4
November 1, 1996
SMOKE SIGNALS
Casino donates speed lasers
to Grand Ronde police
Valley residents in a hurry to hit the
beach have a high-tech reason to
keep an eye on the speedometer,
as Spirit Mountain Casino has donated two
Marksman LTI 2020 Lasers to police re
sponsible for Highway 18 traffic.
The lasers were presented by the Casino
to the Oregon State Police (OSP) during a
special demonstration of the equipment held
at milcpost 29 near Sheridan on October 17.
Capable of precisely measuring a
vehicle's speed at up to three-quarters of a
mile away, the laser guns put new teeth into
measures to increase safety on the busy
Highway 18 corridor.
The equipment will be maintained by the
OSP and kept at their substation in Wil
lamina. The lasers, which will be used specifi
cally on the popular routes to the coast
Highways 18 and 22 will also be avail
able for traffic enforcement by the Polk and
Yamhill County Sheriffs Departments.
The hardware is the latest Spirit Moun
tain contribution to traffic safety, initiated
with the voluntary construction of a $2.5
Tribal Council Vice Chair Ed Larsen
enjoyed trying out the new lasers.
million interchange at the entrance of the
gaming facility, the cooperative funding
with the Tribe of two full-time Polk County
Sheriffs deputies, and the Casino's free
transportation service which takes over 700
vehicles off the highway each week.
For more information on Spirit Mountain
Casino's donation of the lasers for traffic
enforcement, call Beth Sorenson, Public
Relations Manager at 1-800-760-7977.
Song Basket shoplifters apprehended
On Sunday, October 19, after a shoplifting incident occurred at the Song Basket Market
place, two suspects, one male and one female, were arrested in Dallas after police found
the stolen items in their vehicle. Ruth Weathers and Laverne Hosford, who work and have
art items in the co-op were instrumental in the apprehension of the suspects.
Jeff VanLaanen, Polk County Deputy in Grand Ronde, was the first one Ruth and Laverne
notified, and he in turn contacted other Polk County deputies and Oregon State Police.
Deputy VanLaanen recently gave a two-hour long workshop to the members of the Song
Basket co-op, in which he explained the common methods of operation shoplifters use in
places that don't have full-time security guards.
"If it weren't for Ruth and Laverne's quick reaction to the incident, I don't know if we
would have gotten their stuff back," said Deputy VanLaanen. He wants to give Ruth and
Laverne a lot of credit for providing the police with a description of the suspects, their car,
license plate, and items that were stolen. Deputy VanLaanen was able to call officers in the
area and launch a search for the car and suspects.
As it turned out, the vehicle was spotted parked at a bar in Dallas (about 25 miles east of
Grand Ronde). Two Polk County Deputies, a Dallas sergeant, and an Oregon State Police
trooper all played a part in the arrest of these two people. A couple of the art pieces
missing from the Song Basket were subsequently found in the vehicle after they were
approached in the bar and consented to a search of the car.
"Officer VanLaanen really opened our eyes, and showed us what we should look for,"
said Ruth Weathers, manager of Song Basket Marketplace. "Because of that training, we
knew that these two people were displaying peculiar behavior."
Evidently, the two suspects used a common tactic among shoplifters: one attempted to
distract the staff, while the other one went around to various booths and took art items.
Because of the training, Ruth and Laverne knew something wasn't right.
Ruth said, "The police deserve a lot of praise for the way all of this turned out. We called
them immediately after the incident, and they were right on it."
Besides Deputy VanLaanen, other police officers involved in this arrest were Deputy
Bojorquez and Deputy Jenkins (Polk County), Sergeant Tiernan (City of Dallas Police),
and Trooper Keith Miller (Oregon State Police).
Choose to live a healthy, drug-free life
, A, ... Zr
Red Ribbon Week was celebrated from October 23 to October 31. The Native American Club
(pictured above) at Willamina Middle School proudly walked Main Street in Willamina, supporting a
drug-free lifestyle. This club meets weekly and is open to all Native students. For more information,
call Lisa Leno at 879-2224. Additionally, the After School Club also had a drug walk in Grand
Ronde. Help make a difference by showing young people your support for drug prevention.
Basket making
classes with
Sophie George
mm mm
The Education Division is excited
about working with the Culture
and Heritage Society to bring you
a basket making class with Sophie
George as the instructor.
Class size is limited to 30 call
879-2275 to reserve your space
now. Parents may bring their chil
dren who are 1 0 and older if space
is available. We encourage you
to use your discretion as the
classes are lengthy and parents
need to be comfortable with their
children handling a sharp object.