SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 4
SECTION A
DECEMBER 25, 2015
$1.00
Man extradited to Keizer for 2007 case
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
A man who allegedly took
an 11-year-old Keizer girl to
Mexico in the spring of 2007
has been extradited to Oregon
to face criminal prosecution
from the Marion County Dis-
trict Attorney’s offi ce.
Raul Xa-
lamihua-Es-
pindola, now
28, was es-
corted Dec. 15
by two special
agents
from
the Portland
Xalamihua-
offi ce of the Espindola
Federal Bureau
of Investiga-
tion (FBI) from Mexico City
to Portland, where custody
was transferred to members of
the Keizer Police Department
who were awaiting his arrival.
Xalamihua-Espindola was
arrested on an outstanding
felony warrant issued in April
2007 for unlawful fl ight to
avoid prosecution and for one
count of custodial interference
in the fi rst degree. Another
warrant was issued in Decem-
ber 2007 for four counts of
fi rst degree rape.
Authorities
investigated
the case the whole time and
worked collaboratively with
the federal government of
Mexico.
All criminal charges stem
from the investigation that
began on April 6, 2007 when
it was reported to the KPD
11-year-old Deysi Cisneros
left a note for her mother and
father explaining that she had
run away with her boyfriend,
Xalamihua-Espindola, who
was 19 at that time.
Within fi ve days of the
investigation beginning Xa-
lamihua-Espindola had been
indicted for one count of cus-
todial interference in the fi rst
degree. Investigators from the
KPD and the FBI worked to
locate the victim and suspect,
who had left Oregon and
were thought to be enroute to
Mexico. The National Cen-
ter For Missing & Exploited
Children created a fl yer that
was distributed to law en-
forcement agencies through-
out the United States and to
border crossing agents on the
United States and Mexico
border.
On May 1, 2007 investi-
gators confi rmed the suspect
and victim were in Zongolica,
Vera Cruz, Mexico. Special
agents from the FBI began
coordinating with the Mexi-
can government to locate and
recover the victim and to ap-
prehend the suspect.
On Sept. 4, 2007 the vic-
tim was located and safely
recovered in Mexico, though
the suspect evaded capture at
that time. Two weeks later, a
member of the KPD and an
FBI employee fl ew to Mexi-
co City and took protective
custody of the victim at the
United States Embassy. She
was reunited with her parents
at home in Keizer.
The Keizertimes ran two
stories on the case at the time.
Within the past two years
Xalamihua-Espindola
was
located and apprehended in
Zongolica, Mexico by the
Mexican Federales. He spent
the last two years incarcerated
in a Mexico prison litigating
appeals regarding his extradi-
tion to the United States to
stand trial for the criminal
charges from this investigation.
He faces four counts of rape in
the fi rst degree and one count
of custodial interference.
Anyone having informa-
tion about this investigation
is asked to call KPD detective
Chris Nelson at 503-390-
3713 ext. 3489.
Merry
Christmas!
Please see MEXICO, Page A6
Decorated for the season
The lights
of Gubser
New lease on
life for orchard
PAGE A3
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Earlier this year, it seemed there was no future for the fi lbert or-
chard at Keizer Rapids Park. That has changed, as a new lease
was signed recently for the farming of the crop.
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
There is a future again for
the fi lbert orchard at Keizer
Rapids Park.
After Tony Weathers was
granted a release from his
contract to harvest the or-
chards in June, there was con-
siderable question if another
farm would take his place,
especially given the desire to
not use chemicals necessary to
fi ght off the blight impacting
the trees.
Kevin Schurter with Sch-
urter Enterprises LLC sub-
mitted a proposal in July to do
the harvesting, with the pro-
posal accepted the following
month. It was only a short-
term lease, spanning from Aug.
20 to Nov. 30.
A Request for Proposals
was run in mid-October for
the city-owned orchard, re-
sulting in two proposals. The
one selected was from Sch-
urter Enterprises.
