traffic at high rates of speed; reaching 118 mph at one point.”

It says Trooper Ellis activated lights and sirens on his marked patrol vehicle and was the suspect’s vehicle, while driving faster than 100 miles per hour, rear end another vehicle driven by Darlene Trahern who suffered minor injuries from the collision. JCDA says Reeves’ then crashed in the median.

JCDA says, “Trooper Ellis was dressed in uniform, displaying a badge, and had his bodycam activated. As Trooper Ellis exited his vehicle he saw the suspect open his door while digging for something on the passenger side of the vehicle. Trooper Ellis began giving commands to the suspect, telling him to remain in the vehicle. The suspect exited the vehicle with a 7-inch Santoku knife in each hand, raised to shoulder height. The suspect then began approaching Trooper Ellis.

The approximate distance from the suspect’s car door to the trooper’s car door was 106 feet. Trooper Ellis gave commands to drop the knives, and could be heard telling the suspect to get back in the car and that he did not want to shoot him. The suspect continued to approach Trooper Ellis and could be heard saying, ‘I have to be shot.’ The suspect stopped walking, and began making aggressive hand movements with the knives, bringing them higher above his shoulders and gesturing forward toward the trooper several times. He began moving toward the trooper again, at which point Trooper Ellis fired four rounds at the suspect. The trooper stopped firing once the suspect dropped to the ground. The distance from where the suspect fell to the ground to the trooper’s car door was between 20 and 21 feet.”

JCDA says Trooper Ellis testified he feared for his own life and testified poor radio service where the shooting occurred limited his ability to call for backup if he moved. Trooper Ellis testified that “he hoped they would be able to talk without any use of force, but when the suspect began approaching again while gesturing with the knives he was in fear for his life and did not believe the suspect was going to stop.”

JCDA says Reeves is hospitalized, getting treatment for gunshot wounds to the torso and arm.

JCDA concludes “Jackson County requires a grand jury make the determination as to whether the officer’s use of force was Justified under Oregon law. The Grand Jury determined the involved officer, Trooper Carter Ellis, was fully justified in his use of lethal force and in compliance with Oregon law.” This case was presented to the grand jury by District Attorney Heckert. The grand jury also returned an indictment against Reeves on charges of Attempted Assault, Assault, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Menacing, Reckless Driving, Criminal Mischief and Recklessly Endangering Another Person

Ashland Food Project Need Donors And Neighborhood Coordinators

The Ashland Food Project is in need of donors and neighborhood coordinators as the project helps fill the local food bank which has seen an increase in need.

Courtesy: Ashland Food Project

Brad Galusha, the chair of the board for the Ashland Food Project said after the Almeda fire, there was an increased interest in donating which has since faded.

“At first, the food bank’s numbers actually dropped because there were community groups and other resources helping, but now that those resources are diminishing, the food banks numbers are rising again,” Galusha said.

He said the Ashland Food Project typically gains and loses hundreds of donors throughout the year but usually still helps meet the local food bank’s needs.

Galusha explained during the pandemic the food bank changed its rules, no longer restricting families’ visits to once a month, but allowing as many times as they need.

“There’s a constant flow of need at the food bank and we at the Food Project, though we are wholly independent of the food bank, we simply are trying to help the food bank fill that need,” Galusha said.

Anyone interested in becoming a donor or a neighborhood coordinator can contact the Ashland Food Project at 541-488-6976.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden will host virtual town halls in Klamath and Jackson counties on Friday, March 18th

The Klamath event will start 12:30 p.m and the Jackson County event starts at 4:30 p.m. Both can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senatorronwyden

Wyden has also held virtual town halls in other counties. The local events come as tensions between Russia and the U.S. and NATO continue to increase over the war in Ukraine.

Oil and gasoline prices have risen significantly since Russia’s invasion and resulting U.S. sanctions by the Biden administration. The average price of gas in Oregon is $4.74 per gallon up from $3.11 per gallon a year ago, according to AAA.

