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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 16, 2010)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Page 7 National multiagency investigation nets 74 tons of drugs Seizure of more than 74.1 tons of illegal drugs and the arrests of 2,266 persons on narcotics-related charges in 18 states were announced late last week. The drugs and arrests were part of a 22-month mul- tiagency law enforcement investigation, “Project Deliv- erance.” The announcement was made by Michele M. Leonhart, acting administra- tor of the federal Drug En- forcement Agency (DEA), and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Some 429 of the arrests took place in 15 states on Wednesday, June 9, as part of “Project Deliverance.” It tar- geted the transportation infra- structure of Mexican drug trafficking organizations in the United States, especially along the southwest border, through coordination between federal, state, county and city law enforcement personnel. More than 3,000 agents and officers went into action across the country to make the arrests. Also, during that enforcement action, law en- forcement agents seized $5.8 million cash, 17 pounds of methamphetamine, 112 kilo- grams of cocaine, 2,951 pounds of marijuana, 141 weapons and 85 vehicles. Besides 2,266 arrests, overall, the project in 18 states has led to seizure of around $154 million in cash, and approximately 1,262 pounds of methamphetamine, 2.5 tons of cocaine, 1,410 pounds of heroin, and 69 tons of marijuana. Also, 501 weapons and 527 vehicles during the entire course of the operation. AG announces anonymous ‘hate crime line’ A new online “hate crime” reporting form has been unveiled by Oregon Attorney General John Kroger as part of a broad ef- fort “to protect the civil rights of all Oregonians.” “It’s crucially important that people feel safe to report hate crimes,” he said. “This new online reporting system will give us a better handle on the scope of the problem.” Kroger also said that he’s working on a report to docu- ment hate crime incidents during the past few years. The new form can be found on the Oregon Dept. of Justice (DOJ) Website. The Criminal Justice Division will review the complaints, make follow-up calls and determine whether to refer the cases to other law enforcement agen- cies for investigation and prosecution. DOJ also will use the information to analyze trends. The new form is not a (Editor’s Note: Factual information for ‘Blotter’ is provided by official law en- forcement agencies. All per- sons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.) * * * Thursday, June 3 *Angry because he was awakened to go to school, a 14- year-old boy on Kerby Avenue was “out of control,” according to his sister. *Gregory Wayne Sam- pley, 57, was cited on a charge of violation of a city ordinance prohibiting consumption of alcohol on public premises on S. Redwood Hwy. at 1:38 p.m. *The city of Cave Junc- tion asked for a welfare check of elderly Millie Street resi- dents, as recent recorded water use was zero. The home owner advised he and his wife no longer live there. *A N. Junction Avenue resident said that her estranged husband entered her home and took her rent money. *On W. River Street a woman complained that her son took paperwork that does- n’t belong to him. *Theft of firearms from a Rockydale Road residence was reported. Friday, June 4 *Two extremely wooly sheep with horns were loose in the 2000 block of Dick George Road, a caller stated at 10:51 a.m. *Justin Harvey Dale Metcalf, 29, was cited on a charge of speeding (61 mph in 45 mph zone) on N. Redwood Hwy. near Cave Junction at 7:34 p.m. Following are alarms to which Illinois Valley Fire Dis- trict responded through Sun- day, June 13: Monday, June 7 *10:56 p.m., motor vehi- cle collision, 16000 block Caves Hwy. Tuesday, June 8 *2:26 a.m., outdoor smoke investigation, 200 block Schumacher *6:31 p.m., motor vehicle collision, 1000 block Thomp- son Creek Road Wednesday, June 9 *11:35 a.m., Medical As- substitute for reporting hate crime to city, county, state or federal law enforcement agencies. It is designed for people who have concerns about their safety and to bet- ter track the incidence of hate crimes in Oregon. Persons who experience or witness a hate crime should immediately phone 911. And victims should still report them to the law en- forcement agency where they live. The complaint forms are public records, although they have a box that can be checked to seek confidential- ity. DOJ “will do what it can to respect that confidentiality to the extent that the law al- lows,” Kroger said. He campaigned for office in 2008 on a pledge to create a civil rights unit at the state DOJ. The 2009 Legislature approved funding for the unit. Counterfeiters nabbed by GPDPS Between June 4 and 6, officers from the Grants Pass Dept. of Public Safety re- ceived several reports of counterfeit $20 bills being used at businesses in the city. On Monday, June 7, de- tectives contacted John Fish, and Kenneth McGee, both 31, at 610 S.E. Riverside Ave. in Grants Pass, where they live. They were arrested and taken to Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass. Fish was charged with numerous counts of first- degree forgery, attempted first-degree forgery, and four counts of third-degree theft. McGee was charged the same, except for two counts of third-degree theft. The bills that were passed were all $20 bills with the same serial number. Busi- nesses that received the bills: Cody’s Place, Dollar Tree, Alibi Tavern, Bridge Street Market, and