SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 34
SECTION A
MAY 26, 2017
$1.00
Salem man built box
to confine ex-girlfriend
on drugs and I am going to save
her.”
Olafson said it was one of
the most unusual interviews
he'd ever conducted. Not
only did Robison counter
every question with another
question, Olafson said he
was adamant about being in
control. Olafson typically
doesn't follow his cases
through the justice system,
but he said he maintained
a close watch on Robison's
during the past year.
In July 2016, Robison
pleaded guilty to charges of
burglary, assault, conspiracy to
commit kidnapping, attempt to
commit kidnapping, delivery of
methamphetamine and stalking.
He was sentenced to 15 years
in prison, but is appealing the
length of the sentence.
Keizer police offi cers are
only now able to talk about the
case because litigation pending
against other suspects involved
recently wrapped up. The story
begins almost exactly a year ago.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The most disturbing aspect
of Clinton Russell Robison's
plans to kidnap his ex-girlfriend
is diffi cult to pin down.
It might be the way he
brazenly drove through a
police barricade and attempted
to approach a
home
where
a SWAT team
was executing a
search warrant.
It could be
the
numerous
threatening text
Submitted
Above: A Salem man allegedly constructed this box to keep his ex-girlfriend in
messages he sent
while she detoxed. Top Left: glinton Russell Robinson's booking photo.
to the intended
victim and others — Offi cer Darsy Olafson ,
Keizer Police Department
(see related story
people he told thinking during questioning that this was weird and he was
below,
Texts
a stalker.”
of his plans after his initial arrest.
provide).
Robison countered telling
“We got him back to the
who never called the police (see
The box he built to keep his related story below, Many knew.) station and he was fl at-out Olafson, “Did you not hear
victim in once he'd completed
But for Offi cer Darsy telling us that he had been what I just said? This girl is
his plan is certainly near the top Olafson, of the Keizer Police following her and tracking her
of the list.
Department (KPD), it was and he had found her at this
There's also the numerous the closed loop of Robison's house,” Olafson said. “I told him
ctim while
Sent to vi
r home:
“ He was
watching the
house like
we would”
Celts roll to
2nd round
PAGE A12
A “rescue” mission
On May 19, 2016, KPD
offi cers were backing up the
Salem Police Department
SWAT team while it executed
a warrant on a suspected drug
house at 3555 Cherry Avenue
Please see BOX, Page A3
tside he
Many knew Texts provide
plans, no
window into
one called kidnapper’s mind
police
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Clinton Russell Robison
made little secret of his plans
to kidnap an ex-girlfriend in
the spring of 2016.
According to transcripts of
text messages, Robison con-
tacted at least eight people
who likely had some knowl-
edge of what he was threaten-
ing to do and no one called
the police. The list includes
Robison’s mother and room-
mate and the father of the
victim.
That stood out to Offi cer
Please see PLANS, Page A3
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Clinton Russell Robison broke up
with the woman who became his in-
tended kidnap victim in March 2016.
Text messages and love letters from
the next three months, leading up to
his arrest in May 2016, show his men-
tal state deteriorating and words turn-
ing into action. Robison was intent on
“rescuing” the woman from her alleged
drug use.
On April 2, 2016, Robison and his
victim argue about him keeping a key
to her home. Robison had recently let
himself into her home while she was
there and wrestled two phones away
from her.
“Do you know why crazy people
do crazy things? It’s really quite obvi-
waiting ou
until I
You have
5 to call
count to 2
utside
o
e
me or b
ing to let
or I am go
And I’m
myself in.
se the
going to u
ught to
ro
booze I b
fi re in
n
o
ll
light it a
ment.
your apart
A
questionable
display
07:42 AM
Mom
PAGE A2
54 AM
4, 2016, 5:
ous. I don’t know why
Mon, Apr
so many people
play dumb to it,
other
because they get
Sent to an
nd:
ex-girlfrie
pushed over the
er
edge,” Robison
I have nev
d
e
c
n
e
wrote. "You have
experi
42 AM
e this
5, 2016, 7:
lik
g
in
Thu, May
pushed me over
anyth
y insides
the edge twice
before. M
losing
es
id
I really am
now ... Let me
and outs
’s
n
It
e
.
h
rt. W
my mind
know when you
literally hu
g
in
rt
a
th
e
y h
like this
catch onto what
I see her m
entire
y
n
m
a
s
e
th
r
plagu
you should already
races faste .
.
ced
existence
know about me.”
it’s ever ra
AM
44
6:
,
16
5, 20
Later in the ex-
Thu, May
change,
Robison
demands that the
victim “get the key” from him in
the next hour or he will view it as
consent to whatever comes next.
In the next
several
days,
again
Robison con-
in the early morning of
tinues to harass
April 5. Robison appears to be sitting
the victim, sending
outside the victim’s apartment when
as many as 83 mes-
he issues another ultimatum: “You have
sages in the span of
until I count to 25 to call me or be out-
90 minutes.
side or I am going to let myself in. And
The
situation
comes to a head
Please see TEXTS, Page A3
Cute as a
button
PAGE A16
KFD budget grows
more than 12%
Gangway,
here comes
the parade
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Ashlynn and Grayson ghaffi n get excited as the Keizer Iris Festival parade approaches on Saturday,
May 20. For more photos, see pages A5, A6 and A7.
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Like its call volume, Keizer
Fire District's budget is grow-
ing.
The 2017-18 budget, ap-
proved by the KFD Budget
Committee at a public hear-
ing on Wednesday, May 17
and now awaiting adoption
by the board of directors, calls
for a 12.2 percent increase of
$764,113.
Most of the expansion,
$695,388, comes in personnel
services, which includes three
new positions (fi refi ghter/
paramedic, information tech-
nology analyst and volunteer
coordinator), as well as PERS
and union costs.
The district has applied for
a SAFER Grant for the vol-
unteer coordinator position
to help with recruitment and
retention of volunteer fi re-
fi ghters. Revenue is also up, a
Please see KFD, Page A16
Salang tops
discus
PAGE A12