Britt Festival Drops COVID Restrictions

Britt Music & Arts Festival

The Festival said today it will no longer require masks, COVID testing or proof of vaccine for patrons at its Jacksonville outdoor venue.  It says masks remain optional there, and it asks guests to respect other patrons’ personal decisions about masking.  It says masks will be required when visiting the Medford Box Office.

The Festival says, “This will be a big adjustment for a lot of people, Britt included! This was a difficult decision.”

Britt staff will remain masked for the time being and will continue to provide disposable masks upon request.

It says, “This decision may be subject to further revisions depending on evolving conditions. The Britt Board of Directors will continue to monitor policies to ensure that our staff and community remain safe. Thanks for your care and support.  At this time, Britt does not plan on requiring any COVID patron restrictions during the 2022 season.”

Oregon reports 421 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 14 new deaths

PORTLAND, Ore. — There are 14 new COVID-19-related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 6,899, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported at 12:01 a.m. today.

OHA reported 421 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. today, bringing the state total to 700,361.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Benton (8), Clackamas (40), Clatsop (4), Columbia (2), Coos (6), Crook (3), Curry (1), Deschutes (20), Douglas (12), Grant (6), Hood River (3), Jackson (17), Jefferson (6), Josephine (10), Klamath (14), Lake (3), Lane (45), Lincoln (4), Linn (9), Marion (38), Multnomah (80), Polk (10), Tillamook (3), Umatilla (8), Wasco (4), Washington (61) and Yamhill (4).

5 Essentials

Oregon crosses threshold of 700,000 COVID-19 cases

Today Oregon crossed the threshold of 700,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Oregon now ranks second lowest among states in the number of cases per capita (16,596 per 100,000). However, the pandemic isn’t over, and COVID-19 poses a risk to many people.

State health officials recommend Oregonians keep in mind the ‘5 Essentials’ for navigating and staying safe during the current phase of the pandemic.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AROUND-OR.png

Statewide Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program to stay open for one additional week

$16 million allocation from U.S. Department of Treasury keeps portal open after consistent advocacy from Gov. Brown, Oregon’s federal delegation and OHCS

SALEM, ORE. – Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will keep the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) portal open until 11:59 p.m. PDT on March 21, 2022. The state was notified late yesterday by the U.S. Department of Treasury—after numerous requests—that it would be receiving $16 million in additional federal emergency rental assistance funding.  The OERAP portal was scheduled to close and stop accepting new applications at 11:59 p.m., March 14, 2022. 

“I’d like to thank the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Treasury for recognizing the urgency of Oregon’s request for additional emergency rental assistance funding,” said Ore. Gov.  Kate Brown. “Through strong state and local partnerships, we have taken action to successfully distribute historic levels of assistance to renters and landlords and to get Oregonians the help they urgently need. This new federal funding will help us ensure thousands of Oregonians will continue to have a warm, safe, dry, stable place to call home.”

Oregon’s Governor, federal delegation and OHCS’s Acting Executive Director Andrea Bell recently wrote letters to the U.S. Treasury making the case for additional funding. Because it’s a top performing state in helping a record number of low-income households stay safely housed during the pandemic, the state was technically eligible to receive reallocated funds.

During this historic crisis, the agency served as a national leader in providing rental assistance to more than 41,880 households, which means it supported an estimated 104,600 people in the state. More than $302 million has been paid in the past nine months.  

“I’m overjoyed to learn these additional $16 million in rental assistance resources are on their way to Oregon. These funds will help an estimated 2,200 additional Oregon households remain stably housed,” said interim Director of Housing Stabilization Jill Smith. “Our message to U.S. Treasury remains loud and clear: if other states have money they can’t use – send those dollars to Oregon.” 

Due to dwindling funds, the state had paused accepting new applications on Dec. 1, 2021. After the Oregon Legislature allocated $100 million to support renters facing eviction, the portal reopened on Jan. 26, 2022, for a limited time. As of today, 24,478 applications have been submitted since the portal re-opened in January. Based on federal eligibility guidelines, not all submitted applications are eligible to receive payment. 

