Page 9
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Gilbertson: Sheriff’s office expanding volunteer numbers, duties
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Josephine County Sher-
iff Gil Gilbertson discussed
his department’s increased
use of volunteers and sev-
eral other issues during the
Wednesday, Jan. 13 meeting
of the Cave Junction chapter
of the 9/12 Project.
More than 40 people
said. “It’s not my job as sheriff
to ask you for money.”
Selma resident Mark
Seligman, who has publicly
stated that he plans to run
against incumbent Commis-
sioner Dave Toler, asked
Gilbertson about the sus-
tainability of the JCSO
staffing increase currently
being implemented.
Seligman quoted a
recent newspaper arti-
cle, in which Un-
dersheriff Don Fasch-
ing said that a prop-
erty tax levy may
eventually become
necessary.
The sheriff said
that since Seligman
plans to run for com-
missioner,
the
would-be challenger
should come up with
a funding plan. The
sheriff then invited
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson ( IVN file photo) members of the pub-
lic to examine his
attended the meeting at the
budget.
RCC Kerby Belt Bldg.
“We’re not hiding any-
Gilbertson addressed
thing,” Gilbertson said.
long-term funding for the
When asked about the
Josephine County Sheriff’s
possibility of deputizing
Office (JCSO), and said that
volunteers, he stated that
the task ultimately is up to
they need to have the proper
the board of county com-
training before he can do so.
missioners.
Otherwise, Gilbertson said,
“I’m not going to ask you
JCSO and the county could
folks for a penny,” Gilbertson
face potential legal liability.
Despite that, the sheriff
said that he has been ex-
panding the duties of current
JCSO volunteers.
“Right now, we have
more volunteers than we’ve
ever had,” he said.
Gilbertson said that he
soon will have a group of
volunteers examining cold
cases. They also will track
cases, keep victims in-
formed and follow up with
them regarding the status of
those cases, he said.
Due to the increased
staffing, Gilbertson said that
his office will be “focusing
on quality,” especially as it
pertains to investigations.
Also mentioned by
Gilbertson was the rash of
business burglaries that has
plagued Cave Junction in
the past several months.
He said he has been
talking with business own-
ers throughout the city about
the situation.
A group of citizen vol-
unteers used to patrol Cave
Junction before Gilbertson
took office in January 2007.
Gilbertson said that he
sometimes accompanied
that group, and that its ef-
forts to deter crime were
successful.
“We chased away the
guys who committed the
(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.)
* * *
Jubilee Park.
*A rural Cave Junction
woman complained that her
ex-boyfriend was threatening
to take her children and that
he’d stolen the license plate
off her car.
Saturday, Jan. 9
*The back door to a busi-
ness on N. Redwood Hwy.
was found ajar following an
alarm at 3:23 a.m.
*Firewood gatherers on
Illinois River Road were
warned for untagged loads.
*Jose Jerman Fariaz, 29,
was cited on a charge of no
operator’s license on S.
Kerby Avenue at 4 p.m.
*A woman reported that
her wallet was stolen at her
place of employment in
Downtown Cave Junction.
*Someone stated that he
saw someone with a flash-
light walking outside his
neighbor’s Hogue Drive resi-
dence at 8:37 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 10
*A large amount of mari-
juana was found at Laurel
Cemetery and turned over to
law enforcement for destruc-
tion.
*A 22-year-old man was
observed rifling through a
vehicle parked in the 200
block of S. Redwood Hwy.
*Some sort of distur-
bance due to custody issues
and permission to enter a
property in the 30000 block
of Redwood Hwy. was re-
Thursday, Jan. 7
*Tiphanie Lynn Pope,
24, was cited on a charge of
speeding (51 mph in a 30
mph zone) on N. Redwood
Hwy. at 8:27 a.m.
*A 14-year-old boy was
listed as a runaway by his
stepmother.
*On Lakeshore Drive,
Thomas Gordon Draper, 43,
was cited on a charge of driv-
ing with a suspended license
(DWS) and driving unin-
sured. His vehicle was im-
pounded.
*Caves Hwy. resident
Lonnie Allen Bourgo, 48,
was cited on warrants charg-
ing failure to appear (FTA)
IVHS Activities Calendar
brought to you by the folks at
541-592-3556
Cave Junction
541-471-7487
Grants Pass
541-469-7545
Brookings
541-773-7487
Medford
THURSDAY, JAN. 21
* After Hours - 21st Century:
homework help, poetry writing,
speed training @ 3:30 p.m.
* Basketball vs. Phoenix
JV boys @ 5:30 p.m.
Varsity boys @ 7 p.m.
* Basketball at Phoenix
JV girls @ 5:30 p.m.
Varsity girls @ 7 p.m.
