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Burglars beware!
Merchants ‘sick and tired’ of crime
THREE VEHICLES CRASHED on Friday afternoon, July
7 on Hwy. 199 at Sixth Street in Kerby, said Oregon
State Police. A car driven by Medford resident Alicia
Terrell, 21, was southbound and stopped, possibly to
turn; and was struck in the rear by a pickup truck
driven by Talent resident Thomas Hopkins, 57, said
OSP. Terrell’s vehicle was pushed into oncoming traf-
fic and struck a car driven by Mouette McDonald, 55, of
Oklahoma, OSP said. Possible minor injuries to Terrell
and McDonald were listed. OSP was assisted by Illi-
nois Valley Fire District (IVFD), and a forest service
law-enforcement officer. (Photos by IVFD Media Dept.)
Former valleyite sought in Gold Hill bank heist
A warrant has been
issued for a recent Illinois
Valley resident
wanted in con-
nection with
the robbery of
a Washington
Mutual bank in
Gold
Hill
Thursday after-
noon, July 6.
Jackson
County Dis-
trict Attorney’s
Office issued a warrant
Friday, July 7 for Sebas-
tian “James” Ray Pate.
Pate was identified from
video surveillance photos
released to the media
Thursday. Gold Hill Police
Dept. received dozens of
phone calls fingering Pate.
One man recognized the
shirt Pate was wearing dur-
ing the robbery
as one which had
been stolen from
him.
Pate is de-
scribed as 5-2,
125 pounds with
sandy-colored
hair and blue
eyes. His vehicle,
which
callers
reported seeing
northbound on Interstate 5
from Gold Hill Thursday
evening, is a light-blue
1995 Honda Accord with
Oregon license UAC 953,
said Gold Hill Police Chief
Dean Muchow.
Pate until recently
lived in Illinois Valley.
Many of those with whom
he associated while in I.V.
report that he
eventually made
himself unwel-
come although he
was a dynamic,
generous, likeable
fellow.
He associated
himself with a
pair of organiza-
tions, offering his
expertise
with
nonprofit agencies and
development. Several po-
tential civil cases involving
Pate were considered by
persons involved, but they
are unlikely to be filed.
Earlier this year, an
article in the Grants Pass
“Daily Courier” described
a state attorney general’s
investigation of a GP thea-
ter production
company,
Connect The
Dots, of which
Pate was the
principal di-
rector.
Many
of
those who’ve
crossed paths
with Pate have
begun to post
warnings on the Internet.
Anyone with informa-
tion regarding Pate's
whereabouts is asked to
phone Jackson County
776-7206, 774-6800, or
855-1484.
(Photos above of Pate
were provided.)
Tips provided to help deter scumbags, scofflaws
Josephine County Sher-
iff’s Office (JCSO) provides
the following 10 tips to help
prevent burglaries:
1.Keep all doors and
windows closed and se-
curely fastened. An open
window or door is an open
invitation for burglars.
Thieves are also quick
to spot weak locks that may
be easily forced open. Doors
should have deadbolt locks
with a one-inch throw and
reinforced strike plate with
three-inch screws. All win-
dows should have locks.
2. Secure sliding glass
doors. Place a metal rod or
piece of plywood in the
track and install vertical
bolts. These will help pre-
vent burglars from forcing
the door open or lifting it off
the track.
3. Always lock the door
to an attached garage. Don’t
rely on the automatic garage
door opener for security.
4. Create the illusion
that you are home by using
timers on lights, radios and
TV sets. Making your resi-
dence appear occupied, even
when no one is home, will
deter criminals.
5. Keep the perimeter of
your home well lighted. In-
stalling low voltage outdoor
lighting is a cost-effective
way to discourage intruders,
as well as highlight a house.
6. Never leave clues
that you are away on a trip.
Have a trusted neighbor
collect mail and newspapers
while you are away so that
delivered items do not accu-
mulate. You can also ask a
neighbor to park in your
driveway or parking place to
make it appear that you are
present.
7. Keep some shades
and blinds up and curtains
open to maintain a normal,
everyday appearance in your
residence.
8. Never leave a mes-
sage on your telephone an-
swering machine telling
Mike’s Gulch harvesting
delayed pending ruling
Silver Creek Timber
Co. has agreed to not har-
vest trees in the Biscuit
Inventoried Roadless Area
(Mike’s Gulch) until at least
Aug. 4, Gov. Kulongoski
announced Friday, July 7.
The company, success-
ful bidder for the Mike’s
Gulch Timber Sale adjacent
to Illinois Valley, agreed to
hold off in order to allow
U.S. District Court Judge
Elizabeth Laporte to con-
sider the governor’s chal-
lenge to the Bush admini-
stration's repeal of the 2001
Roadless Rule during a
hearing set for Aug. 1.
“I am pleased that our
legal strategy has led to an
agreement by Silver Creek
Timber Co. to stop -- for
now -- this unwise and un-
necessary timber sale in
Mike’s Gulch,” the gover-
nor said.
“While the fight to pro-
tect more than 2.0 million
acres of roadless areas is far
from over, this decision pre-
serves this untouched area
as our larger legal challenge
to the Bush Administration
moves forward,” he said.
“I will continue to press
the Bush administration for
the right of Oregon to
have a meaningful voice in
charting the future of this
important part of our natural
heritage,” intoned the gover-
nor, who is seeking re-
election.
Silver Creek agreed to
refrain from logging activi-
ties after the governor filed a
request for a temporary re-
straining order (TRO)
Thursday, July 6.