M Street Market. After further investi- gation, it was determined that there were other businesses where the bills were passed that might be unaware of the counterfeit currency. Additional charges against the suspects will be referred to the district attor- ney after the other businesses are contacted. Any businesses in the area that believe they may have received a counterfeit bill; and anyone who might have information pertinent to the investigation, is asked to phone 541-474-6370. *Warren Benton McCrary, 38, was cited in the 24000 block of Redwood Hwy. on a charge of driving unin- sured at 7:44 p.m. *James Anthony Davis, 69, was cited on a charge of speeding (65 mph in a 45 mph zone) on Redwood Hwy. at Laurel Road at 7:47 p.m. *On Kerby Avenue a resi- dent complained of telephonic harassment. *Michelle E. Stewart, 40, was cited on a charge of no valid operator permit on Red- wood Hwy. in Downtown Cave Junction at 9:52 p.m. *A driver reported striking a raccoon with his vehicle on Westside Road, causing dam- age to the front bumper, fog lights and radiator. He was making a report for insurance purposes. Saturday, June 5 *Two people were cited on charges of failure to use seat belts on S. Redwood Hwy. at 8:15 a.m. *Paul E. White, 61, was cited on a charge of failure to use a seat belt on S. Redwood Hwy. in Cave Junction. *In the 20000 block of Redwood Hwy. at 9:31 a.m., Thomas Andrew Greco, 58, was cited on a charge of speed- ing. *Susan Louise Palleson, 18, was cited on a charge of speeding (72 mph in a 55 mph zone) on Redwood Hwy. at Eight Dollar Mountain Road at 10 a.m. *On Holland Loop some- one complained about harass- ing phone calls from a Grants Pass-area cell phone. *No gun shot was heard, just a “thump,” a complainant said, when the rear window of a vehicle parked at Ray’s Food Place in Selma was shot out around 6:20 p.m. *A report for felony elud- ing, reckless driving, endanger- ment and possession of a con- trolled substance (methamphetamine) was to be filed following a chase on Westside and Turner roads around 8:30 p.m. The driver of the tan-and-maroon Chevrolet Tahoe in question fled. Sunday, June 6 *In Kerby a tenant stated that some animals were miss- ing from her residence. She thought her landlord might have taken them. *Two more rural Illinois Valley residents complained of harassing, obscene phone calls from the same Grants Pass number from which others reported receiving calls. *A home owner on Robin- son Corner Road said that his residence and fruit trees were damaged as a result of a “huge” party. A criminal mis- chief report was initiated. *Someone reported that a woman with a possible mental issue was screaming at a shop- ping cart in the 400 block of S. Redwood Hwy. The woman’s caretaker was contacted. Monday, June 7 *In Takilma a property owner stated that a cable gate had been cut. She was con- cerned that people who want to mine on the mountain behind her home were trying to gain access across her land. *A Selma resident claimed that her identity was used fraudulently to purchase some $7,000 worth of com- puter equipment. *Former tenants were removing fencing at a Hogue Drive location, a citizen said. *An intoxicated woman was asked to leave after she was found eating unpaid-for food in the produce aisle at Shop Smart Food Warehouse. In response, she knocked an employee’s eyeglasses off his face and spat at him. She was warned against trespassing. sist (M.A.), 500 block River Street *11:44 a.m., mutual aid powerline problem, 2000 block Riverbanks Road *12:45 p.m., assist the public - traffic control, 1000 block Deer Creek Road *5:32 p.m., M.A., 8000 block Takilma Road Thursday, June 10 *7:31 a.m., motor vehicle collision, Hanby Lane/ Redwood Hwy. *10:19 a.m., M.A., 400 block Redwood Hwy. *9:35 p.m., open burn, 100 block Hogue Drive Friday, June 11 *3:20 p.m., M.A., 100 block Deer Creek Road *11:18 p.m., M.A., land- ing zone, 200 block Redwood Hwy. Saturday, June 12 *4:33 p.m., grass fire, 1000 block Eight Dollar Moun- tain Road Sunday, June 13 *8:02 a.m., M.A., 100 block Airport Drive *2:04 p.m., M.A., 9000 block Illinois River Road *6:24 p.m., M.A., 200 block Honeybee Lane States in which agents took action were Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, N. Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ten- nessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. “This interagency, cross- border operation has been our most extensive, and most successful, law enforcement effort to date targeting these deadly cartels, and it is a di- rect result of our continuing Southwest Border Strategy,” said Holder. “But this suc- cessful operation is just one battle in a continuing war. “So long as cartels and smugglers attempt to wreak havoc on our borders, we will continue to target them with every resource available to the federal government. This administration, working with law enforcement at all levels, as well as our international partners, is committed to de- feating these cartels, and we have proven the power of strong collaboration and coor- dination to achieve the goal.” Leonhart added that Pro- ject Deliverance “inflicted a debilitating blow to the net- work of shadow facilitators and transportation cells con- trolled by the major Mexican drug cartels. Deliverance con- tinues a deliberate and strate- gic effort to cut off and shut down the supply of drugs entering our country, and the flow of drug profits and guns to Mexico. “The stakes are extraor- dinarily high, and this mas- sive operation is a milestone in our tireless assault on these violent drug cartels,” she said.
