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COAST WEEKEND
BUSINESS • 7A
142nd YEAR, No. 227
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
ONE DOLLAR
Senate delays Buckmaster hearing
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By HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
Bruce Buckmaster
SALEM — The state Senate
will delay until next week a hear-
ing on controversial appointees
to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Commission to allow more time
for senators to vet them.
Groups have raised concerns
about an appointee with ties to the
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cattle ranchers are also worried that
none of the candidates come from
the livestock industry.
Gov. Kate Brown announced
the appointment of 96 candidates
to state boards and commissions,
including two reappointments and
two new appointees to the Fish
and Wildlife Commission, in late
replace Bobby Levy, whose term
on the commission ended Jan. 1.
Buckmaster previously owned
a salmon feed company and served
on the board of Salmon for All, a
group that represents commercial
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businesses on the lower Columbia
April. Brown reappointed two
current commission members —
Holly Akenson of Enterprise, and
Michael Finley of Medford — and
she appointed Bruce Buckmaster
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Jason Atkinson of Jacksonville to
Roden sentenced to prison for probation violation
See BUCKMASTER, Page 10A
Local crisis
respite
center idea
takes shape
Mentally ill
to be served
By DERRICK DePLEDGE
The Daily Astorian
Photos by JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Defense lawyer Conor Huseby, right, speaks with Randy Roden, left, during a hearing at the Clatsop County Courthouse Wednesday.
Couple accused of murdering 2-year-old will not get bail
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
R
andy Lee Roden, the live-
in boyfriend accused of
murdering his girlfriend’s
2-year-old daughter at their Seaside
home in December, was sentenced
Wednesday to 100 months, or about
eight years, in prison for a probation
violation from a previous domestic
violence conviction.
Roden, 27, a former Georgia res-
ident, was released from prison in
January 2014 after being sentenced
to 18 months for coercion related to
a domestic violence case in Clatsop
County against another woman.
He faced 52 counts of domestic
violence and sex abuse in that case,
which were dropped as part of his plea
deal. The plea deal included Roden
being on probation after his release.
Roden violated the probation by
possessing marijuana, oxycodone
and methadone and failing to report
that he moved in with Dorothy Ann
Wing, according to testimony from
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erren, and Seaside Police Detective
Jason Goodding during a hearing
Wednesday in Clatsop County Cir-
cuit Court.
The drugs were discovered during
a search warrant of Roden and Wing’s
Seaside residence Dec. 20, when the
toddler was found dead.
“For moving to a residence and
smoking some marijuana, this seems
severe,” Roden’s defense lawyer
Robert B. Axford said.
In addition to the probation vio-
lation, Judge Paula Brownhill ruled
Wednesday that Roden and Wing
will remain in custody without the
possibility of bail. The decision does
not impact Roden, who was sen-
tenced to serve in prison for more
than eight years no matter the result
of the murder charges.
“This child was in the care of the
two defendants in December 2014.
While in their custody, she was mur-
dered,” Judge Brownhill said.
Judge Paula
Brownhill
listens to
arguments
from defense
lawyer John
Gutbezahl at
the Clas-
top County
Courthouse
Wednesday.
See SENTENCE, Page 10A
WARRENTON — A crisis
respite center planned for War-
renton could provide sanctuary
for the mentally ill in situations
when prison or hospitalization
are not options.
Clatsop County, Columbia
Memorial Hospital, Providence
Seaside and Greater Oregon Be-
havioral Health are in discus-
sions on a 16-bed residential
treatment facility in Warrenton.
The partners could contract with
Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare,
which now provides mental
health services for the county.
The collaboration recogniz-
es that improving mental health
coverage is a priority for the
state and that counties have not
been able to adequately serve
people in acute mental crisis due
to a lack of specialized facilities.
Clatsop County Manager Scott
Somers said the idea initially was
to have a “safe room” as an al-
ternative when prison or hospital-
ization are not warranted or pos-
sible. “The stars have aligned in
Clatsop County and we’re seeing
great collaboration because we’re
able to get a 16-bed respite facil-
ity together instead of one safe
room,” he said.
The Clatsop County Board
of Commissioners voted unani-
mously Wednesday night to au-
thorize Davis Wright Tremaine,
a Seattle-based law firm with an
office in Portland, to represent
the partnership.
The law firm will provide ad-
vice on the creation of the cri-
sis respite center, tax-exemption
considerations and governance.
Somers said the crisis respite
center could open late this year
or early next year.
Counties and cities have
urged the state Legislature to
make funding mental health ser-
vices, particularly crisis care, a
priority.
See CENTER, Page 10A
Teen health is focus of seminar
Outreach organized after annual
teen sexuality conference canceled
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Being able to instantly mes-
sage a friend or search any in-
formation online has made life
much easier for this genera-
tion’s teenagers, but it has also
caused pressure and confusion
as they enter adulthood.
Better understanding to-
day’s teenagers was a main fo-
cus of “The Adolescent Mind
& Body Health Seminar,” a
two-day event last weekend
hosted by the Clatsop Teen
Wellness Coalition.
“If we can’t, as adults, in-
form ourselves about the is-
sues that children and young
people are facing, we are fail-
ing them and we are failing
our community,” said Astoria
City Councilor Drew Herzig,
a member of the Teen Well-
ness Coalition.
The all-volunteer coalition
formed shortly after an annu-
al teen sexuality conference
in Seaside was canceled over
criticism of the content, leav-
ing what many saw as a void
in sex education. The seminar
on Friday and Saturday at
Clatsop Community College
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The free seminar started
Friday in Columbia Hall with
a panel discussion featuring
Herzig, who is also with the
Lower Columbia Diversity
Project; Clatsop County Pub-
lic Health Director Brian Ma-
honey; child and adolescent
therapist Liz Covey; Clatsop
County Deputy District Attor-
ney Ron Brown and commu-
nity activist Tessa Scheller.
The panel was moderated
by Julie Soderberg, the exec-
utive director of The Harbor,
which works with victims of
domestic violence and sexual
abuse. Soderberg asked the
panel three questions:
• What experiences in-
spired you to get involved in
the community?
• Why do you feel access
to information about healthy
relationships and sexuality is
KYLE SPURR — The Daily Astorian
A panel discussion Friday featured, from left, Clatsop Coun-
ty Public Health Director Brian Mahoney; child and adoles-
cent therapist Liz Covey; community member Tessa Schell-
er; Drew Herzig of the Lower Columbia Diversity Project; and
Clatsop County Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown.
vital to the health of youths
as well as the health and well-
ness of the entire community?
• What do you believe are
the biggest barriers to educat-
ing teens about health rela-
tionship and sexuality?
The impact of technology
was brought up multiple times
during the panel discussion.
See SEMINAR, Page 10A