The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, December 20, 2016, Image 2

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The daily Astorian., December 20, 2016, Page 2A, Image 2

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Newspaper Page Text2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016 Former chiropractor sentenced for sexually abusing patients Quakes ‘the heartbeat’ of Mount St. Helens tell scientists the process of magma moving into the vol- cano is continuing, driv- ing off ﬂ uids and gases that ﬁ ll cracks beneath the sur- face and inducing the small quakes. “It is not an indicator of an imminent eruption,” Thelen said . “Just a simple reminder that things are still active down there and that Mount St. Helens will erupt again. It is not imminent.” Westby said the quakes indicate Mount St. Helens is subtly repressurizing, but lit- tle more. “We’re hearing the heart- beat of Mount St. Helens here through these earthquakes,” she said. They’d worry if they detected this again, saw abnormal ground uplift or movement and found changes in volcanic gases . “We would need to see many more signals that would indicate any kind of concern on our part,” she said. The recent seismic activity alone is simply more data that lends welcome insight into the temperament of a volcano. Mount St. Helens has proven — even if it was 36 years ago — it’s capable of blowing its top with the best of them. “The more earthquakes we record,” Thelen said, “the more we understand about the volcano.” No signs of imminent eruption KOIN 6 News VANCOUVER, Wash. — More than 120 tiny earth- quakes have taken place during a seven -day period recently beneath Mount St. Helens, but the U.S. Geo- logical Survey said there are no signs of an imminent eruption. Beginning Nov. 21, the USGS said, four swarms of small quakes were detected. The tiny earthquakes were mostly too small — mag- nitude 0.3 or less — to be exactly located by the Paciﬁ c Northwest Seismic Network or even felt on the surface. Geologist Liz Westby with the Cascades Volcano Obser- vatory in Vancouver said the earthquakes occurred 1 to 2 miles down. They’re noth- ing of concern but more than enough to generate excite- ment for those monitoring the active volcano. “We’re just simply fas- cinated by what’s going on because we learn so much more about what’s going on beneath Mount St. Helens and what this all means,” Westby said. Seismologist Weston Thelen said earthquakes Lopez abused a dozen patients By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Adam Lopez, a former chiropractor convicted in November of sexually abus- ing four patients, was sen- tenced Monday to 180 days in jail and ﬁ ve years of probation by Circuit Court Judge Philip Nelson. Eighty of those days are guaranteed jail time, with 100 eligible for alternative incar- ceration such as community service. Lopez will also regis- ter as a sex offender for life, undergo treatment, have no contact with the victims and not be allowed to work as a chiropractor or in any position that involves direct physical contact with women. Lopez, who has not acknowledged any crimes in the current case, already pleaded guilty in 2014 to sex- ually harassing eight female patients during appointments dating back to 2009. He was sentenced to one year of jail and is still on probation. Victims testify The sentencing Monday was emotionally charged, with Lopez’s family and support- ers on one side of courtroom, FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 50 38 35 Mostly cloudy Tillamook 33/51 Partly sunny New Salem 28/41 Newport 36/49 Dec 28 Coos Bay 34/53 Full Jan 5 Jan 12 The Daily Astorian Ontario 5/20 Bend 12/34 Burns 3/27 Klamath Falls 17/35 Lakeview 9/33 Ashland 27/44 TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 12:35 a.m. 1:38 p.m. Low 1.6 ft. 2.6 ft. REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 25 41 52 49 50 39 43 49 48 51 Today Lo 2 12 39 28 39 17 28 31 36 35 W sn r r sh sh c r sh sh sh Hi 17 34 54 38 49 35 45 43 49 53 Wed. Lo 3 19 39 27 41 16 28 30 38 38 W s s s pc pc s s pc pc pc City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 49 43 49 46 49 51 38 49 49 44 Today Lo 30 22 31 31 28 38 23 26 33 20 W sh r sh r sh sh c sh sh pc Hi 44 36 45 42 41 51 32 41 45 36 Wed. Lo 30 22 32 32 28 40 17 30 32 20 W pc pc pc s pc pc pc pc pc pc TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES W pc pc pc pc pc s c pc s s pc s s s pc s pc s s s s pc pc sh s Hi 62 40 35 39 41 31 68 9 80 37 40 58 75 52 81 51 63 44 55 43 45 36 59 45 47 Wed. Lo 45 31 25 18 24 27 42 -15 68 24 23 42 55 35 69 38 52 35 28 30 27 21 44 34 34 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s pc c s c c pc sn pc pc pc s s s pc s pc pc s pc pc s s pc s PACKAGE DEALS APPLIANCE AND HOME FURNISHINGS 529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON 503-861-0929 O VER