Suspect in
I.V. threat
arrested
Inside:
LID on hold
Legal challenge
delays action
Page 1
Greater good
Terminator and
Moonbeam effort
Page 4
Fee raises?
County hearing
set Nov. 21
Page 5
Chamber auction
Annual event
financial success
Page 7
Need a hand?
I.V. News Service
Directory
Page 12
Protect kids
Sheriff notes
bomb threats
Page 14
Giving thanks
Businesses offer
appreciation
Page 15
LID off for
north CJ’s
projects
By WALLY AIKEN
For IVN
A proposed Local Im-
provement District (LID)
affecting the north end of the
city of Cave Junction has
been put on indefinite hold,
according to official sources.
The LID has been a con-
troversial issue for the city
government since proceed-
ings began. The LID is de-
signed to spread the cost of
necessary improvements to
Redwood Hwy. to allow the
developments that have been
taking place to the north of
town in the vicinity of Illinois
Valley Golf Course.
LID petitioners -- Manor
Communities Development
LLC, Illinois Valley Devel-
opment, and Siskiyou Com-
munity Health Center among
others -- included other prop-
erty and business owners in
the LID who do not feel they
would be beneficiaries of the
highway improvements.
One of those property
owners is the Versteeg Fam-
ily Trust LLC, which owns a
24.88-acre parcel of land des-
ignated a tree lot. The trust
hired the law firm of
Hornecker, Cowling, Hassen
& Heysell LLP, of Medford,
to challenge the legality of the
LID on several points. (See
last week’s on-line article,
which also is in this issue). It
was this legal challenge that
prompted the city council to
turn the issue over to City
Attorney Patrick Kelly, of
Grants Pass.
During the city council
meeting Tuesday night, Nov.
13, Larry Osborn, manager of
Manor Communities Devel-
opment, said that the petition-
ers were reviewing options.
City officials confirmed that
an amended petition is in the
works. It was stated that a new
(Continued on page 3)
Illinois Valley Cougars completed a successful 10-1 season
Friday evening, Nov. 16. The Cougars, Skyline Conference
champions, lost a state playoff game to the Marist in Cave
Junction. Story on page 5. (Photo by Jennifer Newsted, IVN )
Two deputies fired four shots in fatal CJ confrontation
Final reports on situation involving man who pointed gun at officers anticipated before long
An autopsy at the Ore-
gon State Medical Exam-
iner’s Office in Central Point
confirmed that a rural Cave
Junction resident was struck
twice with bullets fired by
sheriff’s deputies in an armed
confrontation, said Oregon
State Police.
It added that the bullets
entered his body through the
left arm area.
Dead after he pointed a
handgun at one of four depu-
ties is 66-year-old Paul Harris
Chesser, of 28351 Redwood
Hwy., 2 miles south of
Downtown Cave Junction.
The investigation into the
fatal shooting Saturday, Nov.
10 involving Josephine
County Sheriff’s Office
(JCSO) deputies is continu-
ing, OSP said. Per agreed-
upon protocols, OSP is lead-
ing the investigation with
assistance of JCSO, Grants
Pass Dept. of Public Safety,
and Josephine County District
Attorney’s Office.
OSP released the names
of the four deputies at the
scene. They responded to the
home following a 2:03 a.m.
Audit report shows IVFD
handling finances well
“Good job!” was among
many positive comments
regarding the Illinois Valley
Fire District (IVFD) audit
report, received during the
IVFD board meeting Thurs-
day night, Nov. 15 at admin-
istrative HQ in Cave Junc-
tion.
The report was made by
Richard W. Brewster, a Med-
ford certified public account-
ant, engaged by IVFD for its
audits. He noted that he was
able to give a positive report
because of good IVFD staff
work including that of Robin
Paulson, executive adminis-
trator.
Brewster noted that in
several categories, IVFD
spent less than budgeted for
the 2006-07 fiscal year. There
was an increase in PERS
costs, but he indicated that the
rise is common and not cause
for concern.
Among plus factors for
the past fiscal year: the re-
serve fund was under spent
by $26,000; capital item out-
lays totaled $95,000 while
$197,000 was budgeted; and
the material-and-services
category was under spent by
$12,000.
