4 December 2014
Mapleton Schools Locked Down – Man Charged
A Mapleton man is facing several charges after threatening to kill his two month old child, crashing his car and eluding police for more than two hours. Nearby Mapleton schools were placed on lockdown for a brief period yesterday as well.
30-year old Matthew Berkner allegedly assaulted the mother of the child at their home on Fir Street in Mapleton around ten AM. He reportedly told the mother the child was going to die, then left with it in a car.
Sheriff’s Deputies learned about 30 minutes later that Berkner had driven to his mother’s home on Rice Road, also in Mapleton, crashed his car into a pole then fled on foot after handing the child to his mother, the child’s grandmother.
Police eventually tracked Berkner to his home on Fir where they took him into custody around 1:30 in the afternoon.
The child was not injured; Berkner was arrested and charged with several counts including Assault 4; Reckless Endangering; Menacing and Criminal Mistreatment. He also faces similar charges from an earlier incident.
Crash Victim Identities Released
Three employees of a Veneta Logging company were identified as those killed in a Tuesday morning crash on a forest road south of Walton. 36-year old Alejandro Cambray of Eugene was behind the wheel when the Ford F350 pickup left the road in heavy fog on Roseburg Forest Products land about 8:30 that morning. 41-year old Bradley Younker and 26-year old Ruben Benito also died at the scene. The three, along with two others who were injured, all worked for Kelley Brothers Logging and were on their way to a logging site at the time of the crash.
Forgotten Heroes to be seen in Florence
A 90-minute documentary about a visit by Oregon veterans to the National World War Two memorial in Washington DC last May will be shown Sunday afternoon in Florence. Darrek Mullens, a paramedic with Western Lane Ambulance, says it’s a fund raiser to help fund additional Honor Flights that so far, have taken thousands of vets nationwide to the national monument.
Darrek Mullens – “They see the memorials, they read the inscriptions and they come into it hunched over and then they leave standing a little taller. And what’s most amazing is the people there. The kids, the kids just love these veterans. They are so honored, they come up and they thank them and they’re crying.”
In addition to raising money for future trips, the showing of Forgotten Heroes is also an effort to reach out to any remaining World War II Vets who have not yet made the trip.
Darrek Mullens – “We need people who have never been back to DC that would have some sort of desire to see their monuments and their memorials; and we need the funds also to help with that.”
The doors open at one pm at Three Rivers Casino… there’s no charge to attend, but donations will be accepted.
Kiwanis Candy Sale Set to Begin
Holiday shoppers looking for their “See’s Candy” chocolate fix can meet that need beginning tomorrow. Members of the Florence Kiwanis will begin selling the popular chocolates at Sears.
It’s one of the largest fund raisers for Kiwanis each year; proceed go to help events like the recent Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
See’s Candy is available inside Sears from 9:30 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday, Noon to 4:00 Sundays through Christmas… or until they run out.
Cougar Sighting in Florence
A large cougar was sighted in Florence on Rhododendron Drive near 35th street early Wednesday.
The cat reportedly had a tail about four feet long with a black tip and was standing along side Rhododendron Drive between 35th and the Coast Guard Station just before six AM.
The sighting followed another unconfirmed report of a mushroom picker near the North Jetty of the Siuslaw River stumbling into a cougar den with more than one cub and a mother.
