ESTACADA FATAL SHOOTING
Man turns himself in to authorities in Estacada homicide
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man has turned himself in to authorities in connection with the fatal shooting of a 39-year-old Portland man.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports deputies took 47-year-old Richard Allan Hess into custody Wednesday night.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday he was the suspect in the death of Dominick James Perry.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Brian Jensen has said Perry died from a gunshot wound.
Authorities responded to a disturbance call at an Estacada home Saturday morning and found Perry, who died later at a hospital.
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STUN GUN-PESTICIDE PROTEST
Supreme Court: Eugene must release stun gun case records
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court has ordered the city of Eugene to publicly release documents from a police investigation into the conduct of officers who used a stun gun during the arrest of a protester in 2008.
The Register-Guard reports the state high court ruled Thursday that there needs to be increased transparency within the police department.
Then-18-year-old Ian Van Ornum had accused police of using excessive force after his arrest.
But an internal investigation found that officers acted in line with department policies.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued to see the investigation records. But the city kept them secret for years, citing a state law regarding police investigations.
The Supreme Court’s ruling will let the city make limited redactions to the documents it must release to the ACLU.
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INMATE DEATH
Inmate dies in Marion County jail
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a 36-year-old woman died in her cell at the Marion County Jail.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Dezeray Molieri of Salem was found unresponsive by jail deputies on Thursday morning.
The sheriff’s office says efforts to revive her were unsuccessful and they do not suspect foul play.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and the medical examiner’s office will work to determine her cause of death.
BOW HUNTER-INDICTMENT
Bow hunter indicted in hunting partner’s death
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a 52-year-old bow hunter on charges related to the fatal shooting of his hunting partner near Bend.
The Bend Bulletin reports Michael Pekarek, of Tillamook, was charged Thursday with criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with his friend’s death.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says Pekarek called 911 Monday to report he had shot 45-year-old Jeffrey Cummings of Wood Village while bow hunting.
Investigators say Pekarek had got out of their truck to shoot a mule deer.
When the deer moved out of view, authorities say Pekarek turned toward Cummings to tell him the deer was moving toward him when the he released the arrow.
Cummings died at the scene.
The district attorney’s office says the grand jury found Pekarek didn’t intend to cause Cummings’ death but that his actions were reckless.
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DOGS ATTACK DEPUTY
Deputy attacked by 5 dogs in La Pine
(Information from: KTVZ-TV, http://www.ktvz.com/)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A Deschutes County sheriff’s deputy is recovering after being attacked by five dogs in La Pine.
KTVZ-TV reports that Deputy Laura Conrad was taken to a hospital for treatment after the Tuesday night incident and later released.
Conrad had responded to a call about the dogs when they charged at her minutes after she arrived on scene. She says she didn’t shoot the pit bulls because there were kids in the area.
The deputy was able to break free after a brief struggle, and says her boots and vest kept her from suffering worse injuries.
The dogs have been taken to the Humane Society of Central Oregon.
Authorities are investigating to determine whether the owners will face criminal charges.
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HOSPITAL SEXUAL ASSAULT
Nursing assistant arrested for sexually assaulting patients
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Detectives have arrested a certified nursing assistant for allegedly raping an elderly patient at a Portland hospital.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Adeladilew Mekonen was arrested Wednesday after an investigation that began after recent patients at St. Vincent Medical Center, ages 94 and 87, filed complaints.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Mekonen has been charged with first-degree rape and second-degree unlawful sexual penetration in the case involving the 87-year-old. Mekonen remains in jail on $250,000 bail.
Detectives say Mekonen was hired by the hospital in May 2016. They believe there could be other victims and that additional charges still could be filed in the other case.
Anyone with information on the cases is asked to call Detective Robert Rookhuyzen at 503-846-2673.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Mekonen has an attorney.
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This story has been clarified to show the current charges involve one victim, not two, but police believe there could be at least one other victim.
OLD COUNTY JAILS
Conditions in many older county jails are grim, dangerous
PRINEVILLE, Oregon (AP) — A county jail in central Oregon is so bad that the sheriff himself says it’s an embarrassment.
To improve things, Crook County put a $10 million bond measure on the November ballot to build a new jail. But such measures are unpopular among voters. The problems mirror those in many other counties across the United States, with aging facilities holding an increasing number of people.
John Bishop, the executive director of the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association, which inspects jails in the state, said some are so old that they can’t pass many of the inspection standards.
Bishop said many old jails are extreme fire hazards, and that a tragedy is waiting to happen.
AP-US-COVER-OREGON-LAWSUIT-SETTLEMENT
Oregon settles lawsuit for botched health care rollout
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon has settled with a California software giant in a lawsuit that accused Oracle America Inc. of creating a state health care exchange website that didn’t work.
Gov. Kate Brown’s office said Thursday that Oracle will cover $25 million in legal fees, pay $10 million to advance science and math in Oregon schools and grant an unlimited license agreement to the state for Oracle software with technical support for a period of six years.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum says the deal is worth $100 million. The lawsuit had sought $6 billion in damages.
The state paid Oracle $240 million to create its Cover Oregon website but ultimately joined the federal exchange.
Oracle says the website worked but former Gov. John Kitzhaber chose not to use it for political reasons.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.