“This is as good as you
can get,” said Brewster, refer-
ring to not spending all fund-
ing in categories.
He further noted that the
district is making good pro-
gress toward paying off debts,
as planned. The debt payment
total is down to $2.9 million
from $3.1 million, the ac-
countant said.
“We have a Class I fire
district with a shoestring
budget,” said Chief Harry
Rich.
Brewster was asked by
board Vice President Sam
Michel what financial ac-
counting rating he’d give the
district on a scale of 1 to 10.
“You’re an 8,” Brewster
told Michel, who ran the
meeting at the request of
President Larrick Jones. “I
just wanted to see his style,”
said Jones after the meeting.
Brewster provided a list
of recommendations to further
streamline IVFD accounting
and meet new state standards.
Among the recommendations:
evaluate the controls being
used, and segregate transac-
tions so that they are not lim-
ited to one person handling
them all.
“This is to protect the
district and the employees,”
said the accountant.
In another matter, the
board voted 5-0 in favor of
annexing several properties.
The property owners asked
for annexation, and Division
Chief/Fire Marshal Jerry
Schaeffer recommended ap-
provals.
Involved is a Waldo
Road area parcel owned by
Cave Junction resident Clif-
ford Keith; a 5-acre parcel
and a 15-acre parcel owned
by Emroc Enterprises on In-
dian Creek Road in Selma;
and parcels of 5.01 and 5.04
(Continued on page 4)
911 call from the residence
reporting that a man known to
the caller had a gun and fired
shots, threatening others:
Patrol Cpl. Edythe Deu-
bert, 38, who has been with
JCSO more than eight years.
Patrol Cpl. Ray Webb,
45, also with JCSO for more
than eight years.
Patrol Deputy John
Auborn, 38, a JCSO officer
nearly seven years.
Patrol Deputy Shawn
Shaw, 36, a JCSO veteran of
more than10 years.
It’s believed that Webb
and Deubert fired a total of
four shots, said Josephine
County D.A. Stephen Camp-
bell.
OSP said that when the
JCSO officers arrived at the
home, next to J’s Feed &
Tack, they were confronted by
Chesser. He was ordered nu-
merous times to put down his
weapon, but pointed it several
times at deputies, said OSP.
Gunfire then was ex-
changed, although who fired
first still is being investigated,
said OSP. Chesser was pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
Campbell said that most
of the investigation is com-
plete. It will take a few
weeks, he indicated, for the
reports to be written. Such
investigations by district at-
torneys are standard in cases
of officer-involved shootings.
The intent is to ascertain if
actions by officers using
deadly force were under the
standards of Oregon state
law.
The incident, according
to unofficial sources, fol-
lowed a party at a Cave Junc-
tion bar that shifted to the
residence.
Home Valley Bank opened its new Illinois
Valley branch in Downtown Cave Junction
last week, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony
A 16-year-old Illinois
Valley High School student
charged in connection with
one of several bomb threats at
the school said he “did it as a
joke.”
Josephine County Sher-
iff’s Office (JCSO) added
that the suspect is city of
Cave Junction resident James
L. Guthrie. He was charged
with first-degree disorderly
conduct related to a written
bomb threat found at IVHS at
around 1:11 p.m. on Thurs-
day, Nov. 15.
The note was found writ-
ten on an envelope at a table
where school officials had
been checking backpacks and
noting cell phone numbers
because of previous bomb
threats. Guthrie is charged
only in connection with the
Nov. 15 incident.
He was cooperative in
providing information, JCSO
added.
The school was evacu-
ated because of the threat. A
search was conducted; no
bomb was located.
There have been six
bomb threats at IVHS since
Oct. 11, most of them this
month. One other evacuation
also occurred because of a
threat. But other warnings
were received prior to the
arrival of students, so staff
members were able to search
and secure the premises be-
fore students arrived.
Because of the threats,
attendance has been running
at approximately 65 percent.
Parents have been given the
option of keeping their chil-
dren home because of the
warnings, or allowing them to
attend classes.
Additionally, each threat
has caused security to be
tightened at IVHS, causing
extra work and stress, espe-
(Continued on page 14)
was conducted Wednesday, Nov. 14 by
I.V. Chamber of Commerce with bank em-
ployees. (Photo by Jennifer Newsted, IVN)