Inside:
Former Deer Creek Ranch owner pleads guilty to tax evasion
Prescott facing up to five years in federal prison for ‘promotion and sale of abusive trusts’
Future of flying
Airport plan
update meeting
set July 14
Page 3
Return to sender
Fireworks damage
U.S. Mail in CJ
Page 4
Help wanted?
Find what you
need in the
Service Directory
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
One of the former own-
ers of the Deer Creek Ranch
property on Illinois River
Road in Selma, now home to
the Siskiyou Field Institute
(SFI), has pleaded guilty to
federal tax evasion charges.
Former Selma resident
Roderick Prescott admitted to
evading at least $550,000 in
personal income taxes for
1998 and 1999, according to
a Tuesday, June 30 U.S.
Dept. of Justice press release.
It states that Prescott, the
former principle of National
Trust Services (NTS) in
Selma and San Jose, Calif.,
now resides in Orem, Utah.
Prescott’s trial was
scheduled to begin on Tues-
day, July 7 in Eugene.
Along with his now-
deceased business partner,
Leroy Fritts, the Dept. of Jus-
tice states that Prescott
“allegedly was involved in
the promotion and sale or
abusive trusts through NTS.”
The government claims that
Prescott and Fritts also re-
cruited NTS clients to invest
in Fountainhead Global Trust
(FGT), an offshore invest-
ment that promised returns as
high as 50 percent per year.
The release states that
FGT collected $20 million in
investors’ funds between
1995 and 1999, and that Pres-
cott and Fritts funneled part
of the money in that offshore
account to themselves.
Those funds, which the
government asserts totaled up
to $3.5 million, were said to
be spent on luxury goods and
real estate, including purchase
of Deer Creek Ranch.
Prescott and Fritts are
Page 12
Reunionmania
Illinois Valley
grads come home
Page 13
(Continued on page 8)
Area solons
reflect on
legislative
session
SCHC to gain
some $700K
in federal
stimulus bux
Siskiyou Community
Health Center (SCHC),
which has a clinic in Cave
Junction, will receive an infu-
sion of federal dollars as part
of the American Recovery &
Reinvestment Act.
The U.S. Dept. of Health
& Human Services is award-
ing more than $14.6 million
in grants to health centers
throughout Oregon as part of
its Capital Improvement Pro-
gram, according to a Tues-
day, June 30 announcement
from Sen. Jeff Merkley (R-
Ore.) and Sen. Ron Wyden
(R-Ore.).
Approximately $700,835
will be allocated to SCHC,
which has its administrative
offices in Grants Pass.
La Clinica Del Valle
Family Health in Medford
will receive $676,510; and
the Medford-based Commu-
nity Health Center will re-
ceive $600,945.
The funding will go to-
ward supporting construction,
repair and renovation of the
health centers’ facilities.
Also, purchasing new equip-
ment and health information
technology systems, and
adopting expanded use of
electronic health records, the
announcement states.
A Wednesday, July 1
SCHC announcement relates
that ultrasound equipment
will be purchased to better
serve prenatal patients. Medi-
cal lab equipment will be
expanded to provide more on-
site services, and a Class “A”
mobile unit will be used for
“dual-use dental operatories.”
The unit will provide services
to Williams, Merlin, Hugo
and up to Wolf Creek, said
Merkley and Wyden.
Kurt Higuera, SCHC
CEO, praised the federal
funding allocation.
“The Capital Improve-
ment Program grant is a wel-
come opportunity for Feder-
ally Qualified Health Centers
to make needed additions and
improvements to enhance
services,” Higuera said.
“Siskiyou Community Health
Center will be utilizing the
funding to provide extended
services throughout Josephine
County as well as to improve
and enhance services at our
existing clinics.”
Wyden also praised the
allocation.
“More than 17 million
Americans from small towns
to urban centers rely on com-
(Continued on page 8)
accused of having used trusts
and accounts to conceal their
income from IRS, according
to the Dept. of Justice.
The government claims
that Prescott last filed an in-
come tax return in 1991. He
now faces a maximum sen-
tence of five years in prison
and $250,000 in fines.
Construction began on
two custom-built luxury log
homes on the Deer Creek
Ranch property, with a com-
bined budget of $2 million,
the release states. More than
$465,000 was spent on con-
struction before work was
halted in 1999.
Solar panels for the ranch
were purchased for more than
$328,000; and more than $1.1
million was spent on food in
Antique Alley Custom Rod Shop celebrated 40 years with a celebration on Saturday, July 4. Howard & Terri Hill (below) hosted the
get- together, which featured many of the vehicles Hill has customized since founding the business in San Diego in 1969. Antique
Alley relocated to Cave Junction in 1995. This 1957 Chevrolet pickup (above)
earned 2009 Best in Show in Medford recently. Among guests (below) was
Illinois Valley Fire District Chief Harry Rich, proud owner of a 1936 Plymouth.
