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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 2009)
Page 9 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 Sheriff: ‘Count on each other’ in crisis By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer The role of local law en- forcement in the wake of per- ceived encroachment by the state and federal governments was the main topic Tuesday, Nov. 17, when Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson addressed members of the Grants Pass chapter of the John Birch Society (JBS). Approximately 70 people attended the meeting at the Redwood Grange Hall in Grants Pass. Gilbertson was introduced by Damon Mancuso, chapter president. Mancuso briefly elabo- rated on the checks and bal- ances contained within the U.S. Constitution, and said that county sheriffs have the ability to decide which laws are in violation of that found- ing document. Sheriffs can decide not to enforce laws that are unconstitutional, Mancuso said, and are ac- countable to their constituents -- not the federal government. As an example, Mancuso cited the actions of Richard Mack, a former sheriff in Arizona. Mack successfully sued the federal government in connection with the Brady Bill, a piece of gun control legislation, Mancuso said. Also mentioned was a 1997 incident in Nye County, Nev., in which a sheriff prevented federal agents from seizing a citizen’s cattle. Gilbertson stated that when he took office, he took an oath to uphold the Consti- tution and protect Josephine County residents “to the letter of the law” against foreign and domestic enemies. He expressed the opinion that the federal government should not infringe on states’ rights. “When the time is right, I will draw the line in the sand,” Gilbertson said. During a question-and- answer session, Gilbertson mentioned recent controver- sies surrounding mining ac- tivities in Illinois Valley. He said that the issues first came to his attention last summer, when a dispute between a miner and off-road vehicle users near Kerby resulted in a shooting. After meeting with members of the mining com- munity in September, Gilbertson issued a memoran- dum to his deputies asking them to suspend enforcement of mining enforcement until he could research the various statutes regulating the activ- ity. That memo also was sent to U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management officials. “We don’t normally deal with mining laws anyway,” Gilbertson said. The sheriff said that with the dollar losing its value, precious minerals like gold become much more valuable. He added that he doesn’t want to see anybody killed in disputes regarding mining claims. The subject of forced immunizations also was brought up, in light of the H1N1 virus scare. Gilbertson said he is opposed to govern- ment agencies inoculating anyone who does not want it. “You have the right to what goes into your body, not the government,” he said A device that automati- cally reads license plates of passing vehicles -- and can determine if the vehicle or driver are wanted -- is being tested by Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety (GPDPS). The system is capable of reading up to 3,600 license plates per minute. It can read license plates on vehicles which are stopped or moving. During the next few weeks, GPDPS is testing ELSAG’s Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) system. Mounted on a marked patrol vehicle, it automatically reads license plates of vehicles that pass nearby, and compares them to a data base. The system will alert the officer if the vehicle is in that data base (i.e. stolen, wanted, Amber Alert, warrants, un- paid parking tickets, sus- pended drivers, etc.) It will read license plates across several lanes of traffic and license plates from all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. It will read license plates on vehicles travelling at a high rate of speed and it will read license plates day or night, rain or shine. This system also will record the time, date, and location (per GPS) of each vehicle. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, only hours after the system was installed, the ALPR alerted an officer to a vehicle which had been reported sto- len. The vehicle was parked on the side of the road, unoc- cupied, and it may not have been located without this sys- tem. As a direct result of this system, a stolen vehicle was quickly returned to its rightful (Editor’s Note: Factual information for ‘Blotter’ is provided by official law enforcement agencies. All persons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.) * * * insurance. Saturday, Nov. 14 *An abandoned motorcy- cle in the 3000 block of Happy Camp Road was im- pounded. *Chance Michael Anton Borta, 21, was cited on a charge of open container (of alcoholic beverage) during a traffic stop on Caves Hwy. near Oregon Caves National Monument at 6:18 p.m. *A man contacted in Downtown Cave Junction during a mushroom permit check was warned regarding operation of a business with- out a license. *David Lee Meads, 42, was cited on a charge of driv- ing uninsured at mile marker 31 on Redwood Hwy. at 10:38 p.m. *Paul G. Viale, 62, was cited on a charge of speeding (58 mph in a 45 mph zone) on Redwood Hwy. in the 27000 block at 10:52 p.m. *Bruce Ryan Slatterlee, 28, was cited on a charge of speeding (70 mph in a 55 mph zone) on Redwood Hwy. at Eight Dollar Moun- tain Road at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 *A woman who phoned at 1:38 a.m. to report that she’d been attacked by an- other woman at a Downtown Cave Junction establishment was more upset about the bartender having defended the alleged assailant. The caller stated that she and her friends, having been kicked out of the bar, would be re- turning to Grants Pass. Monday, Nov. 16 *A white horse was said loose on Rockydale Road at 7:03 a.m. *Two reports of what sounded like gunshots some- where in Cave Junction were received at 5:37 p.m. *A Lakeshore Drive resi- dent reported the theft of a camera bag and briefcase containing some $3,400 in camera equipment and a lap- top computer. He stated that there’d been a “barn sale” at his property and some people had been invited into