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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2013)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM S EPTEMBER 4, 2013 P ORTLAND , O REGON V OLUME XXXV, N O . 48 25 CENTS For The Skanner news alerts Text "NEWS" to 503-715-0890 or scan this QR code C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Terror Ruling Axed RE-ELECTION? State addresses ‘tax case transformed into terrorism trial’ By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News PHOTO BY BING WONG L ast week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Pete Seda’s conviction for tax fraud, which according to the government, had links to terrorism. Seda, a tree surgeon who lived in Ashland, Ore., was sentenced to 33 months in prison after prosecutors convinced a jury that he falsified a tax form to conceal the purpose of a $150,000 donation – financing Chechen terrorists. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the verdict, saying the trial was tainted. The ruling says prosecutors violated federal law by secretly paying a witness whose wife gave key testimony, and withholding that information, along with other key evidence, from Seda’s defense team. “This is a tax fraud case that was trans- formed into a trial on terrorism,” wrote Circuit Judge Margaret McKeown in the ruling. “The appeal illustrates the fine line between the government’s use of relevant evidence to document motive for a cover up, and its use of inflammatory, unrelated evi- dence about Osama Bin Laden and terrorist activity that prejudices the jury.” This week, Gov. Kitzhaber signed a bill into law designed to prevent the same thing from happening to other Oregon defendants. The new law details prosecutors’ responsi- bilities to hand over any evidence that helps prove the defense case. It was not before time. The Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago in the Brady v. Maryland case, that prosecutors must turn over to the defense any information that helps prove the defendant’s case. In the Brady case prosecutors had a murder con- fession from one of two accused men, but did not disclose that while prosecuting the other man, Brady. “Brady was a landmark case,” says David Angeli, a former U.S. Navy pilot and vice- Hundreds attended the annual Northwest Labor Council’s Labor Day Picnic at Oaks Park last weekend, including many elected officials paying tribute to the movement. Commissioner Loretta Smith, above, was joined by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Metro President Tom Hughes, Rep. Lew Frederick, and Gov. John Kitzhaber, to name a few. Observers speculated about whether Gov. John Kitzhaber – who delivered a fiery speech despite his fight with trade unions over PERS reform – plans to run for re-election. Meet an Educator: Kevin Bacon Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Principal takes pride in his school’s teamwork Bruce Poinsette Of The Skanner News A s an educator, Kevin Bacon prides himself on being a problem solver. “I’m not afraid not to be the smartest person in the room,” he says. “The solutions are there. We just have to figure out a way to listen to each other, work together, be able to ask for help and not be afraid to go look for other ideas and other ways of looking at things.” Bacon, the new principal at See EVIDENCE on page 3 Boise-Eliot/Humboldt School, is returning to the Jefferson Cluster, where he began his edu- cation career. He sat down with The Skanner News to discuss the upcoming school year. Hailing from Indianapolis, Ind., Bacon knew he wanted to be a teacher in fourth grade. Some of his inspiration came from the 70s show “Room 222.” “It was one of the first TV shows that portrayed African American characters in a posi- tive way,” he says. Bacon was particularly inspired by Mr. Dixon, the show’s high school social stud- ies teacher. “In that show, he was one of those teachers that inspired par- ticipation, kids loved him and he built relationships and he did home visits and all those things. I was thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” As a student, he would cata- logue his favorite lessons in his mind. Even then, Bacon thought he could do better than some of his teachers. It didn’t hurt that he had fam- ily members who were princi- ples. Although he had no idea he’d become an administrator, Bacon wanted to work in communities like the one he grew up in; ones that reflected his culture. He started as an eighth grade social studies teacher at Whitak- er Middle School in 1986. Throughout the 90s, he also worked at George Middle School and Jefferson High, where he was principal for the 2000-01 school year. See BACON on page 3 INDEX Oregon State Police Fatal Shooting News ................2,3,8,9 Former Army soldier killed during highway traffic stop on I-84 Opinion ..................4,5 Photos .......................6 A & E .........................7 Bids/Classifieds ...10,11 Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News D ays have passed but there is no new information on the Oregon State Trooper fatal shooting of John Van Allen II, last Thursday afternoon on I-84 in the Columbia Gorge about 100 miles east of Portland. Allen, 34, had only moved to Portland late last year, but his cousin told The Oregonian he was already headed with his three kids back to settle with family in South Carolina. He was shot in the chest by Trooper Matthew Zistel, 26, who says Allen got out of his car and started shooting during a traf- fic stop on the highway. Zistel says he stopped Allen for speeding; Oregon State Police spokesman Lt. Greg Hastings says the two exchanged words before the gunfire broke out. No officials, friends or family members have offered any reason why Allen might have shot at a law enforcement officer. Allen has no arrest history and had served in the U.S. Army. Zistel was also shot in the incident but his wound was described as “minor.” Thursday’s fatal shooting was the second See SHOOTING on page 3
