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
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Rogue Valley Weather
Today– Showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Snow level 3200 feet rising to 4100 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Wednesday– A chance of rain before noon, then showers likely between noon and 3pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Snow level 3600 feet rising to 5200 feet in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 58. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday– A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Patchy fog before noon. Snow level 3400 feet rising to 4200 feet in the afternoon. High near 58. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Friday– A 40 percent chance of showers after noon. Patchy fog before noon. Snow level 3600 feet rising to 4800 feet in the afternoon. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 59.
Saturday– Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 64.
Jackson County Child Exploitation Task Force Investigations Lead to Two Arrests
Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) joint inter-agency task force investigations led to two separate arrests today on child pornography cases. Both arrests came after months long SOCET investigations into allegations of child exploitation images uploaded from the residences. The suspects are not connected. These arrests stemmed from last year’s cases, bringing the total number of 2021 SOCET arrests to 28. Out of these cases 24 victims were identified.
The first arrest came at 8:00 Monday morning when Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) Patrol deputies arrested Kaleb Scott Hanson, 22, at the 500 block of Meadow Lane in Eagle Point. SOCET served a search warrant August 10, 2021 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that someone had uploaded child exploitation images from the residence. During the warrant, investigators seized digital devices which were forensically examined by the Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force (SOHTCTF), and further SOCET investigations led to his arrest. Hanson has been charged with two counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, two counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, and six counts of encouraging sexual assault of an animal. He is lodged at the Jackson County Jail on $250,000 bail.
The second arrest came when US Marshals from the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) arrested Nickolas James Parnell, 32, of Central Point for 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse. PNVOTF Marshals took Parnell into custody at the Parole and Probation office in Medford. Parnell is currently on federal probation for possession of child pornography out of the District of Idaho. SOCET investigators served a warrant at Parnell’s residence November 30, 2021 after receiving a tip from NCMEC that someone had uploaded child exploitation images from the residence. Central Point Police Department (CPPD) assisted with serving the warrant at the 500 block of Briarwood Drive in Central Point. During the warrant, investigators seized digital devices which were forensically examined by SOHTCTF, and further SOCET investigations led to his arrest. He is lodged at the Jackson County Jail on $250,000 bail.
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 JCSO, Oregon State Police, Medford Police Department, Grants Pass Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations; as well as prosecutors from our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in Jackson and Josephine County.
PNVOTF includes personnel from the United States Marshals Service, JCSO, and CPPD. The task force specializes in locating and arresting fugitives wanted for offenses including, but not limited to, murder, assault, sex crimes, failure to register as a sex offender, firearm violations, and probation violations.
Jackson County District Attorney’s office will prosecute both cases. Further information will come from the DA’s office. JCSO Cases 21-3286, 21-4855 Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office
Medford Dutch Bros Robbery
Medford police are looking for a man that robbed a Dutch Bros coffee stand on Sunday night at gunpoint. It appened at the Dutch Bros location between South Central Ave. and S Riverside ave in south Medford. The address is 816 S Riverside Ave.
Police say the robbery happened at 9:12 pm. The suspect brandished a gun and demanded money. He obtained an undisclosed amount of cash. He fled going north on Central Ave. Police describe him as a heavy set white male adult, shorter than average height.
He was wearing baggy pants that dragged below his shoes. He was wearing a dark jacket with a large tear. He was wearing a mask that was believed to be gray and green.
MPD says that Coffee stand employees should take a moment to go over policies and protocols on what to do during a robbery.
Make sure there is as little money as possible in the cash register, and make sure all surveillance cameras are working properly.
Southern Oregon Law Enforcement Makes Public Appeal to Help Locate Missing Teenager
Southern Oregon law enforcement made a public appeal for help locating a 15-year-old girl who left home last week with her cat on a leash – but without her cell phone.
The Winston Police Department says Lillian Blue left her house in Winston, Oregon, on Monday, April 11. She was accompanied by her white and grey cat that had a leash and harness. She did not have her cell phone.
The Winston Police Department is actively investigating Lillian Blue as a missing person. The 15-year-old is 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Lillian Blue is asked to contact the Winston Police Department at (541) 679-8706 or (541) 440-4471.
