STATE
8A — THE OBSERVER
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
O REGON IN B RIEF
From wire reports
Remains found
infection was successfully
after cabin explodes
treated, hospital staff missed
during police standoff obvious signs of adrenal
OAKRIDGE — Human
remains found in a cabin
that exploded in fl ames
early Tuesday morning dur-
ing a standoff between law
enforcement and a wanted
man are believed to be
those of a suspect who bar-
ricaded himself when police
arrived Monday night, the
Lane County Sheriff’s Of-
fi ce said.
The sheriff’s offi ce said
Tuesday that police tried to
contact the man at the cabin
east of Oakridge about a
warrant Monday, to no avail,
KATU-TV reported.
Police called the sheriff’s
offi ce for help and deputies
made contact with the man,
who refused to come out
of the structure. The cabin
was located up a narrow
road overgrown with veg-
etation, the sheriff’s offi ce
said.
Shortly before 3 a.m.
Tuesday, law enforcement
reported hearing a small
explosion that sounded
like it came from inside the
structure followed by fi re
erupting inside, the sheriff’s
offi ce said. The fi re depart-
ment was called but was
unable to get the truck up
the road, the sheriff’s offi ce
said.
Authorities found a
person dead once they were
able to get inside.
The Oregon State Fire
Marshal’s Offi ce will
investigate the fi re and the
man’s name will be re-
leased later.
insuffi ciency, which led to cir-
culatory collapse and death,
the lawsuit said. Galusha-
Beck was 32 when she died
on Jan. 17, 2017.
St. Charles spokeswoman
Lisa Goodman declined to
discuss the lawsuit, citing
pending litigation.
Portland State
University to pay
$1M in man’s fatal
shooting
PORTLAND — Portland
State University has agreed
to pay $1 million to the
family of Jason Washington,
who campus police shot and
killed in 2018.
The Oregonian/Oregon-
Live reports as part of the
settlement, some of the
money will go to create a
memorial scholarship fund
in Washington’s name. The
university also agreed to
provide campus police with
additional training.
“Mr. Washington’s death
was tragic, and our campus
community mourns his
loss,” Interim President
Stephen Percy said in a
statement. “His death made
us signifi cantly reassess our
approach to campus safety.”
The university did not
release terms of the agree-
ment. The family had noti-
fi ed Portland State earlier
this year that it intended
to fi le a wrongful death
lawsuit.
After the shooting, the
university hired an in-
dependent public safety
consultant who held cam-
pus forums and produced
recommendations in a
lengthy report. In October,
Percy announced a com-
prehensive campus safety
plan that includes training
designed to minimize the
use of force and increased
oversight by a university
committee.
Michelle Washington, Ja-
son Washington’s wife, said
the settlement “acknowl-
edges our profound loss.”
Washington is also survived
by three children.
Offi cers James Dewey
and Shawn McKenzie
shot Washington, a U.S.
postal worker and Navy
veteran in a chaotic scene
as Washington tried to
break up a fi ght near the
Cheerful Tortoise on June
29, 2018.
A Multnomah County
grand jury later found no
criminal wrongdoing by
the offi cers. McKenzie and
Dewey have since left PSU’s
public safety force.
New Portland police
chief sworn in
PORTLAND — Port-
land’s new police chief Jami
Resch was sworn in during
a private ceremony
Tuesday.
The Oregonian/Oregon-
Live reports the 20-year
bureau veteran succeeds
Danielle Outlaw, who
stepped down to become
Philadelphia’s next police
commissioner.
Portland Mayor Ted
Wheeler made the an-
nouncement Monday at the
same time he announced
Outlaw’s departure. Resch,
who made $185,556.80 as
the bureau’s No. 2, will be
paid an annual salary of
$215,000.
The bureau declined
to make Resch available
for an interview Tuesday,
saying she would make her
fi rst public remarks next
week.
Last year, Outlaw picked
Resch, then a captain, to
serve as assistant chief
of investigations. In May,
Outlaw promoted Resch to
deputy chief.