Important information for tenants 

The OERAP portal will remain open until March 21, 2022, thanks to the additional $16 million in reallocated federal funding. Here is some important information for renters:

  • Anyone who has not applied for OERAP in the past and has fallen behind on rent is encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance before 11:59 p.m. on March 21, 2022, at oregonrentalassistance.org.
  • Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to complete their application or check the status of their finished application. They will be alerted by email as their application advances.
  • If a tenant has an incomplete application in the portal, they now have until March 28, 2022, to complete it. This extension applies to applications that are incomplete at the time of closure. New applications will not be accepted after March 21, 2022.
  • Tenants who submit new applications can access protections from eviction for nonpayment of rent while their application is being reviewed and processed. Tenants must show proof to their landlord that they applied for the program to receive the protections.
  • OHCS will begin processing and paying out applications submitted in 2022 as early as this week.

Permanent Daylight Savings Time Bill Passed Senate and Waiting on House to Pass

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. beginning in 2023. The so-called Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 was approved by unanimous consent, but would still require House approval and President Biden’s signature to become law.

For those wishing for an end to annual clock shifting, this most recent push in Congress is perhaps better late than never.

“We don’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. And why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the sponsors of the bill, said on the Senate floor.

“Hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come,” he added.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office tells NPR that there are no immediate plans to vote on daylight saving time, but they note the House Committee on Energy and Commerce had a hearing on it last week and there’s bipartisan support for it.

Health experts say switching our clocks twice a year has led to an uptick in sleep deprivation and other health problems. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports a year-round national clock.

Daylight saving time currently makes up roughly eight months of the year, with the remainder counterintuitively called standard time.

An Economist/YouGov poll from last fall found that 63% of U.S. adults want to eliminate the biannual changing of clocks. It also found that more people support instituting daylight saving time permanently rather than standard time.

Over the last four years, at least 18 states have passed laws to permanently switch to daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, though federal law must first be changed to allow it.

Former Oregon Department Of Transportation Workers Charged In Massive Equipment Reselling Scheme

Three former Oregon Department of Transportation employees have been charged in an equipment reselling scheme that bilked the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, court records allege.

Clackamas County prosecutors revealed the eye-popping 187-count indictment in late January, nearly two years after the state transportation department announced internal and criminal investigations into the alleged scheme.

The long-running plot involved phony invoices and the theft of supplies from the state transportation department’s Lawnfield Maintenance Station in Clackamas, officials said.

“We took swift action as soon as we learned of the allegations,” Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson Katherine Benenati said in a phone interview. “We immediately contacted the Oregon State Police, and we worked closely with law enforcement to ensure that they had everything that they needed for the investigation.”

The three workers resigned in February 2020, according to Benenati.

Former transportation maintenance coordinator John Wayne Tipton, 60, of Lake Oswego was named in nearly all of the indictment’s 187 counts. The allegations against him include numerous counts of first-degree aggravated theft, computer crime, first-degree official misconduct, first-degree theft and tax evasion.

Former policy analyst Autumn Star Arndt, 41, of Eagle Creek is facing 99 total counts of aggravated theft, computer crime, official misconduct and tax evasion.

Arndt’s attorney, Mark Cogan, said prosecutors have not yet presented their evidence in court. “Nothing has been proven,” Cogan said in a statement. “We ask people to keep an open mind and not rush to judgment.”

Tipton and Arndt each paid $10,000 bail and were separately released from the Clackamas County Jail in early February, records show.

Former landscape manager Frank Clarence Smead Jr., 59, of Wilsonville, also faces 99 total counts of aggravated theft, computer crime, official misconduct and tax evasion.

His wife of nearly 40 years, Marta Mia Smead, 59, who was not an Oregon Department of Transportation employee, faces 32 total counts of first-degree theft, computer crime and tax evasion.

The Smeads were released from the Clackamas County Jail without paying bail because of jail overcrowding, records show. Attorneys for the Smeads and Tipton did not respond to requests for comment.

State transportation officials have taken steps to prevent the theft of supplies. “We strengthened our inventory and purchasing controls,” Benenati said, “and we now require oversight from managers as well as central oversight that provides a new system of checks and balances.”