MONDAY, JAN. 25
* After Hours - 21st Century:
homework help, orchestra,
weight training, college prep /
ASPIRE @ 3:30 p.m.
* Basketball vs. Eagle Point
JV girls @ 5:00 p.m.
Varsity girls @ 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, JAN. 26
* After Hours - 21st Century:
homework help, speed training,
martial arts / tai yuan tao,
@ 3:30 p.m.
yoga @ 4 p.m.
* Basketball vs. Henley
JV girls @ 5:30 p.m.
Varsity girls @ 7 p.m.
* Basketball at Henley
JV boys @ 5:30 p.m.
Varsity boys @ 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27
* After Hours - 21st Century:
homework help, scrapbooking,
orchestra, weight training,
IVHS annual, SMILE / science
& math club @ 3:30 p.m.
(All 21st Century events are free, open to
students, homeschoolers, staff and parents/
guardians of students at any I.V. school.)
on charges of indecent expo-
sure and DUII.
*A caller reported that a
man to whom he’d given per-
mission to stay on his Old
Stage Road property was no
longer welcome. Items were
found missing, the caller said,
and apparently the man sold
the complainant’s firewood.
*On Old Stage Road, a
man complained that his
landlord was harassing him.
Both parties were advised of
their civil options.
*A Kerby resident re-
ported having been chased by
a tan pitbull dog in Selma.
*A man with a disabled
vehicle was contacted at Jubi-
lee Park at 6 p.m. and advised
of park hours.
*The mother of a rural
Cave Junction youth said that
her son’s friend displayed a
loaded handgun after school.
*An administrator at
Illinois Valley High School
reported that two students
were caught smoking mari-
juana on campus.
*An Aries Lane resident
complained of harassment by
a neighbor.
*Debra Jo Meyers, 47,
was cited on a charge of
speeding (63 mph in a 45
mph zone) on Redwood
Hwy. near Ken Rose Lane at
9:59 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 8
*Community-oriented
policing was conducted at
Following are alarms to
which Illinois Valley Fire
District responded through
Sunday, Jan. 17:
Monday, Jan. 11
*10:43 a.m., medical
assist (M.A.), 100 block S.
Kerby Avenue
*2:25 p.m., M.A., 900
block Caves Hwy.
*2:59 p.m., open burn -
illegal, Redwood Hwy./
Rockydale Road
Tuesday, Jan. 12
*7:48 a.m., power line
problem, 3000 block Rocky-
dale Road
*1:16 p.m., M.A., 3000
block Rockydale Road
*5:06 p.m., M.A., 18000
block Redwood Hwy.
*7:17 p.m., M.A., Red-
wood Hwy./Deer Creek Road
Wednesday, Jan. 13
*12:12 p.m., M.A., 800
block Hayes Cutoff Road
*12:19 p.m., M.A.,
27000 block Redwood Hwy.
*3:59 p.m., open burn,
illegal, 400 block W. Lister
Street
*5:21 p.m., ADT - fire
alarm, 500 block W. River
Street
Thursday, Jan. 14
*7:17 a.m., M.A., 500
block Schumacher
*11:00 a.m., structure
fire, 200 block Iron Way
*1:44 p.m., open burn -
illegal, 300 block Old Stage
Road
*3:40 p.m., M.A., 200
block S. Caves Avenue
4:47 p.m., M.A., Hwy.
199 Milepost 21
crime,” he said.
Gilbertson said that he
has challenged the Cave
Junction business commu-
nity to reinstate the patrols,
to no avail.
“That really works,”
Gilbertson said, adding that
anyone interested in volun-
teering can phone his office
at (541) 474-5123.
Warrant served in CJ burglary investigation
Detectives with the Jo-
sephine County Sheriff’s
Office assisted Cave Junc-
tion contract Deputy George
Gasperson with serving of a
search warrant at a resi-
dence at 223 Millie St. in
Cave Junction on Monday,
Jan. 18.
The warrant, issued in
connection with a series of
business and residential bur-
glaries in and around CJ late
last year, was served around
2:30 p.m.
“Deputy Gasperson
developed information to
obtain a search warrant for
the Millie Street address
there,” Detective Sgt. Ken
Selig said. “We searched the
place and recovered evi-
dence of one or two of the
burglaries.”
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson
said detectives were attempt-
ing to associate items found
on scene with those known
taken in recent incidents.
Gasperson, Selig, three
detectives and a volunteer
detective all participated in
the warrant service.
No arrests were made,
and the cases are still under
investigation, Selig said.
IVFD tests firefighter overnight program
By SCOTT JORGENSEN
IVN Staff Writer
Volunteer firefighters
with the Illinois Valley Fire
District (IVFD) will be hav-
ing plenty of sleep-overs at
its headquarters on Caves
Hwy. under a newly insti-
tuted program.
