MISSING PORTLAND STUDENT
Search for missing Portland State student suspended
(Information from: KOIN-TV, http://www.koin.com/)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities have suspended the search for a woman who didn’t return home last week after a night class at Portland State University.
KOIN-TV and other news outlets report that 25-year-old Emily Hooper of Aloha returned home Tuesday night.
Washington County sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. David Thompson says officials believe Hooper went missing on her own volition.
Sheriff’s officials asked for the public’s help finding Hooper on Sunday but now believe she deliberately chose not to contact her family or police, Thompson said.
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PUPPY ABUSE
Marion County man arrested for hurting puppy
(Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Marion County man has been arrested for hitting a puppy so hard that its leg had to be amputated.
The Statesman Journal reports that 22-year-old Kyle Anthony Hernandez faces charges of first-degree animal abuse. Court documents say he admitted to spanking his roommate’s mini Australian/Dachshund puppy in August when it urinated on their apartment floor.
The roommate, who hadn’t been home at the time, later noticed the puppy was limping and whining. He took Tucker to a pet clinic, where he learned that one of the dog’s legs was broken in two places.
The roommate told police Hernandez paid Tucker’s $1,200 amputation fee.
Hernandez allegedly told officers he spanked the puppy because he was frustrated by its actions and that he suffered from anger problems fueled by alcohol.
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BOOKKEEPER-WRONGFUL TERMINATION
Bookkeeper for Portland nonprofit files whistleblower suit
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former bookkeeper for a Portland nonprofit that worked to help Oregon’s foster children is suing the organization, alleging she was fired after reporting misspending by her employer.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Deborah Muller filed the $375,000 wrongful termination suit last week.
Muller alleges she found money from the nonprofit Give Us This Day had been spent at jewelry stores, Victoria’s Secret and at a plastic surgeon’s office.
The lawsuit says Muller tried to report the spending to her boss, Richard Harris, but he encouraged her to cover up the criminal actions of the group’s executive director, Mary Ayala.
Harris says the allegations against him have no merit.
A 2015 lawsuit filed by the state against Ayala and others accused of misusing state funds remains ongoing.
Give Us This Day closed down last year.
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COUNTY PARKS-SMOKING BAN
Lane County turns down smoking, vaping ban in parks
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Lane County commissioners have rejected a proposed ban on smoking and vaping in county parks, but not without deciding to reconsider the policy later with possible changes.
The Register-Guard reports the board of commissioners voted down the proposal on Tuesday that would have applied to the county’s 73 parks. The board will consider a provision exempting Native American religious ceremonies and whether the ban should apply to campsites at a later date.
The board’s decision marks another loss for county health officials, who have pushed for the parks smoking ban for several years.
Commissioners who voted against the proposal questioned whether it would actually improve residents’ health, as supporters of the ban have argued.
Several city parks in Lane County have already gone tobacco-free, including Veneta, Eugene and Springfield.
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MUSHROOM PICKER-MISSING
Authorities searching for missing mushroom picker
SWEET HOME, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say they are searching for a 58-year-old man who hasn’t returned from mushroom picking east of Sweet Home.
Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley says someone called authorities Tuesday morning to report Oliver Mercer, of Lebanon, missing in the area of Rocky Top near Green Peter Reservoir.
Riley says Mercer has been missing since Monday morning.
Linn County Search and Rescue is looking for the man.
No further details were immediately available.
FOSTER CHILDREN MOLESTED
Man who molested foster kids gets 17 years in prison
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 24-year-old man who molested three foster children has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Jared White of Portland was sentenced Tuesday.
Court records say White targeted the children, one as young as 6, while they were living at his grandmother’s home from 2007 to 2013.
Part of White’s sentence stemmed from sexually abusing a fourth child who was not in the foster care system.
In September, White pleaded guilty to charges of sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration and sexual abuse of the children.
White’s abuse of the four children came to light after one of the foster children revealed the abuse after being placed in a new home.
White had no previous criminal history.
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TRENCH COLLAPSE-FINES
Excavation firm fined for trench collapse that killed worker
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Portland excavating company has been fined nearly $150,000 for violations stemming from a trench collapse that killed a worker in May.
Oregon OSHA announced the penalty Tuesday, following an investigation that found five violations.
Casey Holland had been part of a crew installing a sewer line for a home in southwest Portland.
Holland was working between the two pieces of shoring when the collapse occurred. Investigators determined the excavation was improperly braced because the shoring was spaced too far apart to handle unstable soil.
Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood said in a statement the employer had no reason to disregard time-tested excavation rules. The owner of TC Excavating told investigators he knows the rules and it was negligent of him to allow employees to work in such a situation.
SEASIDE CHILD DEATH
Seaside man convicted of killing girlfriend’s young daughter
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — A Seaside man has been found guilty of killing his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter and injuring her sons.
Randy Lee Roden was convicted of murder, murder by abuse, manslaughter, assault and criminal mistreatment. Jurors Monday found Roden not guilty of aggravated murder, a charge that could have led to the death penalty.
His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 21
Roden was arrested in December 2014 at the home he shared with the mother of Evangelina Wing. He had been released from prison earlier that year.
An autopsy determined that Evangelina died of blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide.
The girl’s mother, Dorothy Wing, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
