Inside:
Folks on the street
Thoughts offered
on new president
Page 5
Seed money
County grants
bio-diesel bucks
Page 7
Boards take flight
Commission OKs
airport advisories
Page 11
Food for thought
Sweetwater
Meadows spotlight
Page 12
Burglars heist at least $7,000 from JI
By MICHELLE BINKER
Staff Writer
Calculating thieves even
disabled security cameras and
made off with an estimated
$7,000 to $10,000 cash from
the Junction Inn Wednesday
morning, Jan. 14.
The pre-dawn burglary, it
is thought, was conducted by
someone with inside knowl-
edge of day-to-day operations
at the landmark motel and
restaurant at the intersection
of Redwood and Caves high-
ways in Cave Junction.
Manager Edgar San Pas-
cual stated that the thief or
thieves took “absolutely eve-
rything.”
“I don’t know the exact
amount,” he said. “Perhaps
$7,000 to $10,000. They took
everything. All the papers and
receipts for the sales in the
bar and the restaurant and the
till. They got the lottery re-
ceipts.”
San Pascual said that
after he’d prepared a deposit
and the tills for the restaurant
and lounge, he left the office
around 6 a.m. to attend a
seminar in Canyonville.
The burglar pried open a
door at the rear of the office,
then ransacked an inner of-
fice, removing a box with
paperwork and all the cash –
including all but a few
Gun issues
hot topic at
Birch meet
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Several 2nd Amendment
issues were the main topics of
conversation during a Tues-
day, Jan. 13 meeting of the
Josephine County Chapter of
the John Birch Society at the
Redwood Grange Hall in
Grants Pass.
The evening’s featured
guests were Jackson County
Sheriff Mike Winters and
Josephine County Sheriff Gil
Gilbertson, who spoke before
a crowd of approximately 60
people.
Winters began by dis-
cussing an incident involving
South Medford High School
teacher Shirley Katz. She
made national news when she
approached her administra-
tion requesting permission to
carry a concealed weapon on
the premises.
That prompted the Med-
ford Mail Tribune newspaper
to request a copy of Katz’
weapon license from Winters,
along with those of all other
concealed weapon permit
holders in Jackson County.
Winters refused, which led to
a court battle.
The judge who heard the
case was a former attorney
for the American Civil Liber-
ties Union, Winters said, and
ruled in favor of the paper.
“He had a different view
than we did,” Winters said.
Winters said the case is
currently in the Court of Ap-
peals, and that he has been
advised by counsel to drop it.
He estimated that it would
cost $40,000 to take the case
to the next level.
“There’s a good chance
we might lose that,” Winters
said. However, Winters said
that he may try alternate
routes to resolve the issue.
“We’re gonna’ try to get
this thing fixed legislatively,”
he said.
The discussion evolved
into a question-and-answer
session. Audience members
asked Winters and Gilbertson
about guns being taken away
from citizens during the im-
mediate aftermath of Hurri-
cane Katrina in New Orleans
in August 2005. Gilbertson
responded that he had been
there as a member of a Spe-
cial Weapons and Tactics
team used to secure hospitals.
Gilbertson said that some
citizens were taking advan-
tage of the chaos that resulted
from local police leaving.
“They were taking shots
at us,” Gilbertson said. “It
was truly a zoo down there.”
Petitions were circulated
throughout the audience ex-
(Continued on page 3)
dropped coins.
The incident, which oc-
curred between 6:30 and 7:30
a.m., was witnessed by an
employee who, through the
office window, briefly
sighted a man crouched be-
hind the front counter. The
suspect left after she ran to
get help. The incident was
reported to Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) by
owner Linda Quall around 9
a.m.
“(The thieves) knew ex-
actly what do,” San Pascual
noted. Even the security cam-
eras were disabled. He be-
lieves that there likely was
more than one culprit.
“In my experience with
this kind of stuff, they don’t
work by themselves,” San
Pascual noted.