(Photos by Michelle Binker, I.V. News )
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
The final gavel of the
2009 Oregon legislative ses-
sion fell at 9:45 p.m. on Mon-
day, June 29, at which point
lawmakers from throughout
the state returned home from
the capitol in Salem.
District 3 Rep. Ron
Maurer (R-Grants Pass) char-
acterizes the session as one in
which the Democrats and
their political allies domi-
nated the agenda, especially
since that party had a super-
majority in the House and
Senate.
“It was not a good session
for working Oregonians,” said
Maurer. “It was not a good
session for business. But it
was a great session for public
employee unions.”
District 2 Sen. Jason At-
kinson (R-Central Point) also
finds fault with many of the
Legislature’s efforts. In par-
ticular, he said that new laws
regulating fill removal, ban-
ning field burning and raising
the state’s corporate tax from
6.6 to 7.9 percent for compa-
nies making more than
$250,000 will ultimately hurt
(Continued on page 8)
Sheriff’s Office urges safety during summer activities
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Scorching summer heat
tends to send several area
residents scrambling for the
nearest swimming hole.
However, the Josephine
County Sheriff’s Office
(JCSO) is urging would-be
recreationalists to exercise
caution when engaging in
seasonal activities.
“We lose five to six peo-
ple a year because they
drown,” said Sheriff Gil
Gilbertson. “They fall off
rocks, injure themselves or
drown because they’re intoxi-
cated or not wearing a life
jacket.”
Gilbertson said that since
summer started, his office has
“become busier than normal”
responding to incidents
throughout the county. That
trend repeats itself every year,
the sheriff said.
“In colder weather, peo-
ple try to stay warm by stay-
ing indoors,” he said. “In the
heat of the summer, people
are engaged in more outdoor
activities, and more people
are on the move.”
One particularly popular
swimming spot is the swing-
have even put
cameras up so we
can catch these
people breaking
into vehicles that
are left at the boat
ramps.”
River guides also
are recording the
license
plate
numbers of cars
parked at boat
ramps, Gilbertson
said. He added
that anyone park-
ing at a boat ramp
should
avoid
Boaters should wear life jackets and JCSO will enforce increased state penalties leaving valuables
visible in their
for boating under the influence of intoxicants, said Sheriff Gil Gilbertson. (File
vehicle, and make
photo by Illinois Valley News )
sure it is locked.
enforce increased state penal-
ing bridge above Illinois
Intoxication often ac-
ties for boating under the in-
River out Illinois River Road
companies summer recrea-
fluence of intoxicants.
at McCaleb Ranch Boy Scout
tional activities, but also can
“I think we’re definitely
lead to potentially dangerous
Camp near Selma. Gilbertson
keeping a closer eye on river
situations that can be easily
said that JCSO has a contract
activity,” he said.
with the U.S. Forest Service
avoided, Gilbertson said.
Vehicle break-ins have
to provide patrols in the area.
“If you’re going to be
been a common occurrence at
“There will be somebody
drinking to the point where
boat ramps along the Rogue
patrolling the Illinois River,”
you become intoxicated,
River, but Gilbertson said that
Gilbertson said.
don’t go swimming,” he said.
steps are being taken to put a
“If you’re shooting rapids or
JCSO also has two ma-
stop to them.
in a raft or a boat, wear a life
rine boat operators assigned
“We now have volun-
to the Rogue River, he said.
jacket.”
teers checking boat ramps,”
Among other aspects,
Gilbertson said that
Gilbertson said. “Some places
Gilbertson said, JCSO will
JCSO usually sees an uptick
of instances of intoxicated
driving during the summer.
“More drinking goes on
and people have the tendency
to get behind the wheel of a
car,” Gilbertson said. “The
accident rate increases.”
Another popular area
swimming site is Illinois
River Forks State Park, just
outside Cave Junction city
limits. Although Gilbertson
said the park is the “state’s
responsibility,” JCSO strives
to maintain a presence there.
As of early July,
Gilbertson said, there have
been no major incidents in the
county, “but the summer is
young.”
The JCSO Marine Divi-
sion will hold a boating safety
exam day from 8 a.m. to noon
on Saturday, July 18 on the
west gravel parking lot of
Grants Pass Family YMCA
next to the county fair-
grounds. Participants should
bring paperwork and required
boating safety equipment.
Anyone who passes the
safety exam will be issued a
decal, JCSO said. For more
information, phone 474-5120.