S ERVING THE S ILVERTON A REA S INCE 1880
50 C ENTS
●
A U NIQUE E DITION OF THE S TATESMAN J OURNAL
V OL . 136, N O . 47
W EDNESDAY , N OVEMBER 8, 2017
SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
Bobbie the Wonder Dog to be featured in film
Scotch Collie from Silverton is said to have traveled up
to 3,000 miles from Indiana to Oregon in 1924 to find family
CHRISTENA BROOKS
SPECIAL TO SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
Before the movies “Lassie Come Home,” “The In-
credible Journey,” and “Milo and Otis,” came the story
of Bobbie, Silverton’s own long-trekking wonder dog.
Bobbie, the Scotch Collie, said to have traveled up to
3,000 miles from Indiana to Oregon to find his master,
appears to be getting his own modern movie at last.
The remarkable canine’s sixth-month journey over
plains, deserts and mountains made international news
in 1924 and has been featured in newspapers, books and
even a silent film.
Now Bobbie, and the people of small-town America
that surrounded him, are the subject of a new full-
length drama conceptualized by a Washington State na-
tive with strong ties to the film industry.
A trained actor and studio guitarist who works as a
financial advisor to moviemakers and musicians, Steve
Lundquist is putting his talent and connections to work
on a film of his own. Fifteen years after hearing Bob-
bie’s story from a relative of the dog’s owners, he’s writ-
ten a screenplay and pulled together financing to put
Bobbie on the big screen as an independent film.
“This movie is not just about a dog’s 3,000-mile jour-
ney,” Lundquist said. “It’s about relationships. I am try-
ing to make a statement about being better neighbors
and better friends at all community levels.”
Lundquist was in Silverton last month, scoping out
filming locations, meeting with local historians, and re-
searching at the Silverton Country Historical Museum.
This winter, he plans to film many of the scenes from
Bobbie’s cross-country journey at the Sundance Insti-
tute campus in Utah, where he works part of the year.
Filming in Silverton – for which he’s seeking extras
See BOBBIE, Page 2A
REMEMBERING
RANDY TRAEGER
Mount Angel community mourns
beloved Kennedy football coach
Steve Lundquist, of Blue Spruce Productions, posing with the
statue of Bobbie the Wonder Dog during his fact-finding trip
to Silverton last month. SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
Teen, deputies
involved in
fatal shooting
are identified
17-year-old carjacking suspect from
Silverton shot near Grand Ronde
PETE MARTINI
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
WHITNEY WOODWORTH
USA TODAY NETWORK
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
Randy Traeger never believed that coaching
high school athletes was simply about X’s and O’s,
or even that it was just about performance on the
field.
For Traeger, a coach’s role was more about de-
veloping student-athletes into young adults, and
that meant focusing on not only the responsibilities
in the classroom and on the field, but also making
right choices in their daily lives and giving back to
the community.
His largest impact was on his alma mater, Ken-
nedy High School, and around the Mount Angel
community.
Traeger passed away early Oct. 30 at the age of
60 after a long battle with health issues, but his
message will live on in the community he loved.
“He has had a massive impact on our school,”
said Kevin Moffatt, Kennedy’s athletic director.
“You don’t get much better than him. He was a
great football coach, but an even better human be-
ing. No matter the situation, you knew that Randy
always cared and had the best interest of the kids in
mind.”
A funeral for Traeger was held at 10 a.m. Friday
at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mount Angel.
During his long coaching career, Traeger devel-
oped the Virtue First Foundation, designed to set
Randy Traeger wrote several books about virtue.
See TRAEGER, Page 2A
COURTESY OF VINCE TERESI
Kennedy coach Randy Traeger shares a laugh with players during a football camp in 2011.
PETE MARTINI / STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Dollar General growing in region
ANNETTEUTZ
SPECIAL TO THE STAYTON MAIL
For the past couple of years, Dollar General has
been marching at a rapid pace through the Mid-Wil-
lamette Valley.
In 2015, the Tennessee-based company decided to
move into untapped territory in Maine, Rhode Island
and Oregon.
“Increasing Dollar General’s footprint in these
states gives us a presence and opens further growth
opportunities in both the Northeast and Pacific North-
west, where we see tremendous growth potential for
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
NEWS UPDATES
PHOTOS
» Breaking news
» Get updates from the Silverton area
» Photo galleries
Dollar General,” said Rick Dreiling, the retailer’s
chairman and CEO, said in announcing the store open-
ings at that time.
The surge began in southern Mid-Valley towns
such as Sweet Home, Drain, Cresswell, Oakridge,
Harrisburg and Philomath and moved north into Mill
City on Sept. 16.
The Jefferson store is the most recent to hold its
grand opening, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 28.
As is custom with the company’s official store cele-
brations, free prizes and special deals were available.
The Polk County District Attorney's Office released
the identities of the three deputies and teen carjacking
suspect involved in the Oct. 28 fatal shooting near
Grand Ronde.
Baltazar Escalona-Baez, 17, of Silverton, was shot
and killed during a confrontation with Polk County
Sheriff's Office deputies following a vehicle pursuit on
Highway 18.
Polk County District Attorney Aaron
Felton identified the three deputies in-
volved as Sgt. Kevin Haynes, Deputy
Kelly Lorence and Deputy Mike Steven-
son.
According to the Oregon State Police,
Polk County deputies were notified of an
Baltazar
armed carjacking and robbery early Sat-
Escalona-
urday morning. The carjacking suspect
Baez
sped away from the parking lot of a Safe-
way grocery store located on Silverton Road NE and
Lancaster Drive NE in a black 2015 Toyota Corolla.
Deputies were warned the suspect was reportedly
armed.
They spotted the Corolla and attempted to pull the
vehicle over. The pursuit ended on Highway 18 near
Grand Ronde.
When the deputies attempted the take Escalona-
Baez into custody, shots were fired. Escalona-Baez was
pronounced dead at the scene.
Oregon State Police officials said investigators
found a weapon at the shooting scene. Information
about who fired shots during the confrontation and
what kind of weapon was recovered was not released.
Escalona-Baez attended Silverton High School as a
junior during the 2016-2017 school year, according to
Andy Bellando, Silver Falls School District superinten-
dent. He did not register as a student for the current
school year.
Felton said Haynes joined the department 18 years
ago and has 27 years law enforcement experience. Lo-
rence became a sheriff's deputy about 18 months ago
and Stevenson joined two years ago.
The three men from the Polk County Sheriff's Office
were placed on paid administrative leave per state and
sheriff's office protocol.
Felton said the investigation remains ongoing and a
Polk County grand jury will review the case to deter-
mine whether the shooting was justified. No date has
been set for the grand jury review.
The incident is the third officer-involved shooting
involving the Polk County Sheriff's Office in the past 18
months. In October, a Marion County grand jury ruled
Polk County Deputy Martin Watson was justified in fir-
ing his weapon during a traffic stop in Salem.
During that incident, Watson fired two shots after a
vehicle pursuit through the city. No one was injured
during the shooting. Two men were later arrested on
firearms and attempted assault charges.
Joshua Bolster, 29, was shot and killed by Polk Coun-
ty Deputy Casey Gibson during a traffic stop along
Highway 22 in July 2016. A five-inch folding knife was
found at the scene. A Polk County grand jury unani-
See SHOOTING, Page 2A
See DOLLAR GENERAL, Page 2A
INSIDE
Life in the Valley.................4A
Obituaries .............................3B
Sports......................................1B
©2017
Printed on recycled paper
A map shows the part of Oregon Route 18 in the Grand Ronde
area where the incident took place. TRIPCHECK