Mattresses, Furniture 3 A 0 RS TSOP C LA U Y C O NT aires and spe- cial interests are looking to stack the deck in their favor at the expense of the rest of us. We have big U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley battles in front of us, and I’m ready to ﬁ ght for our vision of a ‘We the People’ nation. “I’m also looking for- ward to serving on the For- eign Relations Committee at a time of substantial interna- tional upheaval and national security concerns,” the sena- tor said. “Some of the biggest PUBLIC MEETINGS Station, 33496 West Lake Lane, Warrenton. Clatsop County Human Services Advisory Council, 4 to 5:30 p.m., 800 Exchange St., Room 430. Cannon Beach Public Works Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. WEDNESDAY Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee, 4:30 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. challenges we face as Ameri- cans are international, like cli- mate change, violent extrem- ism, and globalization, and require global cooperation. We can’t give all Americans the opportunities they deserve without a strong, thoughtful foreign policy.” LOTTERIES OREGON Monday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 9-4-1-2 4 p.m.: 4-5-2-5 7 p.m.: 3-8-6-3 10 p.m.: 8-9-9-7 Monday’s Megabucks: 9-11-18-26-39-47 Estimated jackpot: $3 million WASHINGTON Monday’s Daily Game: 5-1-1 Monday’s Hit 5: 10-15-32- 36-38 Estimated jackpot: $170,000 Monday’s Keno: 01-03-06- 20-24-29-30-35-39-41-50- 51-53-55-56-62-66-67-72-79 Monday’s Lotto: 08-19-25- 28-31-32 Estimated jackpot: $1.4 million Monday’s Match 4: 07-10- 17-24 OBITUARY POLICY APPLIANCE YE U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley has been appointed chief deputy whip for Senate Democrats, a post on the party’s leadership team. The Oregon Democrat also announced that he will serve on the Senate Foreign Rela- tions Committee when Con- gress convenes in January. “I am honored to join the leadership team and help carry the ﬁ ght for good living wage jobs, a secure retirement, and opportunity for all Americans,” Merkley said in a statement. “Now, more than ever, billion- TUESDAY Ecola Creek Watershed Coun- cil, 4:30 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St., Cannon Beach. Sunset Empire Park and Rec District, 4 p.m., 1225 Ave. A, Seaside. Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission, 5:15 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Port of Astoria Commission, 6 p.m., Port oﬃ ces, 10 Pier 1, Suite 209. Shoreline Sanitary District Board, 7 p.m., Gearhart Hertig Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. IN Lopez declined to com- ment in court, submitting a letter before the hearing ask- ing for a lesser sentence. “I have been released from jail for the last 20 months and have not had any (incidents) for concern with the authori- ties, nor do I feel that I am a threat to the community,” he said in the letter. Lopez asked to be regis- tered as a sex offender only while on probation. He also asked that in lieu of jail time, he be allowed to do commu- No empathy Lopez faced up to a year in jail for each of his seven counts of sexual abuse, all class A misdemeanors. During sentencing, Nelson said he has seen many divisive cases, and knows people on both sides of Lopez’s case. But he said six jurors had put considerable effort into reaching their ver- dict last month. “As I read Lopez’s letter, it strikes me that he doesn’t show any empathy to the four victims,” Nelson said, admon- ishing the defendant for not apologizing. “I just don’t think you get it at all that what you did was horrible,” Nelson said. Steven Sherlag, Lopez’s lawyer, asked that Lopez’s seven counts be condensed to four — one for each vic- tim, instead of those based on different alleged incidents. Brown combined the last two of Lopez’s seven counts. Nelson gave the prose- cution 60 days to create the terms of ﬁ nancial resolu- tion for counseling and other expenses related to Lopez’s actions. Lopez has 30 days to appeal his conviction. “It’s time to start serv- ing that sentence,” Nelson said, remanding Lopez to jail immediately. After Nelson left, Lopez was handcuffed in front of his family and led to the jail. Brown said he understood why Nelson gave Lopez much less than the year in jail he could have received on each count of sexual abuse. “He didn’t do that because we don’t have enough space,” Brown said, adding prosecu- tors always have to keep the jail’s matrix — a point system used to release less danger- ous inmates to alleviate over- crowding — in mind when seeking sentences. Brown prosecuted a similar case against Donald Hughes, a masseuse at the Cannery Pier Hotel sentenced in July to 120 days in jail and ﬁ ve years pro- bation for sexually abusing a client. His abuse was also a misdemeanor. “It’s just really a shame the (Oregon) Legislature doesn’t