The request for a TRO
was filed July 6 in order to
assure that the court would
consider the issue before the
company started logging
July 11, as originally in-
tended. After the request for
a TRO was filed, the court
immediately scheduled a
hearing for 9 a.m. July 7.
After the hearing was
scheduled, Silver Creek
agreed to refrain from log-
ging, and the governor with-
drew the TRO request.
The case in which this
issue is pending is states of
California, New Mexico,
Oregon and Washington vs.
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, et
al., U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of
California, Case No. C
0503508 JSW.
Homebuying aid offered through IVFC
‘Save the toads’
Fifty of the world’s
leading amphibian research-
ers have called for a new
Amphibian Survival Alli-
ance, said Oregon State Uni-
versity at Corvallis.
It would be a $400 mil-
lion initiative to help reduce
and prevent amphibian de-
clines and extinctions -- an
ecological crisis of growing
proportion that backers
claim continues to worsen.
The scientists say that
32 percent of all amphibian
species are threatened and at
least nine -- perhaps as
many as 122 -- have become
extinct since 1980.
It’s time, they say, for a
more organized and effec-
tive approach to address the
various diseases, habitat
loss, and other problems
people that you are away
from home. A message that
you will return at a certain
time leaves your home vul-
nerable in the interim.
9. Keep shrubbery
trimmed away from en-
trances and walkways.
While large, ornate hedges
may be beautiful, they also
provide a hiding place for
burglars who need only a
minute to break in through a
window or door.
10. Organize a commu-
nity watch program to pro-
tect your neighborhood. An
alert community is a safe
community, said JCSO.
Like many Illinois Valley business owners, David Prince
is “sick and tired” of the diet of burglaries and vandalism in-
flicted on merchants by a small segment of the population.
So like others in Cave Junction and surrounding commu-
nities with stores -- including Nacho Mamas -- he’s not only
been sleeping inside his business at night
-- he’s armed.
It paid off Thursday, July 6 shortly before 1 a.m.
“I woke up to the sound of glass breaking,” said Prince,
who operates Perfect Pizza Plus. He had just replaced the win-
dow, which had been broken in an apparent burglary attempt
a few nights earlier.
In that incident, an anonymous neighbor heard the break-
age, came over and shined a flashlight, Prince said. “Two peo-
ple were seen running away,” he said.
And Wednesday, July 5, someone broke into Perfect Pizza.
They stole soft drinks and money in the tip jar, Prince said.
Also recently, there was an attempted burglary at the ad-
jacent I.V. Video store. Young boys were seen running from
the scene, according to Prince.
So last week Prince was “on duty” when a boy, 15, is
suspected of breaking in. The businessman waited until he
was inside, then detained him, and phoned Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office (JCSO).
Subsequently, another boy, also 15 and possibly a relative
of the first youth, arrived. He too was taken into custody.
A request for the charges and names of the suspects from
JCSO was not answered. There is unofficial, unconfirmed in-
formation that the boys were in a detention hearing last week,
and that they were released to the custody of their mom.
“Merchants are sick and tired of the vandalism and the
break-ins,” said Prince. “We need to take back our town.”
(Criminal epidemic continues. See pages 9 and 10)
HALF-PRICE ADMISSION fees per day have been ex-
tended by Cave Junction Mayor Tony Paulson through
the end of July. For details and other CJ Swimming
Pool information, see ‘Here, There & Everywhere’ on
page 3. (Photo by ‘Illinois Valley News’)
People with a diverse
assortment of housing needs
can find “one-stop shop-
ping” at Illinois Valley Fam-
ily Resource Center (IVFC)
in Cave Junction.
Help is offered through
the Southern Oregon Re-
gional Housing Center
(SOHRC), and serving Jose-
phine and Jackson counties.
SOHRC is a regional
clearinghouse for housing-
related information, prod-
ucts and services for fami-
lies and individuals who
need help buying that first-
time home or simply seek-
ing shelter.
Josephine and Jackson
residents can phone Donna
Trembley for a consultation
at 779-6691 or email her at
donnat@access-inc.org.
She is available also in
Cave Junction at the re-
source center once a week
(Fridays, typically). The
phone number is 592-5396.
Trembley, a housing
resource specialist with
SOHRC, helps people deter-
mine what their needs are
and assesses what kind of
assistance they might qual-
ify for.
Many Problems
Addressed
Trembley said that she
helps people with problems
ranging from homelessness
and housing discrimination;
to locating affordable rental
housing; enabling older
home owners get into a re-
verse mortgage; and assist-
ing first-time home-buyers
with down payments and
closing costs.
She can also put people
in touch with helpful re-
sources to keep them in their
homes in the event of mort-
gage delinquency or foreclo-
sure.
SOHRC is one of only
10 state-designated regional
housing centers in Oregon,
which, in partnership with
county and municipal agen-
cies, help low- and moder-
ate-income persons access
housing resources.
It also offers a state-
approved course, “The
ABCs of Home Buying,”
where students are taught
the ins and outs of this ma-
jor purchase.
Trembley said that some
50 volunteers, mostly leaders
and real estate agents, help
students understand the
home-buying process and
negotiate the hurdles.
The course is a prerequi-
site for down-payment and
closing cost assistance.
Some of the biggest
hurdles home buyers face
are credit problems and the
lack of a down payment or
closing costs.
SOHRC is poised to
help by assessing the needs
and offering guidance,
Trembley said.