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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2017)
Appeal Tribune Wednesday, October 18, 2017 3B Driver had .318% BAC following fatal crash LAUREN E HERNANDEZ AND WHITNEY M. WOODWORTH Investigators said that Favian Garcia had a blood-alcohol level of .318 percent, almost four times the legal limit, at the time of the crash. STATESMAN JOURNAL The driver in a Marion County crash that killed a woman and four children had a blood-alcohol level of .318 percent — almost four times the legal limit, in- vestigators said Oct. 10. A Marion County judge deemed Fa- vian Garcia "a danger to the public if re- leased" and ordered him held without bail. With his arm in a sling, Garcia, 27, of Gervais, appeared for arraignment be- fore Judge Rafael Caso Oct. 10. The four children killed in the head- on collision were identified by Oregon State Police earlier in the day. Ivan Ricardo Medrano-Contreras, 8, Andrus Medrano-Contreras, 6, Dayana- ra Medrano-Perez, 4, and Angelina Vaz- quez-Crisp, 2, died when Garcia crashed a Land Rover head-on into a Buick Cen- tury driven by Lisette Medrano-Perez, 25, of Molalla, on Highway 99E north of Salem Sunday. Medrano-Perez was driving to Salem with her three children and a 2-year-old niece. All five family members died at the scene. Medrano-Perez was the 2-year-old's temporary legal guardian, said Oregon State Police Lt. Cari Boyd. She was set to be adopted by another family member next week. Tony Mann, superintendent of the Molalla River School District, con- firmed the two sons attended Molalla El- ementary School as first and third grad- ers. The school is providing counseling service and family support to class- mates shaken by the tragedy. Medrano-Perez brought energy and compassion to her role at Pheasant Pointe, an assisted living center located on a sleepy residential street in Molalla, The crash occurred at Highway 99E and Nevada Street. PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGON STATE POLICE said Chelsea Slaven, the home's execu- tive director. "You'll notice how quiet it is right now," Slaven said, gesturing to a silent lobby of residents. "We're all trying to go forward and do what we can to support our residents, our team members and our community as a whole." Slaven said Medrano-Perez had a "heart of gold" and always went above and beyond for her coworkers. Just last Friday, she visited the assist- ed living center on her day off to sur- prise one of her coworkers with a birth- day gift. "Anyone working in assisted living has a heart of gold and Lisette was cer- tainly an example of that," Slaven said. When Medrano-Perez left work over the weekend, Slaven said it was just like any other day. She said "see you soon" with a broad smile on her face before walking out of the yellow living facility and down the curb lined with trees. "I expected to see her again," Slaven said with tears in her eyes. Garcia, who was not the registered owner of the Land Rover, was traveling north when he collided with the family's car while rounding a corner. Garcia told a trooper responding to the crash that he had "a hangover all day." He was taken to the hospital with mi- nor injuries. At the hospital, another trooper said Garcia smelled of alcohol. According to a probable cause state- ment, his eyes were glassy and blood- shot. He slurred his words and refused a blood test. Garcia was arrested on five counts of first-degree manslaughter, DUI, reck- less driving and driving with a suspend- ed license. According to prosecutor Tiffany Un- derwood, it was Garcia's third time ap- pearing on DUI charges. He allegedly struck a parked car in Woodburn and lost his bumper in July. When he returned to retrieve his bumper, he was arrested. His blood-alcohol content was .28 per- cent. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear for his arraign- ment. He also was facing charges out of Marion County for intentionally pre- venting a convenience store clerk from calling 911 in April. Woodburn police re- ported that Garcia became angry at the clerk after she refused to sell him alco- hol at 4:55 a.m. When she told him she was going to call the police, he disconnected her phone three times. Police later found Garcia standing in his apartment complex parking lot, where he was slurring his words and stumbling. He also was convicted of DUI in 2011 in Marion County and for interfering with a Gervais police officer in 2013. This pattern of drunk driving showed Garcia would be a danger to the commu- nity if released from jail, Underwood said. She requested that he be denied bail. Caso ordered that Garcia be held without bail at Marion County jail. His next hearing is scheduled for a hearing on Oct. 18. For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjour- nal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth Deputy of Oregon Department of Ed. forced to quit NATALIE PATE STATESMAN JOURNAL Salam Noor, deputy superintendent of the Oregon Department of Education, has resigned. Gov. Kate Brown "asked Salam Noor to resign because she was not satisfied with his ability to execute her vision for Oregon’s education system," said Chris Pair, a spokesman for the governor's of- fice. The deputy superintendent oversees the education of more than a half-million students in more than 1,200 public and charter schools across Oregon. Brown announced Noor's departure Oct. 11. His resignation letter is available on the governor's public records web- site. Brown appointed Education Innova- tion Officer Colt Gill to serve as acting deputy superintendent, effective Wednesday. Chief Education Officer Lindsey Capps will lead the recruitment effort for a permanent replacement. Noor was appointed by Brown as dep- uty superintendent in July 2015. After his resignation was announced, various education leaders in the state issued comments about his work on the state plan for the federal Every Student Suc- ceeds Act. "Salam has been a steady and passion- ate voice for students and championed a vision for a well-rounded education for the department," said John Larson, presi- dent of the Oregon Education Associa- tion. "His work to move our state toward a more balanced system of assessment and bringing together all stakeholders to develop Oregon’s ESSA plan have laid the foundation for a brighter future.” Noor was not able to be reached. In 2011, legislation made the governor the Superintendent of Schools with the authority to appoint a deputy to run the Oregon Department of Education. The deputy superintendent works closely with chief education officer, whose of- fice is separate from the education de- partment. Gill, a former superintendent of the Bethel School District in Eugene, was ap- pointed education innovation officer in 2016. He was tasked with advancing the governor's goal of increasing the num- ber of students completing high school. In Gill’s 10 years with the Bethel Salam Noor, pictured, the deputy superintendent of the Oregon Department of Education, was asked to resign by Gov. Kate Brown, Chris Pair, a spokesman for the governor's office said. ANNA REED / STATESMAN JOURNAL School District, he "consistently im- proved graduation rates for historically underserved students," according to of- ficials in the governor's office. "Colt has cultivated strong partner- ships with rural and urban school dis- tricts, communities, and students, rec- ommending policies that will improve student success in every corner of the state," Brown said in a statement. Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, said Noor's resignation is evidence of Brown’s ineffective lead- ership regarding education. "The revolving staff doors across the entire Brown Administration reflect poor judgment in hiring and a lack of vi- sion that even her own staff can’t follow," Buehler said in a statement. 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