The business was slightly
hobbled Wednesday. With no
cash on hand to pay out for
the state lottery, the lounge
could not open, and the motel
office was in disarray await-
ing an investigation.
Cave Junction city dep-
uty George Gasperson arrived
at around 2 p.m. He recov-
ered fingerprints from empty
tills and collected a pipe and
golf club apparently used in
the break in.
San Pascual expressed
relief that no one was hurt in
the burglary.
“That’s part of business
also,” he said. “You could be
attacked, but what I’m more
concerned about is the safety
of the people. The money can
be earned in other ways, but
lives are important.”
Fingerprints were taken from rifled money tills by Cave Junc-
tion city Deputy George Gasperson (left) after burglars ran-
sacked an office (above). (Photos by Michelle Binker, IVN )
Needs reviewed to reopen Cave Junction Library
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
The Cave Junction
branch of the Josephine
County Library was alive
with activity on the afternoon
of Tuesday, Jan. 13 for the
first time since closing on
May 17, 2007.
Josephine Community
Libraries Inc. (JCLI) Librar-
ian Russell Long toured the
facility with JCLI Board of
Directors member Doug
Walker, volunteer Rick
Alves, Illinois Valley resident
Linda Naydol and Williams
resident Bonnie Johnson.
The group had spent the
morning visiting the Williams
branch, and was doing so as
part of an effort to assess
what would be required to re-
open both buildings.
Walker said that the Wil-
liams branch is in “fairly de-
cent shape, as far as the build-
ing goes.” Since the actual
facility is smaller, it is easier
to maintain and cheaper to
heat, Walker said. However,
it has no restroom, and pa-
trons have traditionally had to
use the one next door at Wil-
liams Elementary School.
Walker said that may present
a problem.
“It’s tough to have some-
one in there for six hours
without a bathroom,” Walker
said.
The Wolf Creek branch
is open for three hours per
week as a reading room in
order to fulfill a grant require-
ment.
In order to open the Cave
Junction branch, Walker said
JCLI would have to maintain
a two-line telephone and have
a dedicated staff member and
an annual budget of at least
$40,000. The typical heavy
usage at the branch makes it
more difficult to staff with
only volunteers, and would
require more hours of opera-
tion, Walker said.
“It would be 15 or 20
hours, whatever we could
do,” Walker said. “This one is
the most expensive, so we’ll
have to make a bigger com-
mitment.”
As part of Tuesday’s
tour, the group was estimat-
ing how many computers
JCLI would have to purchase
to operate the county’s re-
maining branches. The Grants
Pass branch has a surplus of
furniture, Walker said, some
of which could be brought to
Cave Junction.
Walker said that the JCLI
(Continued on page 3)
Gerald Batty (JCSO photo)
Shots fired in
O’Brien arrest
of wanted man
Chemical munitions
were used to aid the early
morning arrest of an O’Brien
resident on Lone Mountain
Road who fired gunshots at
an Oregon State Police
SWAT team.
Arrested after a brief
stand-off on Friday, Jan. 16 at
approximately 5:30 a.m. was
a wanted felon identified as
Gerald Bart Batty, 39, said
OSP Lt. Darin Lux.
Subsequently, officers
found “a large amount of
cash” in the house, as well as
illegal drugs and firearms.
Batty was lodged in Josephine
County Jail in Grants Pass on
the following charges:
A warrant charging
unlawful possession of a con-
trolled
substance/
(Continued on page 2)
Charges filed
in fraud case;
FAC possibly
victimized
By MICHELLE BINKER
Staff Writer
Criminal charges have
been filed against an O’Brien
resident who is alleged to
have stolen a check from her
landlord’s residence and then
signed and cashed it for
$5,000.
OSP Central Point first to resume 24/7 patrols
Following up on a com-
mitment to put state troopers
back on 24/7 patrol, Gov.