Heavy spring snows have stalled road opening efforts at Crater Lake National Park.
Marsha McCabe, the park’s information officer, said as of Thursday the park had been blasted with six feet of new snow since Monday morning, including 12 inches in the 24-hour period that ended 7 a.m. Thursday.
As of Thursday morning the on-ground snow total at park headquarters was 87 inches while the total snowfall for the winter season, which began Oct. 1, 2021, was 371, or 85 percent of average. Snow clearing efforts, which had cleared West Rim Drive to the North Junction and along the North Junction Road, have stalled with the heavy snowfall. The heavy snow has resulted in closing the road from park headquarters in Munson Village to Rim Village.
The road closure has also prevented Crater Lake Hospitality from operating its Rim Village concession facilities. For updated information on Crater Lake road conditions call the visitor center office at 541-594-3000 or visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/crla
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/TSMz50ILQky
Note: This report covers the three-day period from April 15 to April 17, 2022.
Forest Service Seeks to Double Wildfire Prevention Treatments
The Oregon Board of Forestry held a virtual informational session earlier this month where speakers from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management shared their plans for the next decade amidst the wildfire crisis.
Mike Spisak, an assistant director for the U.S. Forest Service, said, in 2020 alone, 1.9 million acres of forest burned down in Washington and Oregon. Now, there are thousands of acres in need of restoration.
Spisak discussed just how devastating of an impact the fires have on road systems, landscapes, trails and recreation. He said funds released through disaster relief have been helpful in tackling systems to help overcome wildfires, but that there are more opportunities to work together to prevent wildfires.
To address the wildfire crisis, he said the Forest Service is looking to treat an additional 20 million acres on National Forest land in the next 10 years as well as an additional 30 million on non-forest service lands to help prevent wildfires. These lands include federal, state, tribal and private lands.
In order to achieve this goal, they must treat over double the number of acres they currently treat annually. The treatment regimens can include prescribed burns as well as mechanical means to reduce brush and other fuel for potential fires. Dry conditions from droughts have combined with brush to result in some recent extreme fires in northern California and Pacific Northwest.
President Biden to Visit Portland on Thursday
President Biden heads to the Pacific Northwest this week. Biden will be in Portland on Thursday to promote his agenda and the sweeping infrastructure bill he signed late last year.
President Joe Biden will visit Portland on Thursday, April 21, to speak about investments being made from the recent infrastructure bill, according to the White House.
Details are scarce on where in the city and what time his visit will take place. The President will travel to Seattle on Friday, April 22, which is Earth Day.
The White House said in a release that Biden will talk about, “his Administration’s efforts to continue bringing down costs for American families and growing our clean energy economy.”
Back in November, Congress passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and it was announced that Oregon and Washington were going to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.
“This really is an exciting time,” said Katherine Benenati, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in November. “We want to put these dollars to use as soon as possible.”
Oregon estimated it would receive about $1.2 billion over the next five years and Washington anticipated it would get roughly $1.8 billion for similar projects. Oregon said in November it was considering the I-5 Bridge and the Rose Quarter highway redesign project as candidates for a big portion of the funds.
With Oregon’s May 2022 primary election one month away, the Secretary of State’s Office wants to make sure voters get the ballots they’re expecting.
Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is inviting Oregon voters to check their registrations at http://Oregonvotes.gov/myvote .
She says her office staff, “often hear from voters who are confused about Oregon’s closed primaries,” using a quick video to help voters. Fagan explain that both major political parties in Oregon — Republicans and Democrats — are
holding closed primaries, so only voters affiliated with those parties can vote for their candidates in primary elections. The primary election winners advance to the general election in November.
Fagan advises Oregon voters they can change party affiliation online for voting in this spring’s primary election. The deadline to change party affiliation before the Oregon’s May election is April 26.
Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Covid-Relief Funds
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man was sentenced to federal prison today for perpetrating a scheme to steal funds intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Tifekchian, 48, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. Tifekchian was also ordered to pay more than $910,000 in restitution, including more than $26,000 to the Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to court documents, in May 2019, Tifekchian incorporated Bencho Jewelry Inc. (Bencho) in the State of Oregon and served as the company’s sole owner and officer. Bencho never had any employees and never generated more than $500 in revenue in any calendar year.
After Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Tifekchian devised and perpetrated a scheme to defraud the SBA by fraudulently applying for CARES Act-authorized Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of Bencho.
In EIDL applications submitted to SBA in April and August 2020, Tifekchian falsely claimed Bencho had generated as much as $758,000 in revenue, had been operating for 20 years, and employed 12 people. SBA denied both applications. In June 2020, Tifekchian successfully obtained more than $884,000 in PPP funding after falsely claiming Bencho employed 78 people and had an average monthly payroll of $353,698. SBA guaranteed the loan and paid Bank of America, the FDIC-insured loan issuer, more than $26,000 in fees.
Tifekchian used the PPP loan to pay for gambling, vacations, and other personal expenses. Suspecting fraud, Bank of America froze the loan funds, but only after Tifekchian had spent more than $68,000.
On July 13, 2021, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Tifekchian with bank fraud and wire fraud. On January 25, 2022, he pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), and the SBA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan W. Bounds is prosecuting the case.
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.
Warrenton Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Children Online
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Warrenton, Oregon man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison today for sexually exploiting at least two children he met online.
Kirk Richard Cazee, 60, was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison followed by a 99-year term of supervised release.
According to court documents, in 2010, the Oregon Department of Justice received a tip that child pornography was being exchanged with an email address later determined to belong to Cazee. After obtaining a search warrant for the email account, investigators located emails wherein Cazee pretended to be a teenage boy or young adult to manipulate and deceive his minor victims. Between September 2006 and March 2010, Cazee persuaded multiple minor victims under the age of 16 to produce and send him sexually explicit content. In at least one instance, Cazee mailed a web cam and teddy bear to a minor victim and convinced her to produce sexually explicit videos for him using the web cam.
On September 27, 2018, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 10-count indictment charging Cazee with production, receipt, transportation and possession of child pornography. On April 27, 2021, he pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug for the District of Oregon and Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey of the FBI’s Portland Field Office made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Oregon Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children task force with assistance from the FBI Salem Child Exploitation Task Force, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and the Astoria Police Department. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kaylynn Foulon of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natalie K. Wight and Rachel Sowray from the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. Child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.org.
The FBI CETF conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Yelp Ranks Oregon as Top Eco-Friendly State
Yelp says that Oregon’s “sustainability mentions in professional, home and local services, as well as restaurants and food categories” all helped to give the state the highest ranking. California’s highest-ranking of electric vehicle charging mentions is what pushed it into the top two, the review site stated.
The third spot went to Vermont while Nevada and Washington took fourth and fifth places, respectively. Vermont, one of the only East Coast states in the top 10, took third due to mentions of electric vehicle charging, as well as restaurant and food sustainability initiatives.
To determine which states have the most environmentally conscious businesses and consumers, Yelp looked at the states that had the largest relative growth of sustainability mentions in reviews, including “EV charging,” “solar powered,” “locally sourced,” “vegan,” “plastic free” and “compostable,” since January 2018.
“Consumers are increasingly aware of the impact their choices have on the environment, and over the years have looked for more sustainable offerings whether they’re dining out, shopping, or driving,” SEE MORE INFO: https://blog.yelp.com/news/yelp-ranks-the-most-eco-friendly-states-according-to-reviews/
Grants Pass Missing Person
The Grants Pass Police Department is seeking assistance from the public in locating 30 year old Noah Baker. Baker was despondent after an argument and left his residence in Grants Pass driving a silver Ford Fiesta with Oregon Plate 671MUR.
Baker is described as a white male adult, 5’09”, 170 lbs, brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing black sweats, black shirt, black shoes and a black hat.
If anyone knows of his whereabouts or sees Baker, please call your local law enforcement agency or the Grants Pass Police at 541-450-6260. Reference case #2022-14203 Grants Pass Police Department
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
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Have-You-Seen-Me-Southern-Oregons-Missing-People-161249961222839/posts/