SEE INSIDE FOR
WHO’S WHO Section C
Volume 143, Issue 4
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January 24, 2018
Two Dallas men also charged with burglary, mischief
Arson suspects arrested
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — After allegedly
setting a house on fire, the two
suspects in a December arson
in Dallas reportedly made cell-
phone videos claiming respon-
sibility as the house burned
and fire crews arrived.
Joshua Max Alexander
Delano, 21, and Stanley Wade
Mock, 20, are accused of break-
ing in at 373
SE Arizo-
na St., van-
dalizing it,
and setting
the newly
remodeled
house on
fire.
Delano
They’re
also the sus-
pects in connection to several
other incidents of vandal-
ism involv-
ing broken
windows,
according
to Dal-
las Police.
Charges are
pending in
those cases.
Mock
They’re
b o t h
charged with one count each
of first-degree arson, first-de-
gree burglary and first-degree
criminal mischief in regards to
the fire. Dallas police arrested
Delano on Jan. 14 and Mock
on Jan. 15.
Thursday, Polk County Cir-
cuit Judge Rafael Caso denied
them release from jail until
their next appearance in court.
Delano’s attorney Steven
Walls explained that his client’s
bail was set too high for his
charges.
“I want to inform the court
that I think there was some
confusion regarding Mr. Del-
ano’s charge at the initial ar-
raignment. The court and the
parties set bail as though this
was a Measure 11 offense and
it is not,” Walls said. “I would
request at least the bail be re-
duced to the standard bail for
an A felony.”
See ARSON, Page A3
For
the
love
of
song
Dallas woman teaches choir through injury
IN
THIS
ISSUE
DALLAS
Dallas School District
and Dallas Community
Schools work to meet
expectations.
»Page A3
DALLAS
Meet Dallas’ new
p l a n n i n g m a n a g e r,
Scott Whyte.
»Page A3
RICKREALL
Jenny Freeborn, of
Rickreall, places second
in discussion meet, held
in January.
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
SHERIDAN — Not long ago, Laura Dotson, the volunteer music director at Sheridan Japanese
School, had to go to rehearsals with sunglasses and ear plugs.
The Dallas resident, whose children attend the small charter school, was in a car accident in
March 2015 that caused a traumatic brain injury.
“My son was driving, he had his permit and … neither he nor I saw the SUV coming and we
were blindsided. I was struck to the side of my head and had a traumatic brain injury,” Dotson
said. “I kept thinking I would get better and I didn’t. I wasn’t able to drive for three months,
wasn’t able to read for six months.
The aftereffects of the injury left her with debilitating headaches, and sensitivity to light and
sound. Reading was difficult because looking at the written word, or even a piece of paper, made
her sick. She had to spend time in the dark for relief of the sensory overload.
“I’ve been through so many bottles of ibuprofen. Headaches, every day, massive head-
aches,” Dotson said. “It was like being an invalid.”
For the time she wasn’t able to get to the school, the choir’s pianist, Kathy
Morse-Webb, took over teaching, said senior choir student Emily Monroe.
“I know she was constantly communicating with Laura,” Monroe said.
“She never didn’t know what was going on, even though she wasn’t here.”
When she was able to teach again, it had to be from memory because she
still couldn’t read without getting sick.
Dotson said she kept the program alive out a desire to give her children and
other students at the school an opportunity to participate in a music program. Sheri-
dan Japanese School has 88 students in fourth through 12th grade.
See MUSIC, Page A7
»Page A3
OBITUARIES
»Page A8
MONMOUTH
Western Oregon Uni-
versity men’s basketball
win 10th straight.
»Page A12
INDEPENDENCE
Central High School’s
boy’s basketball team
split two games last
week.
»Page A10
Police
investigate
possible jumper
Itemizer-Observer staff report
JOLENE GUZMAN / Itemizer-Observer
Laura Dotson leads the Sheridan Japanese School choir through warm-ups at the beginning of class on Jan. 11. She volunteers for the program.
County, church team up to help
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — There’s no place
to shelter homeless veterans —
or anyone who is homeless for
that matter — in Polk County.
Polk County Family & Com-
munity Outreach and Dallas
United Methodist Church have
a plan to build a temporary
shelter for homeless veterans
on the church’s property, but
need the community’s feed-
back before making the plan
reality.
Family & Community Out-
reach Director Brent DeMoe
and Dallas United Methodist
Church Rev. Quinton Kimbrow
have been piecing the plan
together for a few months, and
hosted an informational meet-
ing Thursday at the church to
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
gauge support and listen to
concerns.
“This is the first time we
would have a shelter at all in
our county, but we are passion-
ate about serving our veterans
first,” DeMoe said. “The reason
we are doing it at this church
is because Quinton and his
congregation have a heart for
serving.”
A modular building with
eight private rooms, a kitch-
enette, laundry facility and a
common area would be moved
onto the property at 469 SE
LaCreole Drive, if the plan
comes to fruition.
DeMoe said vets selected
to live in the shelter would
undergo a background check
to ensure they don’t have a
criminal history.
See HOMELESS, Page A7
wed
Head to Papa Mur-
phy’s in Dallas and
have pizza tonight
while supporting
the Dallas Booster
Club’s Turf Project.
Rain
Hi: 46
Lo: 37
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Send us a news tip at
ionews@polkio.com.
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newsletter at polkio.com.
Stephanie Gilbert writes a comment about the proposed veterans’ shelter Thursday.
thur
Suspense novelist
Chris Patchell will
present her new
book, “Vowel of Si-
lence,” at the Dallas
Public Library.
7 p.m. Free.
Showers
Hi: 44
Lo: 35
INDEPENDENCE — On
Jan. 22 at 11:25 p.m.,
officers from the Indepen-
dence Police Department
responded to a report of a
vehicle left unattended on
the Independence Bridge
that crosses the Willa-
mette River.
Responding officers
determined the driver,
a 66-year-old man from
Independence, likely
jumped from the bridge
into the Willamette River.
Officers from Indepen-
dence, Monmouth, Polk
County Sheriff’s Office and
the Oregon State Police
searched the riverbanks
using both night vision
and thermal technology,
with no success.
A boat from the Jef-
ferson Fire Department
launched from Indepen-
dence and searched the
river, also with no success.
Search efforts were
suspended around 3 a.m.
due to darkness and the
extreme flow of the river.
Independence Police,
assisted by the Marion
County Sheriff’s Office
Marine Patrol, planned to
resume searching during
daylight hours on Tuesday.
fri
Central girls and
boys basketball
teams will host Sil-
verton.
5:30 and 7 p.m.
$6.
Showers
Hi: 43
Lo: 39
sat
sun
mon
tue
Ash Creek Arts Cen-
ter and Indy Com-
mons have teamed
up for a special art
exhibit and recep-
tion.
6 to 9 p.m. Free.
Rainbow Dance The-
ater will perform at
Central High School,
the Garden of
Earthly Delights.
3 p.m.
If there’s a break in
the weather, try your
hand at pickleball
at the new courts
across from Roger
Jordan Park.
9 a.m. to noon.
Practice your speak-
ing skills and meet
new friends through
Toastmasters, which
meets at Pressed in
Dallas.
6 p.m.
Rain
Hi: 49
Lo: 44
Rain
Hi: 51
Lo: 43
Rain
Hi: 47
Lo: 38
Showers
Hi: 46
Lo: 33