create a felony for being abused by a professional,” he said, adding medical profes- sionals operate based on trust. “The only way someone can go to prison on something like this is if there was force involved. “If you’re awake and the doctor or masseuse or who- ever gropes you, it’s just a misdemeanor.” Merkley chosen for Senate leadership post Baker 2/17 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Hi 54 33 30 49 42 27 61 5 81 32 42 55 74 44 83 45 54 36 48 36 39 40 57 48 41 John Day 16/36 Lopez, friends, family testify nity service part of the week and work the other part to help cover his expenses, having lost his chiropractor’s license, along with multiple commer- cial and rental properties. He had already violated his pro- bation by failing to pay $5,000 in restitution to each of his eight previous victims. Lopez’s two children and a friend from the Astoria First Assembly of God testiﬁ ed about Lopez’s character and the impact the charges have had on he and his family. His daughter, Pilar, said community service would bet- ter serve her father, who had apologized to his family for the trouble the case has caused them. That led Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown, lead prosecutor for the state, to ask what her father had said about his charges. “He doesn’t believe he did it,” she replied, adding her father told her he never would have done anything intentionally. “I see no threat to the com- munity from my father,” his son Adan said. “I feel like community service would be more useful.” La Grande 13/31 Roseburg 31/42 Brookings 40/57 Tonight's Sky: Orion's belt stands almost straight up from the horizon. Today Lo 34 28 18 27 23 14 42 2 69 18 23 37 51 30 70 26 45 30 26 28 23 28 45 36 29 Lebanon 27/41 Medford 28/45 UNDER THE SKY High 8.4 ft. 6.7 ft. Prineville 9/34 Eugene 28/38 First Pendleton 22/36 The Dalles 25/32 Portland 31/45 Sunset tonight ........................... 4:32 p.m. Sunrise Wednesday .................... 7:55 a.m. Moonrise today .................................. none Moonset today ......................... 12:19 p.m. City Atlanta Boston Chicago Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Honolulu Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Miami Nashville New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC 45 34 Mostly cloudy with a little rain Rain and drizzle SUN AND MOON Time 7:14 a.m. 7:25 p.m. 46 36 Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 35/50 Precipitation Monday ............................................ 1.98" Month to date ................................... 7.58" Normal month to date ....................... 6.15" Year to date .................................... 84.08" Normal year to date ........................ 63.77" Dec 20 SATURDAY REGIONAL WEATHER Astoria through Monday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 55°/37° Normal high/low ........................... 48°/36° Record high ............................ 61° in 1981 Record low ............................. 17° in 1924 Last 50 38 Partly sunny ALMANAC FRIDAY and the vic- tims, family, friends and members of the District A t t o r n e y ’s O fﬁ ce on the other. All four Adam Lopez victims testi- ﬁ ed about the damage Lopez’s actions have had on their lives. “He humiliated me,” one victim said, crying as she spoke through a translator about how Lopez’s actions had caused harm to her family and her psychological well-being. Another, also stopping to cry while speaking, said she has had to remember that day in Lopez’s ofﬁ ce for years. “I am here for closure,” she said, thanking the District Attor- ney’s O fﬁ ce for prosecuting. One victim directly addressed Lopez. She admon- ished him for claiming to be a good Christian while not acknowledging what he did. Lopez looked back at her as she spoke. “I’m glad you’re look- ing at me, because you’re a liar,” she said, adding that God would judge him if he did not acknowledge his crimes, repent, and turn against his evil ways. & More! HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 • SATURDAY 9-5 • SUNDAY 10-4 We Service What We Sell The Daily Astorian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and, for veterans, a ﬂ ag symbol at no charge. The deadline for all obituaries is 9 a.m. the business day prior. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Death notices and upcoming services will be published at no charge. Notices must be submitted by 9 a.m. the day of publication. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dailyastorian.com/forms/obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.com, placed via the funeral home or in person at The Daily Astorian ofﬁ ce, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, call 503-325-3211, ext. 257. The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 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