Deputy Chief Jeff Gav-
lik spoke about the program
during the 25-minute Thurs-
day, Jan. 14 meeting of the
IVFD Board of Directors.
“It’s a trial run right
now,” Gavlik said. “We’ll
see as time goes on how it
works out.”
Gavlik said that IVFD
has started having two-
person crews stay at head-
quarters from 5 p.m. to 8
a.m. He stated after the
meeting that the intentions
are to help decrease re-
sponse times at all district
stations and sharpen volun-
teers’ skills.
The firefighters sleep
in three bedrooms located
above headquarters, and
share space with personnel
ported around noon.
*On Jeannie Way a
woman said that her intoxi-
cated son was trespassing,
and she wanted him to leave.
*A Dick George Road
resident said that his landlord,
with whom he’d been feud-
ing, had fired two gunshots in
an attempt to intimidate him.
He was advised of his civil
options.
*Dick George Road resi-
dent James Derrick Bull, 41,
was lodged in Josephine
County Jail in Grants Pass on
charges of first-degree crimi-
nal trespassing, two counts of
menacing and felon in pos-
session of a firearm.
Monday, Jan. 11
*On an open line from a
cell phone call received at
2:41 a.m. a dispatcher re-
corded what sounded like a
disturbance. Checking back,
the call-taker spoke to a man
who was evasive. Later he
stated that he’d been held at
gunpoint, but that he would
not press charges.
*The driver of a Pontiac
Firebird fled, abandoning the
vehicle on Pinewood Way
after a chase on Redwood
Hwy. at 11:24 a.m. (The car
might have been green.)
*Sometime during the
past month, a caller said,
someone ransacked a resi-
dence in the 7000 block of
Deer Creek Road.
*In the 30000 block of
Redwood Hwy. a woman
said that her ex-boyfriend
moved out and took all her
clothes and belongings.
*A rural Cave Junction
resident said that he was
threatened by two men who
took cash and belongings
from him after he apparently
refused the services of a pros-
titute. The caller related that
the men said the woman “was
there to make money, and he
better go along with it.”
*A landlord/tenant dis-
pute on Dick George Road
continued. A caller said that
the tenants were intoxicated,
driving around and yelling
obscenities.
*The owner of a green
Pontiac Firebird reported it
stolen at 9:09 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 12
*Around $10, some
candy, an electric heater and a
scale were reported stolen
from Shasta Fudge in Cave
Junction. Numerous confec-
tionary items on display were
contaminated by broken glass
when the culprits forced entry
through a window.
*Two girls, by all ac-
counts new to the area, were
overheard discussing their
plan to run away to Crescent
City, Calif.
*A man stated that he
was assaulted while walking
on Redwood Hwy. between
Selma and Kerby. His assail-
ants left on foot, he said. The
caller was transported to
Three Rivers Community
Hospital in Grants Pass.
Friday, Jan. 15
*11:55 a.m., M.A., 100
block Iron Way
Saturday, Jan. 16
*2:47 a.m., motor vehicle
collision, Redwood Hwy./
Finch Road
*2:34 p.m., M.A., 200
block Arrowhead Drive
*3:53 p.m., M.A., 28000
block Redwood Hwy.
*10:50 p.m., M.A., 5000
block Holland Loop Road
*11:18 p.m., M.A., 300
block Caves Hwy.
Sunday, Jan. 17
*10:45 p.m., M.A., 100
block Holton Creek Road
Concrete
Remodel
New Construction
CCB 174891
All JCSO volunteers
must go through a criminal
background check, Gilbertson
said. They are not allowed to
confront suspects, but can
serve as witnesses.
541-531-6220
from American Medical
Response.
Gavlik said that IVFD
will test the program at
headquarters first, and may
expand it to the Selma sta-
tion if it is successful.
But at this point, Gavlik
said, IVFD lacks the person-
nel to implement the pro-
gram at multiple stations.
The program won’t in-
cur any immediate costs for
the district, Gavlik said, as
points are assigned to volun-
teers to reimburse them for
responding to emergencies.
“There is not any addi-
tional impact on our
budget,” he said.
Participation is strictly
voluntary, Gavlik added,
stating that it is limited only
to the firefighters who can
turn out to take part in the
program.
In other matters:
*The IVFD board voted
5-0 to annex property at 140
Jackadel Lane.
*Gavlik briefed the
board on the district’s fire-
fighter recruitment drive. He
said that IVFD received
eight applications for volun-
teers and has started training
them. However, three have
since dropped out.
*Andrea Steelman and
Chris Arnold were sworn in
to begin their support duties
for the O’Brien station.
Steelman will handle medi-
cal support, while Arnold
will aid in tender operations.
IVFD’s next board
meeting is set for Feb. 11.
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