PORTLAND POLICE-MISCONDUCT
Report: Portland officer fired over threats at poker game
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A newly released report on investigations into misconduct by Portland police says any officer resigned under threat of firing for driving drunk in a patrol car while on duty to answer a call.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the case was one of several the Portland Police Review Board detailed in a report released Thursday. The investigations are from June 2016 to November 2016.
According to the report, an officer was fired over an incident at an off-duty poker game, in which he was accused of menacing people while armed and threatening to shoot a witness.
Another officer missed an hour or two of work each day in April and May 2015 and lied on his time sheets.
The review board’s quarterly report on its examination of police internal investigations doesn’t name the officers.
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RANCHING STANDOFF-BUNDY LAWYER
Judge dismisses 1 charge against Oregon standoff lawyer
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has dropped one of three charges filed against the lawyer for the leader of the armed occupation at an Oregon wildlife refuge.
U.S District Judge John C. Coughenour also said in court Thursday he will decide, not a jury, on the other two charges.
Coughenour dismissed a charge that accused Marcus Mumford of creating a disturbance by impeding the official duties of government officers because it encompassed the same conduct alleged in the second count, failing to comply with official signs that prohibit the disruption of federal officers’ official work.
The incident in question occurred when Mumford’s client Ammon Bundy was acquitted last fall and Mumford was tackled by federal marshals for refusing to stop arguing with the judge.
Mumford is also charged with failure to comply with the lawful direction of a federal police officer.
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HOUSE FIRE-GLIDE
51-year-old woman found dead after Oregon house fire
(Information from: The News-Review, http://www.nrtoday.com)
ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say one woman is dead after a house fire in western Oregon.
The News-Review reports that the victim of the early Thursday blaze has been identified as 51-year-old Kimberly Marie Down.
Emergency crews had responded to a report of the fire in Glide to find the structure fully engulfed in flames.
Crews were eventually able to put out the flames and found the woman dead inside the home.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says they do not suspect foul play.
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BULL MOUNTAIN-HOMICIDE-SUICIDE
Couple found dead in Oregon home; suicide pact suspected
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a man and a woman were found dead at a home on Bull Mountain near Portland.
Detective Robert Rookhuyzen (roke-hi-zen) of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office says evidence suggests the couple had some type of suicide agreement, though no note was found.
Concerned relatives had gone to three-story home of Lisa Malone and Leonard Forster late Wednesday.
From the bottom floor, they spoke with the couple. The relatives then heard a loud gunshot. After the shot, the couple told the family members they were fine and didn’t want to talk.
The relatives then called 911. While on the phone, they heard additional gunshots, described as muffled.
Deputies found the bodies early Thursday. Rookhuyzen says the man shot the woman and then himself.
The detective says the couple, both 48, had no record of domestic violence. He says there was evidence of heavy drug use.
TAX FRAUD SENTENCE
Portland woman sentenced to 6 years in prison for tax fraud
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Portland woman has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for conspiring to file tax returns that claimed more than $1.2 million in fraudulent refunds.
Court documents say 41-year-old Danyelle Calcagno filed at least 224 returns using names and social security numbers she obtained directly or acquired with the help of an Arizona woman.
Prosecutors said Calcagno disguised the source of the filings by using Internet access at hotels. She directed the Internal Revenue Service to deposit the ill-gotten refunds into different bank accounts and prepaid debit cards.
U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez handed down the sentence Thursday in Portland. Besides the prison time, he ordered Calcagno to pay back nearly $750,000 to the IRS.
Calcagno had pleaded guilty to conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. Her co-conspirator was sentenced in 2015 to three years and three months in prison.
DELAYED WOLF REPORT
Snow delays Oregon wolf count, management plan update
(Information from: Capital Press, http://www.capitalpress.com/washington)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Heavy snow in Oregon in recent months has caused problems for wildlife officials in charge of tracking the state’s wolf population.
The Capital Press reported Wednesday that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says winter weather in northeast Oregon, the region in which most of the state’s wolves live, has delayed surveys of wolf packs. As a result, the annual wolf report will be delayed a month.
The report will be delivered to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission on April 21. It is usually released in March and includes updates on wolf population numbers and information on breeding pairs in the state. That information helps inform the state’s Wolf Management and Conservation plan.
ODFW spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy says the heavy snow may have delayed surveys, but it likely did not hurt the wolves.
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UBER-BEND
Council paves way for Uber, Lyft in Central Oregon city
BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Bend City Council has approved a new taxi code that allows ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to operate in Central Oregon’s largest city.
The measure stalled a few weeks ago when councilors decided the draft proposal needed changes, including what kind of crimes revealed through background checks would prevent someone from becoming a driver.
A city attorney explained the changes Wednesday and the proposal passed. The Bulletin newspaper reports councilors must approve it a second time before it becomes law.
Lyft has yet to say whether it plans to operate in Bend. Uber has expressed interest and could be operating there by late spring.
DOWNTOWN EUGENE
Downtown Eugene in ‘crisis,’ consultant says
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A consultant hired to help improve downtown Eugene has told city leaders that the area is in “crisis” and is widely considered unsafe.
The Register-Guard reports that the Oregon city hired New York-based Project for Public Spaces to recommend ways to make the downtown public spaces safer, welcoming and more active.
The firm presented several ideas during a Wednesday meeting. Vice president and design director Meg Walker says the project has found problems with homelessness in other cities but that the situation in downtown Eugene is the most serious she’s seen. She says the small, concentrated downtown makes the problem appear more severe than it would in a big city.
Walker and her colleagues proposed ideas to help the city’s homeless population as well as designs to make downtown spaces more appealing.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.