Oregon Has New Prosecutor for Poaching Cases

Oregon has a high rate of poaching, and now the Oregon Department of Justice has a special prosecutor who will focus on those cases. Jay D. Hall worked for the Lane County District Attorney’s office for the last 12 years prosecuting major crimes. He’s an expert in using Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statutes to hold poaching rings accountable. One case involved over 300 poached deer and elk. This is the third phase of a legislative plan to reduce poaching. The first two phases were a public awareness campaign and increased enforcement.

Springfield Man Checks Megabucks Ticket and Wins Big

While at the Springfield Moose Lodge Dec. 24, a friend of Wilbur Brown’s bought a “26 for $25” Megabucks ticket. This option lets players buy a single Megabucks ticket for 26 consecutive drawings for just $25. Brown was not aware of the “26 for $25” option, and decided to buy one, too. Now, armed with a Megabucks ticket that covered 13 weeks, each drawing from December 25, 2021, to February 19, 2022, Brown tucked the ticket into his billfold.

In February, Brown was at the Moose Lodge again and remembered his ticket. Brown scanned his ticket on a self-check terminal at the Lodge and the message “See Customer Service” popped up.  Still not sure what he may have won, Brown and other friends sitting with them at the Lodge began using their phones to check the web for results.

It soon became clear that Brown was indeed a “Large Lottery Winner” having won a $8.9 million jackpot! Brown opted to take the 30-year annuity option for his prize when he picked up his first check at the Lottery office in Salem on Tuesday, Mar. 8. After taxes, he will receive an annual check for slightly more than $200,000. Brown has set up a trust for his prize winnings.

Police Ask for Public’s Help in Search For Victim’s Roommate In Albany Homicide –  A 42-year-old woman, the roommate of a 75-year-old man whose death was ruled a homicide, is wanted for questioning in the case, Albany police officials said.

Elvin “Al” Pierce was found dead by officers around 9:10 p.m. Friday after a 911 caller reported a man was unconscious and not breathing. Investigators at that time said the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious.

APD said Pierce’s roommate, 42-year-old Elizabeth Nicole Tyler Jimenez, wasn’t there at the home when officers found Pierce dead and they don’t know where she is. Authorities did not specifically state whether Jimenez is a suspect or if there are any charges against her.

Pierce’s car, a tan 2004 Buick Park Avenue with Oregon license plate 081FAX, is also missing.

Jimenez, who investigators believe is currently without a job, is described as often visiting local soup kitchens. She also has skills as a masseuse and a seamstress, officials said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact APD at 541-917-7680 or APD Lt. Buck Pearce at 541-917-3209.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is missing-in-oregon-tab.png
May be an image of 2 people and text that says 'MISSING PERSON VINTAGE 1940 Donald Stockwell Donald Stockwell 80 yrs old, grey hair and beard. Weight 240, height 6 Vehicle: White 2019 GMC door crew cab. Oregon License no, 851LVC Missing from Grants pass Oregon. Last seen in Goldhill Oregon February 3, 2022 If seen contact josephine County Sheriffs Office at (541)474-5123 X3'
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is missing-toni-grants-pass7-22.png
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-57.png
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is shane.png

Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Search For Trucker Suspect

The first real clue to come in on all the missing person cases in the area. Help Klamath Falls Oregon Sheriff Office ID this trucker. He was the last to see this woman alive and could be the key to not only solving this woman’s disappearance but a number of the hundred other women missing in PNW. IF you have any information, please call (541) 883-5130

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-111.png

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/

Must Read

Medford Students Part of Nine to Advance To State Poetry Competition – CANCELLED

Brian Casey

Rogue Valley News, Tuesday 12/28 – OSP Warns Motorists of Dangerous Driving Conditions, Pacific Power Continues Service Restoration Work In Wake Of Winter Storms

Renee Shaw

Rogue Valley News, 4/30 – Multiple Drug Busts This Week, No New Covid-19 Cases in Jackson or Josephine, Oregon With 2446 Cases, 61 New, 101 Deaths

Brian Casey