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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2017)
18 Wednesday, January 4, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon ACKROYD: Man suspected in death of his stepdaughter Continued from page 3 bones and a Timex watch. Despite strong suspicions, it was difficult for investiga- tors to build a trial-worthy case against Ackroyd and his suspected accomplice, Roger Dale Beck. Ackroyd’s alibi was a claim to have been in the area poaching with his friend and co-worker Beck on December 24, 1978. Police interviewed both men and others close to the case repeatedly but were not able to make an immedi- ate arrest. The Turner case heated up again when Ackroyd came under suspicion in the disap- pearance of his stepdaughter, 13-year-old Rachanda Pickle in 1990. Rachanda was pre- sumed to have been killed, but despite an extensive search in the area of Hoodoo, Potato Hill and Lost Lake, no body was ever found. But circumstances had changed for the Turner case, and with new witness testi- mony in hand, police made an arrest. Ackroyd was speed- ily found guilty by jury in October of 1993. Beck’s trial followed in November 1993. Key testimony came from Beck’s former wife — who had been Ackroyd’s high school sweetheart and divorced Beck in 1985. Brown reported that in the Beck trial, “Pam Beck Ramirez of La Pine sat in the witness chair a few yards from her ex-husband and said Roger Beck had threatened her with the same fate Kaye Jean Turner met in 1978, unless she lied for him... It was fear of Beck that moti- vated her to lie to police sev- eral times in the early years of the Turner investigation, Ramirez declared.” Ramirez’s testimony implicated both Beck and Ackroyd in the Turner mur- der, and she testified that Beck had bragged about the killing several times, espe- cially when drunk. Linn County sheriff’s detectives arrested Ackroyd in 2013 for the murder of Rachanda Pickle. No infor- mation has been released as to what, exactly, led to the arrest 23 years after Rachanda’s disappearance. According to the Eugene Register Guard, “recent ‘advances in technology’ that were not available in 1990 allowed detectives to gain the information that led to Ackroyd being charged with murdering Pickle.” Ackroyd had not yet gone ...recent ‘advances in technology’ that were not available in 1990 allowed detectives to gain the information that led to Ackroyd being charged with murdering Pickle. — Register Guard to trial for that murder at the time of his death. The Oregon Department of Corrections reported that the 67-year-old Ackroyd was found unresponsive in his cell at approximately 12 a.m., Friday, December 30. He was the sole occupant. Medical staff began life-saving efforts to no avail. He was pro- nounced dead at 12:23 a.m. Bend PD reconsidering Ore. attorney general to body cameras BEND (AP) — Last week’s officer-involved shooting in downtown Bend has the police department reconsidering an earlier deci- sion not to purchase body cameras. Police Chief Jim Porter told The Bulletin newspa- per the department consid- ered the cameras before, but felt the cost of equipment and other expenses was prohibitive. Porter said falling prices and the shooting of Michael Jacques have prompted the department to take another look at the viability of cam- eras that are worn by offi- cers and record their daily activities. The 31-year-old driver was shot and killed during a traffic stop Friday night. A Bend Police officer pulled him over after receiving reports of him driving errati- cally in a Dodge Caravan. The shooting investiga- tion remains active. Porter said he initially backed away from using body cams because the department didn’t have the money for it, and he didn’t see the need. “I did not feel at the time that we had a culture that needed body cameras,” he said. “We weren’t getting excessive force complaints; we weren’t seeing com- plaints about officers’ atti- tudes on the street.” Porter said the department set aside $40,000 during the 2013-14 budget cycle for body cameras, but then the Oregon Legislature passed regulations as to when the cameras could be turned off, and how the data has to be stored and processed. That greatly increased the cost, Porter said. “Yes, we are looking at them again,” Porter said. “There’s now much easier software to work with to be able to redact information out of the videos to make it much easier to use.” Porter and Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel declined com- ment on whether body cam footage would be helpful in the investigation of Jacques’ death. Hummel, a former defense attorney, said he has always been in favor of body cameras. “Having more evidence is always better,” Hummel said. investigate fatal shooting BEND (AP) — The Oregon Department of Justice is taking over the investigation of the Dec. 23 shooting by a police officer in downtown Bend. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday that her office will investigate the shooting death of Michael Jacques by an officer. Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel asked Rosenblum to take the case due to a potential con- flict of interest that recently developed. Months ago, Hummel retained a Bend law firm to represent him in litigation related to injuries he sustained in a car crash. On Thursday, the same law firm announced they’re rep- resenting Jacques’ family in litigation against the City of Bend for the shooting death. Lawyers for Jacques fam- ily say he was unarmed and still belted in his vehicle when he was killed. 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