Chris Davis was sworn
in as the new deputy chief.
He was named assistant
chief of operations in June.
Before that, he served in a
variety of posts, including
assistant chief of services,
Central Precinct command-
er and captain of North
Precinct.
City parks director
being investigated
for sexual
harassment
ASTORIA— The direc-
tor of the Astoria Parks and
Recreation Department in
Oregon is under investiga-
tion by the city for sexual
harassment.
Documents provided to
The Astorian show that a
woman who works with Tim
Williams told the city in
November that his behav-
ior was inappropriate and
upsetting.
The Astorian reported
Sunday that the woman said
he hugged her in a sexually
suggestive manner and tried
to discuss his pornography
problem and fetishes with
her.
Williams could not be
reached for comment.
City Manager Brett Estes
said in a statement that
when Williams was asked to
participate in an interview
as part of the investigation,
he took leave under the Or-
egon Family Leave Act and
declined to do so.
Estes said once Williams’
leave is fi nished he will be
required to answer ques-
tions needed to conclude the
investigation.
Before the claims of
sexual harassment surfaced,
documents say others at
the parks department had
voiced concerns about Wil-
liams. Documents indicate
city offi cials had spoken to
him about his behavior and
keeping comments
appropriate.
Williams started as direc-
tor of the Astoria Parks and
Recreation Department
in January. He grew up in
southeast Idaho and worked
for several parks depart-
ments, most recently in
Roswell, New Mexico.
Teen climber rescued
after fall on Oregon’s
Mount Hood
MOUNT HOOD — A
16-year-old mountain
climber has been rescued
after he fell 500 feet on
Mount Hood Monday and
hurt his leg, authorities
said.
The Clackamas County
Sheriff’s Offi ce said a call
came in at about 9 a.m.
about a boy who fell while
climbing with a group.
Rescue teams reached
the teen at about 1 p.m.
Monday at an elevation
of about 10,500 feet. The
sheriff’s offi ce says rescu-
ers put a splint on his leg
and said he was in stable
condition. It took rescuers
until nearly 5 p.m. to bring
him down to Timberline
Lodge where an ambulance
was waiting.
At 11,239 feet, Hood
is the highest mountain
in Oregon and one of the
most-climbed mountains in
the world, according to the
sheriff’s offi ce. More than
10,000 people make the
technical ascent to Hood’s
summit each year.
— The Associated Press
Black guest at
Portland hotel sues
over ‘no party’
promise
PORTLAND — An
African American woman
who says she was required
to sign a “no party policy”
when she checked into
her Portland hotel fi led a
$300,000 lawsuit Monday
against the Marriott chain,
claiming it singled her out
because of her race.
The Oregonian/Or-
egonLive reports Felicia
Gonzales claims the front
desk clerk at the Residence
Inn by Marriott Portland
Downtown/Convention Cen-
ter told her that all guests
had to sign the policy. But
Gonzales says she watched
white guests check in after
her who weren’t required to
sign the policy, according to
the lawsuit.
Marriott spokesman Jeff
Flaherty says the company
doesn’t comment on pending
lawsuits.
The two-page no party
policy, provided by Gon-
zales’ attorneys, says it
was established to inform
all guests of noise limits
and “not to insinuate any
distrust in the ‘average’
guest.”
Gonzales’ suit seeks
$300,000 for embarrass-
ment, frustration, humilia-
tion and “feelings of racial
stigmatization.” The suit
also says it could later be
amended to add $1 million
in punitive damages.
The suit was fi led in
Multnomah County Circuit
Court.
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Woman’s family sues
Bend hospital over
her death
BEND — St. Charles
Health System is facing
a $26.5 million wrongful
death lawsuit from the fam-
ily of a Jacksonville woman
who died of septic shock
following a breast infection
in 2017.
The Bulletin reports the
family of Casey Galusha-
Beck fi led suit last week in
Deschutes County Circuit
Court, naming two St.
Charles doctors as co-defen-
dants.
After Galusha-Beck’s
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