Keizer City Councilors ap-
proved the contract without
comment during the consent
calendar portion of the Dec. 7
council meeting.
Rental income received
from Schurter will be used for
city park operations, including
maintenance of the fi lbert or-
chard.
According to the contract,
the lease terminates when all
crops are removed from the
property, or no later than Nov.
30, 2017. The rent paid to the
city will be 10 percent of the
net proceeds from the farm-
ing of the crops grown on the
property.
Please see LEASE, Page A6
Meeting Santa Claus
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Elysia Copley, 5, sits on Santa's lap during the Keizer
Heritage Center Christmas event on Dec. 17. For more
photos, please see page A7.
Stories
We Like
KFD Candy
Cane Days
PAGE A6
Saluting the people that make
us proud of our community
capitolauto.com
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
If you’ve been through the
Gubser Miracle of Christmas
Lights Display in the last 25
years, odds are you’ve seen
the decorations at the Naegeli
house.
Not to mention the Hal-
loween decorations.
And the Valentine’s Day
setup.
Oh yeah, there’s also the
Easter display.
Yes, Harlan and Barbara
Naegeli like to decorate their
home at the corner of McLeod
Lane and Rock Ledge Drive
for various holidays.
For Christmas time, the
couple goes all out – and in.
While the outside display is
impressive in its own right –
award-winning, in fact – the
theme is continued inside, as
Christmas decorations are ev-
erywhere.
If there was room, there
would be even more.
Barbara and Harlan came
to Christmas decorating from
opposite perspectives. Barbara
split her childhood between
America and England, where
the focus is on the inside of
the house. Harlan, on the oth-
er hand, grew up in Silverton
with plenty of outside decora-
tions but nothing on the in-
side.
“In England we didn’t do
outside lights,” Barbara said.
“We met one October. Then
he came to my house the
beginning of December and
walked in. It was interesting
for him to see all the decora-
tions inside. I say our kids got
the best of both worlds. We
did Christmas crackers and
KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy
Barbara and Harlan Naegeli for years have had a well-decorated
Keizer home for Christmas, inside (above) and out (top).
paper crowns. It took Harlan ed,” Barbara said. “That was a
a while to warm up.”
one-up move. I said, ‘Millie,
Harlan fl ashed a quick that’s not fair.’ She just smirked
smile.
at me.”
“It’s been 44 years and I’m
While the Naegelis have
still warming up,” he quipped. been doing their decorations
The two met in Salem and for years, don’t take that to
married barely a year later. mean it’s the same each year.
After living in West Salem for Some new pieces and features
nearly 20 years, the couple have been added regularly,
built their home in Gubser while some parts need to be
and moved in 25 years ago.
replaced or don’t get put out
Early on, a
due to a lack of
friendly com-
room.
petition started
“It’s started
between the
and has grown
Naegelis and
each year,” said
the
neigh-
Barbara, noting
bors across the
her daughters-
street, Dennis
in-law
have
and Mildred
complained
O'Shea.
about the bar
“Dennis
being set too
didn’t
have
high. “Not ev-
that
many
erybody does
lights at fi rst,”
quite so much,
Harlan
said.
or at least
“I would put
— Barbara Naegeli that’s what I’ve
something up,
heard. I can’t
then he would
put everything
have to put
out. I have
something up. That fi rst year a lot of stuff. I let friends go
was interesting. The light tour through a pile of stuff I don’t
was in the older part of the use.”
neighborhood. This part was
Since they are both in their
not part of the tour. The road 60s, things have been scaled
was barricaded off. We had a back somewhat. For example,
little protest, standing at the Harlan no longer puts lights
barricade. We were part of the on the roof. Son Andrew used
tour the next year.”
to do that task, but not any-
Barbara credits the O'Sheas more.
for elevating the game.
“Their windows are paint- Please see NAEGELI, Page A7
“Our
neighbors
seem to really
like it. Or they
think we're
crazy. It could
be that, too.”
Big wins for
basketball
PAGE A10