the resi- dence to look at sale items. *A Caves Hwy. resident said that someone has been hitting a drain pipe outside his home nightly for the past two years to “terrorize him.” Tuesday, Nov. 17 *Two large dogs were said running at large on Addi- son Lane at 3:46 p.m. *A log splitter was re- ported stolen from a resi- dence on Martin Road. *George Allen Vannuys, 44, was lodged in Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass on charges of fourth-degree do- mestic assault and menacing following an incident on Schumacher Street. Friday, Nov. 13 *Someone was said to be walking on Hogue Drive, screaming, at 8:21 p.m. *Dwayne Wilson, 43, was cited on Lone Mountain Road at 8:54 p.m. on charges of driving with a suspended license, and driving without - IVHS School Menu - Sponsored by SISKIYOU COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER 25647 Redwood Hwy. Cave Junction 592-4111 THURSDAY, NOV. 26 Thanksgiving Day No Classes FRIDAY, NOV. 27 Vacation Day No Classes MONDAY, NOV. 30 Beef soft tacos, chicken strips, spicy chicken burger, ham- burger; pepperoni, cheese, vegetarian or sausage pizza; ham & cheese or turkey & cheese sandwich, turkey wrap; chef, garden or Mandarin chicken salad TUESDAY, DEC. 1 Chicken fajitas, Rib-B-Q sandwich, chicken burger, cheeseburger; pepperoni, cheese or Hawaiian pizza; Italian or turkey & cheese sandwich, spicy chicken wrap; chef, antipasto or garden salad WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2 Taco salad, teriyaki beef rice bowl, spicy chicken burger, hamburger; pepperoni, sausage, cheese or Italian griller pizza; veggie or turkey & cheese sandwich, turkey wrap; chef, garden or Mandarin chicken salad amid applause. Hypothetical scenarios involving the imposition of martial law also were brought up by audience members. Gilbertson stated that if a situation occurred in which local governments were un- able to maintain law and or- der, the governor can call the National Guard. The county would have to request such assistance, he said. However, Gilbertson cautioned that the Oregon National Guard has been in multiple deployments over- seas, and that there aren’t enough Oregon State Police troopers to fill the void. In such a series of events, he said that the entire state and nation probably also would be in peril. Gilbertson said that a county document is in place “pre-planning” for any emer- gency situation. “Hopefully, it will never get to that,” he said. In a worst-case scenario, Gilbertson said, “We’re going to have to count on each other” through the institution of Neighborhood Watch and similar programs. The responsibility for protecting the public “ends up ultimately on my shoulders,” said Gilbertson, who is seek- ing reelection. Dick Miller, IVFD fire prevention officer with Illinois Valley Fire District, answered the “final call” and was laid to rest on Friday, Nov. 20. The service at Community Bible Church featured an Ore- gon Fire Service Honor Guard. (Photo by Illinois Valley Fire District) Following are alarms to which Illinois Valley Fire District responded through Saturday, Nov. 21: Monday, Nov. 16 *9:08 p.m., MA, 100 block Ken Rose Lane *9:57 p.m., MA, 9000 block Takilma Road Tuesday, Nov. 17 *5:38 a.m., MA, 400 block Addison Lane *3:46 p.m., ADT - Fire alarm, 600 block River St. Wednesday, Nov. 18 *6:14 a.m., MA, 400 block Addison Lane *9:16 p.m., MA, 100 block Hogue Drive Thursday, Nov. 19 *4:28 p.m., MA, Store Gulch *4:58 p.m., open burn, West 6th St./ Redwood Hwy. Friday, Nov. 20 *10 a.m. Last call for Fire Prevention Officer, Dick Miller. *9:03 p.m., MA, 6000 block Rockydale Road Saturday, Nov. 21 *5:45 p.m., MA, 200 block Redwood Hwy. *6:58 p.m., ADT, Fire alarm, 700 block Waldo Road illinois-valley-news.com Electronic license plate reader deployed by GP Public Safety Concrete Remodel New Construction 592-6609 CCB 174891 Serving the Valley since 1974 592-4485 Mike Meidinger License #93173 Slabs & Foundations Stamped & Colored Mobile Home Runners Custom Masonry Retaining Walls owner, said GPDPS. It should be noted that an ELSAG representative deliv- ered and installed the device. He also trained personnel on its use, all free of charge. If GPDPS were to pur- chase the system, the cost would be approximately $18,000 per car. At this time, it is only testing the system to evaluate its capabilities and intends to send this system back to the manufacturer after the evaluation period. Your Well is a Valuable Resource #27 with Bob Quinn Part of the mystery of under- ground water for most people is the fact that it exists at all. Perhaps the next most as- tonishing thing about this wa- ter source is that it has re- mained mostly pure and clear, in part because it is somewhat inaccessible to man and in part because of the filtering action of soil and rocks. To maintain this valuable resource on your property, you’ll want to guard against possible contamination of your water supply. While there are regulations that are designed to keep septic and sewage wastes from your well, there are other potential hazards. A spill or careless dis- posal of fuel oil, gasoline, pes- ticide, fertilizer and a whole range of other chemical com- pounds can find their way into your well water source. What’s more, because ground water moves so slowly, such con- tamination can render your drinking water source non- potable for a long time. Protect your water supply. Never store materials like the above in your pump house and never use your pump house to accommodate animals (pets, livestock, etc.). Bob Quinn is a member of the Oregon Ground Water As- sociation and owner of Quinn’s Well Drilling and Pump Service at 6811 Wil- liams Hwy., Grants Pass. As part of a tradition of informa- tion and service that began more than 50 years ago, these columns are provided by the firm to help take the mystery out of well drilling and ground water. If you have a question about your well or one you are planning, please call Bob or his helpful staff for advice, esti- mates, or helpful information at no obligation or cost. 862-9355 Say you saw it in the I.V. News The Kerby Transfer Station is open to help you... Hours: Mondays - Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information phone (800) 922-1025
