City Beat — 2A
Job Connections — 3A
New Business News — 6A
Barbershop
goes 'old
school,'
page 6A
NOTICE: EARLY DEADLINES
The Sentinel will have Early Dead-
lines for the May 27 edition, as its of-
fi ce will be closed for Memorial Day.
All deadlines will be 5 p.m. Thursday,
May 21 for the May 27 edition.
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015
SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889
VOLUME 126 • NUMBER 47
Kaitlyne
Wirth, 19,
was be-
lieved to
have taken
her child in
violation of
a court or-
der Thurs-
day, and
police are
now say-
ing more
people may
have been
involved in
the inci-
dent. The
three-year
old was
recovered
shortly
after an
Amber
Alert was
issued.
More suspects likely in
child's disappearance
Also
inside:
Police say Kaitlyne Wirth may not have
taken her child herself
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
P
Sanctuary
Oakland-based effort
saves horses, page 8a
olice continue to unravel details following the recovery
of a child reportedly taken by her non-custodial parent
who was recovered in Cottage Grove last week, and they say
criminal charges will likely be issued to more people involved
in the case than just the little girl’s mother.
Oregon State Police, in conjunction with the Tillamook Po-
lice Department, issued an Amber Alert on Thursday at 6:25
p.m. for three-year old Jocelyn Wirth, whose mother, Kaitlyne
Wirth, 19, was suspected of taking the child in violation of a
court order. By 6:43 p.m., a Cottage Grove resident had re-
portedly heard the Amber Alert on the radio, then spotted and
recognized the 1999 Chevy Cavalier sought in conjunction
with the incident. (The Amber Alert also rang out from cell
Please see WIRTH, Page 10A
courtesy photo
Referendum signatures turned in, to be counted
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
It's Magic
Delight tournament
hosts card hopefuls,
page 3A
T
he signatures have been turned
in, and all that’s left now is the
waiting.
Petitioners hoping to gather enough
signatures to refer Cottage Grove’s
Main Street Refi nement Plan to voters
in a September election were confi dent
they would be able to turn in the re-
quired number by the Wednesday, May
13 deadline. A preliminary count based
on the number of signature sheets
turned in to Lane County’s elections
department the next day showed that
the fi nal tally could be quite close to
the required number, according to Cot-
tage Gove City Manager Richard Mey-
ers, who said he turned the signatures
in himself on Thursday.
The Cottage Grove City Council
approved the Main Street Refi nement
Plan — a comprehensive plan for re-
modeling downtown Cottage Grove be-
tween its historic buildings — in April
following hours of public testimony
and approval by the Planning Commis-
sion. Not long after its passage, chief
petitioners Mary McNamara and Mi-
chele Rose fi led paperwork to begin
gathering signatures to refer the plan to
the ballot. McNamara objected to the
plan’s outline to widen sidewalks and
Please see REFERENDUM, Page 10A
P OETRY IN MOTION
photo by Jon Stinnett
Instructor Pamela Lehan-Seigel's Ballet 3/4 class performs at Saturday's recital hosted by South Lane Ballet Academy at Cottage
Grove High School, an event that drew a large crowd of supporters and raised funds for the school. Pictured from left to right are:
Maia Andrews, Mazie Halvorson, Ireland Ellis, Destin Halvorson and Hannah Mathis. They are dancing to "Songs without Words Op.
62," composed by John Mendelssohn.
Eugene
Symphony
coming to play
at Bohemia
Park
Free concert scheduled for
Monday, July 20
BY JON STINNETT
The Cottage Grove Sentinel
T
he Eugene Symphony is coming to
Cottage Grove.
City Manager Richard Meyers stated
as much to the City Council at its May 11
meeting, and on Monday Meyers confi rmed
that the Symphony has booked a Monday,
July 20 engagement to perform at Bohemia
Park.
The Symphony fi rst expressed interest in
performing at the park last summer, Meyers
said, when the Bohemia Foundation — in
conjunction with the Cottage Grove Cham-
ber of Commerce — installed a new stage
cover at the park’s amphitheater.
“They came and looked at our space, and
they loved it,” he said.
The Symphony travels to shows in com-
munities like Roseburg each year, and Mey-
ers said he’s hoping they’ll also consider
making Cottage Grove an annual stop.
But as it’s easy to imagine, a symphony
doesn’t come cheap, and it’s going to take
$30,000 to bring the ensemble to town. The
Faye and Lucille Stewart Foundation has
pledged $20,000 of the cost, and Meyers
said he’s prepared to use $10,000 in city
funds marked for tourism efforts to make up
the difference.
“We’d like to get started this year so that
hopefully we can get the funding squared
away and it can be an annual thing,” he said.
Groups like the Chamber of Commerce are
also expected to begin fundraising to cover
the cost so that less City funding must be
spent.
The concert is expected to be presented to
the public free of charge and should show-
case many of the popular tunes often on
display when the Symphony travels. With
regard to the use of City funds to bring the
group to town, Meyers said tourism dollars
are used to promote Cottage Grove, adding
that the event should bring visitors to town
and promote spending at local businesses.
“If we show how the venue could be used,
maybe someone will take the initiative to do
a big ticketed event,” he said.
Faye Stewart said Monday that his Foun-
dation felt that helping bankroll a symphony
visit was a good way to celebrate Bohemia
Park.
“We’re at a great place with the park to be
able to thank our donors and the community
for their support,” he said.
Pursuit of felon ends in family fracas
C
ottage Grove Police say their at-
tempts to apprehend a man wanted
on charges of being a felon in possession of
a fi rearm led to an altercation with several
of the man’s family members in a home off
South 10th St. last Tuesday.
Chief Mike Grover said offi cer Tay-
lor Smith encountered 27-year old Ace
Mathews on a bicycle on Tuesday, May 12
a little before noon, and when Smith pur-
sued Mathews, he entered the home of his
grandparents, Barbara and David Williams,
at the corner of 10th and Taylor streets.
Grover said this led to a scuffl e, fi rst be-
tween Smith and Barbara Williams, 79,
who allegedly infl icted a bite wound to the
offi cer, and then David Williams, 84, who
threatened to shoot the offi cer. Matthews’
mother, Monica Matthews, 55, arrived on
scene next.
“He had to fi ght her too, and we even-
tually arrested all of them,” Grover said.
Matthews was taken into custody for the
outstanding warrant and for possession of
methamphetamine. Barbara Williams was
charged with assaulting an offi cer, resisting
arrest and interfering with a police offi cer;
David Williams was charged with resisting
arrest and interfering with an offi cer, and
Monica Mathews was charged with inter-
fering with a police offi cer. All were cited
into Lane County Circuit Court.
courtesy photos
From left, Ace Mathews, Barbara Williams and Mon-
ica Matthews were arrested following an altercation
wtih police at Williams' home on May 12. David Wil-
liams was also arrested but not photographed.
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