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About Oregon news herald. (Drain OR) 2025-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2025)
Oregon News Herald Continued from Page 3 January 2025 Page 7 Oregon Public Safety Report on Mahogany Lane, which was a licensed OLCC marijuana growing location. It was determined marijuana was illegally being diverted out of state. During the execution of the warrant, over 2,000 pounds of marijuana was found on the premises. About half of the marijuana was being illegally secreted in the residence on the property, which was not part of the licensed area where marijuana could be kept. The marijuana in the residence was also not in the OLCC tracking system. Lane County’s Land Management Code Compliance Program will be following up with code violations discovered on the property. Deputies also located several high-value stolen trailers, stolen tractors, and two stolen firearms, one of which was a suppressed AR-15. Numerous other firearms were also seized. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office was assisted on this case by the Drug Enforcement Administration and OLCC. This investigation would not have been possible without the ongoing grant funding from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission’s Illegal Marijuana Market Grant (IMMEG). This grant was created in 2018 by the Oregon Legislature to assist local law enforcement agencies and district attorneys’ offices in their efforts to address the illegal marijuana market in Oregon. This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details will be provided at this time. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact LCSO at 541-682-4141 and reference LCSO case #24-6574. Missing Person found Alive Lane County OR -- On December 4th, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a missing person case involving Cheryl Leigh Guajardo, 76, of Bend. She was last believed to be driving in the Lowell area on December 3rd. Lane County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue began a coordinated search of the area involving dozens of volunteers, deputies, and personnel from several assisting agencies. The search was hampered by poor cell service in the remote area she went missing, preventing searchers from tracking her cell phone or vehicle. This prompted a state- wide Silver Alert due to the possibility she had left the area. On December 7th at about 11 a.m., searchers located Guajardo’s vehicle on an overgrown spur road north of Lookout Point Lake, and a short time later, found Guajardo alive and responsive. Guajardo was transported by ambulance to an area hospital. During this search, dozens of personnel drove thousands of miles, and walked or rode hundreds of miles more. Multiple drones and aircraft searched the area from the air. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many agencies that assisted with this search: - Linn County Sheriff’s Office - Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office - Bend Police Department - Oakridge Fire Department - Oregon State Police - Oregon Department of Emergency Management - Oregon Department of Transportation - U.S. Coast Guard - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Federal Bureau of Investigation - U.S. Forest Service Thank you as well to the many residents of our state who have kept an eye out for Guajardo, and to Guajardo’s friends and family who assisted with the investigation and search. LCSO Case #24-6449 South Albany HS Teacher Arrested Albany OR -- On Wednesday, December 11, 2024 an inappropriate sexual relationship between a former high school teacher and high school student was brought to the attention of a School Resource Officer. Officers investigated the allegations and on Friday, December 13, 2024 arrested Duece Keey Loi Phaly, age 28, of Albany. He was arrested for 10 counts of Sex Abuse II and 1 count of Sex Abuse III. The inappropriate sexual relationship began in 2022 when Phaly was working as a math teacher and wrestling coach at South Albany High School while the juvenile victim was a student. Phaly was a teacher and coach from 2018-2022. He is currently lodged at the Linn County Jail. Sex crimes against children are especially heinous and require an extremely thorough investigation. The Greater Albany Public School District has worked cooperatively with the Albany Police Department to ensure a complete examination into this matter is completed. We believe there may be additional victims and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Gina Bell at 541-791-0070. I-5 Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash Albany, OR – A tragic two-vehicle collision occurred on I-5 North early Tuesday morning, December 24 just north of Albany, resulting in one fatality, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Albany, OR – Fatal Two- Vehicle Crash on I-5 N Claims One Life The crash happened around 5:00 a.m. and involved a sedan and a pickup truck. Oregon State Police confirmed the fatality at the scene but withheld the victim’s identity pending family notification. The driver of the second vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics. Both vehicles sustained severe damage, with debris scattered across multiple lanes. Crews worked for several hours to clear the wreckage and reopen the roadway. Investigators are piecing together the events leading up to the crash and have urged anyone with information to come forward. 2 Fatalities in Crash Linn County OR -- A single-vehicle crash that occurred just north of Albany just after midnight Sunday took the lives of two individuals, Oregon State Police reported. A Philomath resident was one of two passengers transported to a hospital with injuries. OSP was dispatched at 12:04 a.m. Dec. 22 to the scene of the crash at the intersection of Century Drive NE and Murder Creek Drive NE. The preliminary investigation indicated that Kyle Gene Luca, 41, of Albany, was driving north in a Toyota 4Runner and left the roadway for unknown reasons, began to roll and ejected three of the four occupants. Lucas and a passenger, Justin Shaun Bottcher, 36, of Albany, were declared deceased at the scene. Two passengers, a 41-year- old Philomath woman and a 40-year-old Albany man, were transported to an area hospital with injuries. According to OSP, speed was considered to be the primary cause of the crash. The three occupants ejected were not wearing seatbelts. 