Page A2
May 16, 2001
Che |JUuUauö (Obeemer
i Police News/Vancouver
Bush on Guns: Hire
More Prosecutors
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Presi
dent Bush unveiled a new initiative to
combat gun violence Monday, pledg
ing an “unprecedented partnership”
between federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies.
“It will send an unmistakable mes
sage: If you use a gun illegally, you
will do hard time,” Bush said.
Bush used National Police Week
to renew his call for tougher enforce
ment o f existing gun laws, and said
his "Project Safe Neighborhoods”
would accomplish that.
The two-year, $550 m illion effort
will help pay for the hiring o f new
federal and state prosecutors, with
U.S. attorneys in all regions o f the
country heading “strategic partner
ships" on gun violence with area law
enforcement, said Attorney General
John Ashcroft.
The federal and local authorities
will work together to review and pre
pare gun cases for prosecution, and
map out ways to prevent firearms
violence, he said.
The administration will measure
the impact o f the programs by gaug
ing whether they reduced gun crimes,
Ashcroft said.
The president pledged to hire 113
new assistant U.S. attorneys and 600
new state and local prosecutors to
handle gun cases; $44 million to im
prove criminal record-keeping so
convicts cannot legally buy guns;
nearly $29 million to expand ballistics
testing so illegal guns and ammuni
tion can be traced; $ 19 million for the
Bureau o f Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire
arms for a youth gun interdiction
initiative.
Bush said that between 1989 and
1999, the violent crime rate dropped
20 percent.
"That’s a huge accomplishment.
It really is,” he said, with police offic
ers standing beside him.
“But unfortunately, American so
ciety is still far too violent,” he said,
pointing to 12,658murdersinAmerica
in 1999, two-thirds o f which he said
were shooting deaths.
Win a m illion SkyM iles.
F ly everyw here.
Forget how to drive.
Four Killed After Collision
(AP) — Four people were killed
when a small pickup collided head-on
with a semi-truck near Portland Inter
national Airport were all farmworkers
who lived and worked nearby, police
said.
The pickup driver passed another
vehicle in a no-passing zone and was
in the oncoming lane when collision
occurred about 9 p.m. Sunday, said
Lt. Mike Hefley, a Portland police
spokesman.
The small truck was caught under
the semi’s front axle, and both ve
hicles erupted in flames, Hefley said.
The pickup driver was identified
Monday as Isidro Santillan Chavez,
29, an employee ofRossi Farms. His
passengers w ere A lalos M isael
Garcia, 18; Rogelio Ceja Adrian, 42;
and his son, Jose Antonio Adrian
Garcia, 18. All three lived and worked
at Garre Farms.
Police said toxicology tests would
be conducted on the driver o f the
pickup to determine if drugs or alco
hol were involved.
The driver o f the semi-truck, A Ivin
Earl Hill, 40, o f Moses Lake, Wash.,
was in serious condition at Legacy
Emanuel Hospital.
Clinton Brother Targeted by Police
T O R R A N C E , C a lif. (A P )—
T ap e re c o rd in g s in d ic a te th a t
f o r m e r P r e s id e n t C l i n t o n ’s
b rother, R oger, w as illeg ally ta r
geted by o fficers w ho arrested
him on charges o f drunken d riv
ing and d istu rb in g the peace, his
law yer told a ju d g e M onday.
C linton, 44, w as arrested Feb.
21 in H erm osa Beach. Police said
they did not know w ho he was
w h en he w as p u lle d o v e r fo r
erratic driving.
C linton w as not present M on
day as attorney M ark G eragos
entered an innocent plea. A hear
ing w as set for June 26.
G eragos said an audiotape he
acquired from another police d e
partm ent show s H erm osa Beach
o ffic e rs d iscu ssin g C linton 90
m inutes before the arrest.
G eragos w ould not release the
tape to the m edia but told report-
ers it show s officers saying;
“T here he goes, do you recog
nize him ?”
“ D oes he have Secret S ervice,
protection?” “N o, but his brother
sure does.” C linton has been free
on his ow n recognizance. I f co n
victed, he could face a year in ja il
and a $2,000 fine. He was a r
rested less than a m onth after his
older brother pardoned him for a
1985 drug offense.
Crime Stoppers
Double Murder Unsolved
Portland police, in coopera
tion with Crime Stoppers, are
asking for your help in identi
fying and apprehending the
person or persons responsible
for a double homicide.
Just after midnight on Sun
day, April 15, a security of
ficer found a car in the parking
lot o f the former Eastgate The
ater, 2025 SE 82 Ave. The car
had crashed into an em bank
ment on the northwest com er
o f the lot, and was found with
the motor still running.
Seeing someone inside, the
security officer called 9-1-1
and police responded.
On arrival, officers found
the bodies o f two decreased
individuals, later identified as
34-year-old Ramona L. McGee,
and 44-year-old Terry Lee
Spencer, both of northeast
Portland, inside the car. It was
later determined that both sub-
jects died o f gunshot wounds.
Investigators would like to hear
from anyone who may have
information on this case.
Crime Stoppers is offering a
cash reward o f up to $1,000
for information, reported to
Crime Stoppers, which leads
to an arrest in this case o f any
involved felony crime, and you
need not give your name. Call
crime Stoppers at (503) 823-
HELP.
Washington County Deputies Under Fire
(AP) Washington County sh eriff s
deputies are under fire for training
practices at the O regon National
Guard base at Camp Rilea on the
Oregon Coast.
In a letter to W ashington County
SheriffJim Spinden, Rilea commander
Colonel David Lay criticized the safety
practices o f the county’s SW AT
team.
The Guard commander said depu
ties failed to get permission to use
some areas o f the camp or communi
cate with guard officials during exer
cises. And he said deputies training
in a light armored vehicle were under
the influence o f alcohol when the
vehicle ran over a bunch o f logs.
The sh eriffs office said the driver
o f the armored vehicle hadn’t been
drinking, though the passengers may
have been.
The Guard also said sheri f f s depu
ties left live rounds o f gas grenades
and other lethal ammo in a place where
hundreds o f high school students
gathered later on.
Accused Mother Plans to
Use Insanity Defense
Lawyers for a W ashington
County woman who has pleaded
not guilty to killing her nine-year-
old daughter have filed a notice
they plan to use insanity in her
defense.
Karen Lee Huster’s daughter
Elisabeth disappeared in 1996. The
41 -year-old Huster claimed she was
with relatives, and spent two years
in prison on charges o f custodial
interference.
A fter being indicted for her
daughter's murder, Huster fled her
Tigard home in April 2000. In N o
vember, she was arrested in a Los
Angeles suburb after police found
a m an ’s body parts in the apart
m ent she was sharing with a family
friend.
Huster appeared in a Hillsboro
court on Friday. H er trial was set
for Jan. 8, 2002.
The notice filed Friday also says
H uster's attorneys plan to present
evidence on w hether she intended
to com m it murder.
A defense psychiatrist will ex
amine Huster in the next few weeks
Prosecutors also will exam ine her.
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