SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 6
SECTION A
JANUARY 8, 2016
$1.00
Stolen car pulled from river
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
It’s not every day a car gets
pulled from the Willamette
River at Keizer Rapids Park.
But that’s just what
unfolded this week.
On Monday, a Hyundai
Elantra wagon was towed
out of the river, after having
been originally spotted in the
water on Dec. 28.
“We don’t know where
or when the car was put in,”
offi cer Rod Bamford with
the Keizer Police Department
said. “It was put in at least
a week ago. We had some
people that could see the roof
in the river last week, but the
water was too high to get
out there. A Marion County
deputy with marine patrol
took a boat out and got the
license plate, but we couldn’t
recover it at that point.”
Armed with the plate
information, offi cers were
able to determine the vehicle
was stolen.
Lt. Andrew Copeland with
the KPD said the case goes
back more than a year and a
half.
“The
vehicle
was
reported stolen on May 4,
2014,” Copeland said. “The
unknown suspect drove the
stolen vehicle into the river
several months ago. We were
unable to recover the stolen
vehicle initially because the
water was still too high, but
the water receded enough for
us to access the vehicle and
tow it out of the area.”
Keizer
Public Works
Director
Bill
Lawyer
company hadn’t given out
full payment because it was
unknown if the vehicle was a
total loss or not.
“I don’t believe there is a
way to determine when the
vehicle was put in,” he said.
“We’re not going to waste
taxpayer resources trying to
fi gure that out. It was evident
it had been in there for quite
some time. It was originally
silver. With the amount of
grime on it from being in the
river, that was consistent with
it being in for quite some
time.”
Both
Bamford
and
Copeland said the amount
of water damage meant
there was no way to get any
fi ngerprint or DNA evidence
to trace a suspect.
Photos courtesy Tricia Aloisi
This once silver Hyundai Elantra wagon, reported stolen in May 2014, was pulled from the
Willamette River at Keizer Rapids Park this week.
mentioned the case during
Monday’s
Keizer
City
Council meeting and noted
the Hyundai had Washington
plates on it, though the
vehicle had been stolen from
a Keizer driveway.
“Someone tried to get
rid of it and it didn’t work,”
Lawyer said.
Jerry Nuttbrock towed
the vehicle out Monday, as
Bamford and a Public Works
employee were on hand.
“I know cars are dumped
into lakes,” Bamford said.
“But this is my fi rst time in
22 years of law enforcement
I’ve recovered a stolen vehicle
in that matter.”
Bamford
said
the
Hyundai’s owner was glad
the car was recovered, in
part because her insurance
Hoping full bellies
make warm hearts
Volunteers prepare
Thanksgiving
dinner at St.
Edward Catholic
Church in
November.
Monthly free
dinners are being
served, starting
Jan. 27 at St.
Edward.
Leaving some
big shoes to fi ll
Submitted
George Goesch (left) and Scott Ayres.
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
An era ended quietly in
Keizer last week.
After 53 years as a State
Farm insurance agent, George
Goesch retired without fanfare
at the end of the year.
The lack of fanfare was
George’s desire. He politely
declined a request for an in-
terview from the Keizertimes.
George turned 80 on Wednes-
day.
The agency at 5095 River
Road still had George’s name
on the door Tuesday, but is now
being run by Scott Ayres.
“It’s good,” Ayres said this
week. “They’re big shoes to
fi ll. But it’s also pretty excit-
ing, having the chance to work
with some of his clients. The
reception so far has been re-
ally warm. I’m excited to bring
some fresh folks in here.”
Ayres previously ran an in-
surance agency with a different
company for 11 years, starting
from scratch in 1999. He was
recruited to join State Farm
and spent the last six years in
corporate, helping coach agents
about fi nancial services.
“I don’t feel a lot of pressure,
because I’ve run an agency be-
fore. Obviously George Goesch
is a titan in this community, a
real staple. A lot of people have
told me that,” Ayres said with a
chuckle. “But at the same time,
a lot of people have also said
they are glad this offi ce is still
open.”
Ayres only got to work with
George Goesch during the
brief transition time.
“He gave me some bits and
pieces of the business, how to
take care of people, things like
that,” Ayres said. “George has
a great sense of humor. A lot
of what he shared was about
keeping things light hearted.
His ability to relate to clients
is something I try to take after
him on.”
Ayres noted there is a big
difference in taking over an
agency in 2016 versus starting
one in 1999.
“How people are buying in-
surance, expectations and needs
are changing,” he said. “But it’s
still mainly a relationship busi-
ness. You try to have a good
conversation with people.”
While George has retired,
his family is still heavily in-
volved with State Farm. It all
started when George went to
work for the company on Oct.
1, 1962. Son Sam became a
Keizer State Farm agent in June
1981. Another son, Joel, became
a State Farm agent shortly after
that in Washington. Both are
still agents.
Please see GOESCH, Page A7
new
sales event
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Phil Bay, a Keizerite and
one of the coordinators of
the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints’ Just Serve
group, knows a good cause
when he sees one.
“We’re always on the look-
out for ways to give back to
the community and not just
our own church,” said Bay.
“When we heard about the
Community Dinners, I knew
we would have no trouble
rounding up 20 people to help
out.”
The Community Dinner
Bay references is a new com-
munity service project be-
ing sponsored by St. Edward
Catholic Church, Marion-
Polk Food Share and a grow-
ing coalition of local churches
and community groups. On
Jan. 27, St. Edward is open-
ing the door of its community
center and commercial kitch-
en to prepare a free meal for
anyone who wants to attend.
In February, the Latter Day
of Saints will be preparing
and serving. Keizer Christian
Church and Lakepoint Com-
munity Church have both
committed to future dates and
the Keizer Chamber of Com-
merce’s MAK (Men of Action
in Keizer) group is penciled in
for March. The dinners will be
Park master
plans
changed
PAGE A3
AVID expands
at CCMS
PAGE A5
held the fourth Wednesday of
each month from 5 to 7 p.m.
“We have mostly solid
commitments through May,”
said Bonnie Henny, business
manager at St. Edward. “But
it doesn’t have to be a church
group, we are open to any
group willing to help out.”
Group leaders will work
with organizers at St. Edward
to train in using the kitchen
and serving meals.
“St. Edward is really throw-
ing the doors open to us and
giving us the space and leader-
ship to make it possible,” said
Bay.
Swimmers
drown Vikings
PAGE A10
Please see DINNER, Page A7
Marijuana retailer rules
passed after a change
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
An ordinance regarding a
marijuana retailer permit pro-
cess was approved Monday
night, but only after a change
was made to make it more ed-
ible to Keizer City Council-
ors.
Councilors in Keizer and
across the state have spent
plenty of time since the end of
2014 trying to fi gure out local
rules about recreational mari-
juana, approved by Oregon
voters in November 2014.
A permit process was
passed 6-1 in December, but
After council president
Dennis Koho made a mo-
tion to adopt the ordinance
as written, the vote failed by
a 5-2 count, with only mayor
Cathy Clark and councilor
Amy Ryan voting in favor.
Immediately after the vote,
councilor Brandon Smith
proposed removing one line
from the ordinance, reading
“The marijuana retailer shall
have no marijuana in edible
form.”
That led to some discus-
sion.
since the vote wasn’t unani-
mous it came up for a second
vote on Monday.
It wasn’t unanimous this
time, either.
Please see RULES, Page A7
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KEIZERTIMES fi le/
Eric A. Howald
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