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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2015)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL July 22, 2015 Williams sentenced on sex abuse charges Firefi ghters sworn in, promoted at SLFR ceremony Grandmother also arrested in relation to case BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel O n Thursday, South Lane County Fire and Rescue (SLFR) welcomed and rec- ognized eight employees to the organization and to new positions within the organization. Justin Baird was promoted to division chief; Aaron Smith was promoted to captain; Jason Gilberts, Tim Heuser, Doug Lyda and Joey Parsons were promoted to engineer positions, and Mike Dunn-Bernstein and Tanner Conner were sworn in as fi refi ghters. Tessa and Cliff Horton were also sworn in as volunteers. Thursday’s ceremony, which took place at the Cottage Grove station, is seen as just the latest sign of the organization’s improved sta- bility and fi nancial health since the merger of the Cottage Grove, Creswell and South Lane Rural fi re districts in 2003. “It’s a big deal to be hiring and promoting employees,” said Fire Chief John Wooten. “And so it’s very important to host these cer- emonies, which are open to the public, so that people can see what we are doing with their fi nancial support.” As a result of the hiring and promotions, SLFR added a full-time fi refi ghter and a full- A photo by Matt Hollander South Lane County Fire and Rescue promoted several of its own during a ceremony at its board meeting Thursday night, a meeting that also included the swearing-in of new fi refi ghters and volunteers. time paramedic and increased its service foot- a year ago. Next on SLFR’s checklist is a potential bond print by 12 hours per day. The new staff also allowed the organization to shift three posi- levy to replace an aging fl eet of engines and tions to the Creswell station, which will dra- apparatuses. The District has not been able to matically increase service in the northerly area purchase a new vehicle since 2003. “It’s all coming together; one thing at a of the district. “When you can have more people stepping time,” said Wooten. “We’ve made a lot of prog- into upper-leadership roles, that usually means ress toward securing the fi nancial future of the you will be able to retain people for a long district. Now we just have to demonstrate to time, and that’s very exciting for the SLFR the voters that new vehicles are a valuable in- culture,” said Wooten, who was hired just over vestment.” Water levels still support boating at Baker Bay Harms Park ramp, though, was closed this week BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel W ater levels in many of Oregon’s reservoirs are dangerously low following a dry winter, spring and early summer, but a news release from Lane County’s Parks Department last week sought to alert boaters that such is not the case at two Lane County parks. Parks Manager Mike Russell wrote that Baker Bay at Dorena and Fern Ridge Reservoirs “have suffi cient water levels for boaters to launch and are expected to have usable boat ramps through July 3A and into August.” “Spending time on and in the water is such a big part of summer for many Lane County residents, especially in this hot weather,” Russell wrote. “We’re glad to see that boaters will be able to keep enjoying Dorena and Fern Ridge reservoirs for the next several weeks, along with all the swim- mers and picnickers.” According to the County, at Fern Ridge Reservoir, the current water level on Thursday was 370.5 feet, with full pool considered to be 373.5 feet. The reservoir is ap- proximately six inches lower than it was in mid-July last year. At Dorena Reservoir, Russell wrote that the current water level late last week was 825.5 feet with full pool considered to be 832 feet. This means that the reservoir is approximately nine inches higher than it was in mid-July last year. “At the beginning of the year, there was a concern we wouldn’t have enough water, because other lakes were really low,” Russell later said. “We’re on a pretty good schedule to see the typical draw- down of water by the Corps of En- gineers by the end of September.” The Army Corps of Engineers manages water levels at the Wil- lamette Valley’s major dams and reservoirs, while Lane County oversees operations at Baker Bay Park at Dorena Reservoir and Fern Ridge Reservoir. Russell said that, in times of extremely low water, the boat ramps at Dorena “end up on the ground,” stressing again that this is not the case this year. Russell said both Dorena and Fern Ridge have been quite busy so far this year, with many boat- ers and swimmers who may previ- ously have recreated at Fall Creek near Dexter instead making the trip down to Cottage Grove. On Monday, Christie Johnson of the Corps of Engineers confi rmed that the Corps has closed the ramp at Harms Park due to low water there. Corps spokesperson Scott Clemans stated, though, that lev- els at the county-managed Baker Bay are still about 65 feet above their useful minimum. Lane County urged that boaters should check current lake levels against the depth needs of their vessels. Links to the Army Corps of Engineers’ water level data and information about Lane County Parks marinas can be found at http://bit.ly/1DjjTnb. 23-year old Cottage Grove man was sentenced to fi ve years in prison Friday on rape and sodomy charges following a guilty plea earlier last week in Lane County Circuit Court, and the man’s grandmother has also been arrested in connection with the case, a Lane County District Attorney reports. Brandin Michael Williams pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and two counts of third-degree sodomy, the Eu- gene Register-Guard reported, in con- nection with relationships Williams had established with at least three un- Brandin derage girls. Deputy D.A. Erik Has- Michael selman told the Register-Guard that Williams Williams targeted girls in middle and high school, adding that the victims in the case were 13 or 14 years old at the time. The Cottage Grove Police Depart- ment began investigating Williams last spring. On Monday, Detective Carlos Jones of the Cottage Grove Police De- partment said that Williams used Face- book to contact the victims through Mable Ann “friends of friends and acquaintances.” Young Jones said Williams was able to go un- noticed by parents of the victims when he stayed overnight and for part of the next day at one of the girls’ homes. “He confessed to relationships with three girls, and two of the victims were cooperative,” Jones said. “We have reason to believe there were other victims, but they were uncooperative as well.” Jones said Williams was “not the typical person” that CG Police encounter with regard to sex abuse charges. “He was careful about getting acquainted with the vic- tims and fostering an ongoing relationship,” he said. “It demonstrates the effort he was willing to put into this.” Williams’ grandmother, Mable Ann Young, has also been arrested in connection with this case on charges of witness tampering after she allegedly contacted one of its victims and urged her to change her story. Jones said Williams’ case is part of a recent uptick in per- son-to-person crimes witnessed by CGPD recently as op- posed to a more traditional prevelance of property crimes such as theft. “I’m not sure what the nexus is for that now, but in real- ity we may just be scratching the surface of the number of potential perpetrators that may be out there,’ Jones said. Douglas G. Maddess, DMD FAMILY AND GENERAL DENTISTRY Brightening Lives One Smile at a Time See our new website: douglasgmaddessdmd.com e v i t o m o Aut s e i t l a i c e S p PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SINCE 1991 Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair Tune ups 30-60-90K Services Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system services Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust Drive-train repair such as clutches, u joints and differentials All makes and models. 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