Kulongoski joined Oregon
State Police Superintendent
Timothy McLain in announc-
ing that the Central Point
Area Command office is the
first OSP office to get troop-
ers back onto area roads
around-the-clock.
On Dec. 28, 2008, OSP
staffing increases, boosted by
newly hired and trained re-
cruit troopers, reached a mini-
mum level at the Central
Point Area Command office
to put troopers on the road
around-the-clock on Interstate
5 and secondary roads in
Jackson County. Lt. Brian
Powers, OSP area com-
mander, stressed that the of-
fice is at a minimal staffing
level that can place at least
two troopers on duty per shift.
“Since July 2007 nearly
5,000 applications were re-
ceived as we aggressively
recruited men and women for
future careers with our de-
partment,” said McLain.
“During that time we have
been able to fill vacant posi-
tions, and recent authorized
new positions, by hiring and
retaining over 120 recruit
troopers.
“Through the support of
Gov. Kulongoski and legisla-
tive leadership during the
2007 session, putting troopers
on our major freeways and
state highways around-the-
clock is now becoming a real-
ity. This is the first step as we
get closer at some of our
other OSP offices in key loca-
tions to be out there to help
day and night.”
McLain swore in 17 new
recruit troopers Jan. 4 starting
their training program before
they report to one of 14 OSP
offices. Upon graduation, one
of these new recruit troopers
will help further boost the
Central Point Area Command
office staffing. McLain also
emphasized that 50 new re-
cruit troopers completed their
academy and field training
and were on the road by Jan.
1 patrolling highways around
the state.
As of Jan. 1, 2009, the
OSP Central Point Area
Command office now has 22
sworn state troopers assigned
to patrol approximately 260
highway miles in Jackson
County. Prior to July 2007,
the office had 10 patrol troop-
ers. Besides the patrol troop-
ers, the office has nine detec-
tives and four fish and wild-
life troopers.
“Our detectives and fish
& wildlife troopers don’t
hesitate to help out on the
road when needed,” said
Powers.
The lieutenant also
oversees OSP opera-
tions at the Grants
Pass work site, pro-
viding public safety
services and assis-
tance in Josephine
County. The nine pa-
trol troopers and two
fish & wildlife troop-
ers help patrol ap-
proximately 130 miles
of highway and free-
way 22 hours each
day.
Recent cutbacks to
the Josephine County
Sheriff’s Office have
placed OSP as the
primary responder for emer-
gency calls in the county dur-
ing day shift hours. Prior to
July 2007, this work site had
eight patrol troopers.
Staffing increases helped
troopers increase patrol-
related contacts last year.
During 2008, more than
237,000 traffic contacts were
reported, a 10 percent in-
crease from 2007. OSP DUII
arrests also jumped from
4,211 (‘07) to 4,478 (‘08).
Information about con-
tinuing OSP recruiting efforts
is
available
at
www.OSPTrooper.com
where prospective applicants
also can find an online appli-
cation.
Robin Wilson (JCSO photo)
Robin Wilson, 49, was
lodged in Josephine County
Jail on Jan. 9 on charges of
first-degree forgery and first-
degree theft. Additionally,
Wilson faces charges of DUII
and second-degree criminal
mischief.
Wilson also is considered
a person of interest in an in-
vestigation begun in late No-
vember 2008 after it was re-
ported that an employee had
been taking money from the
Forestry Action Committee
(FAC) “for personal use.”
FAC has since disclosed the
loss of more than $24,000 in
unauthorized ATM with-
drawals.
In addition, the organiza-
tion has unveiled a pattern of
mismanagement and neglect,
including failure to pay
$13,177.62 employment pay-
roll taxes and which resulted
in a loss of Oregon corporate
standing for the FAC.
During a meeting of the
board of directors Thursday,
Dec. 4, it was reported that
the organization is looking
into suspicious checks, as
well as unauthorized ATM
withdrawals.
“It’s obvious that taxes
were not paid,” the report
(Continued on page 2)