15-year-old girl killed in head-on crash Linn County OR -- A 15-year-old passenger in a car that was involved in a head-on crash in Linn County on December 23rd died at a local hospital, Oregon State Police (OSP) said. The crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 22. A Toyota Highlander that was heading westbound on Highway 20 attempted to turn left onto Highway 22 and crashed into a Hyundai Accent driving east, police said. OSP stated that the Toyota Highlander made an unsafe turn, causing the deadly crash. It closed down traffic on both roads for about two hours as OSP investigated. The driver of the Hyundai, Maryssa E. Swiderski, 35, of Willamina, and her 15-year-old passenger were both airlifted to an area hospital, police said. The 15- year-old girl was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Swiderski was in critical condition. Two other passengers in the Hyundai, a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year- old boy, both of Willamina, were seriously injured and taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The Toyota driver, Victor Hernandez Triana, of Springfield, and two passengers reported minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital. A 51-year-old passenger in the Toyota, Maria Triana De Hernandez, of Springfield, suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The fatal crash remains under investigation. These new Oregon Laws start Jan. 1 Story by Milo Banks January 1st was the start of not only 2025, but also for some new laws in the state of Oregon. Bills passed during the 2024 legislative session included measures to allow Oregonians easier access to repair their own electronic devices, improving access to prescription drugs and lowering their costs, school bus safety and school board transparency. The 2023 legislature passed the styrofoam container ban that went into effect January 1st 2025. This means the end of Styrofoam to-go containers in Oregon. As of Jan. 1, the new state law takes effect, banning restaurants and food carts from using polystyrene foam, commonly known by the trademarked product name Styrofoam. Polystyrene is a non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastic. Maine was the first state to pass a ban on polystyrene foam containers in 2019, with the ban beginning in 2021. Eleven states, including California and Washington, have banned polystyrene foam food containers. Several Oregon cities have already had bans in place, including Ashland, Eugene, Florence, Lincoln City, Medford, Milwaukie, Newport and Silverton. And this will be nothing new for Portland residents, Styrofoam container ban, Right to repair, School bus cameras & More where the city has banned polystyrene foam food containers since 1990. In an effort to encourage alternatives to Styrofoam, a separate bill was passed by the Oregon legislature in 2023 to allow restaurant customers to bring their own reusable containers for takeout or leftovers. Restaurants are not required to allow customers to do this, but the rules for those who do went into place in 2024. Here are some of the key laws that take effect on Jan. 1, as announced by Oregon House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Kotek. Senate Bill 543 Styrofoam container ban passed 20-9 in 2023, with bipartisan support, but it didn’t take effect until now. Right to repair The law requires equipment manufacturers to provide consumers and repair businesses the tools and information necessary to fix electronic devices, rather than be forced to have the manufacturer make the repair. It’s aimed at giving consumers a lower-cost alternative for repair work. School bus cameras Although drivers are supposed to stop for school buses when the stop arm is deployed and red lights are flashing, bus drivers report instances every day of drivers blowing right past it. The new law allows school districts to install cameras on buses to record drivers who don’t stop for the bus when its safety lights are on. That will allow police to possibly cite those drivers. Drugs on public transit The new law makes drug use on public transit a Class-A misdemeanor. That would open access to state-funded treatment for those convicted of the crime. Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, was one of the chief sponsors. Prescription drug access and pricing Two new laws are tackling the issue of making prescription drugs more accessible and affordable. HB 4012 prevents health benefit plans from requiring that prescription drugs be dispensed a specialty pharmacies. The aim of the law is to make it easier for physicians to adjust dosages if necessary. It also opens up options in case a specialty pharmacy has supply issues with filling a prescription. HB 4113 requires that insurers accept that all amounts paid for prescription drugs go toward calculating the enrollee’s out-of- pocket maximums. One of the chief sponsors of the bill was Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend. Worker quota reporting HB 4127 requires companies to be transparent with warehouse workers about productivity quotas. It also protects workers from being punished or fired for not meeting a quota if that quota was not made clear by the employer. School board transparency Public school boards and boards for community colleges and universities will be required to video record their meetings and upload them for the public. However, the new law does not apply to meetings that are not already public, including executive sessions. School districts with fewer than 50 students are exempt. Those districts with no internet access would be required to upload an audio version of the meeting. Divesting from coal The state treasurer and Oregon Investment Council are required to remove the state from investments in coal companies and eliminate funds containing coal companies. This must be done without monetary loss to the investment funds. HB 4083 allows some wiggle room to keep investment in a company if “it is transitioning to clean energy on a reasonable timeline.”
