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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2015)
Faith Page — 8A Art Walk preview — 3A Summer's garden gone — 6A Return of the wieners! Popular event back under new leadership, page 3A $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 Also inside: SOUTH LANE COUNTY'S MOST AWARD-WINNING NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1889 VOLUME 176 • NUMBER 13 Driver in Saturday hit-and-run comes forward to police Hoping to make a dent BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel C Shorthanded in its investigations capacity, CGPD faces the rising use of hard drugs in Cottage Grove (Part one of a two-part series) BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel C That's a winner! Lions top Henley for fi rst "W" of 2015, page 1B Getting to know you Methodist pastor talks new role in new community, page 8A ottage Grove Police Offi cer David Burgin opens the rear door to his patrol SUV, and out jumps the youngest member of the local po- lice force. At 2 ½ years old, Kimber, the de- partment’s new drug-sniffi ng canine, still exhibits much of the energy of a puppy, though she’s the product of weeks of intensive training that earned her and Burgin, her human partner, their offi cial certifi cation last month. While Kimber wiggles excitedly, Burgin details what is to be her func- tion with CGPD. She’s trained to alert to the odor of three drugs, he says — heroin, methamphetamine and co- caine — a marked departure from the training of her father, Bo, also a black lab and a renowned drug sniffer with CGPD until his untimely passing last October. The elder lab had earned acclaim for his ability to locate mari- juana, a drug that Kimber isn’t even trained to detect in light of the recent legalization of the drug. “She does the majority of the work,” Burgin says of his new part- ner, who has been taught to sit when she detects these illicit substances and is rewarded with her favorite toy when the job is done. “She has a fantastic hunting drive,” he continues. “She’ll help with nar- photo by Jon Stinnett Offi cer David Burgin with Kimber, the Cottage Grove Police Department's new drug-sniffi ng canine. Kimber is the daughter of Bo, CGPD's previous drug dog, who passed away last October. cotics investigations, with interdic- tion on the highway and assisting other agencies.” As Burgin loads Kimber back into his cruiser, I ask if he really believes the pair can curb the use of illicit drugs in Cottage Grove. “We’re hoping to make a good dent,” he says with half a smile, “or at least keep folks on their toes.” A growing problem From local police to county pros- ecutors to local fi rst-responders and drug users, it’s become common knowledge that, like many small communities nationwide, Cottage Grove indeed has a drug problem. “We’ve certainly seen an increase in use lately,” said Interim Police Chief Scott Shepherd, who said that CGPD sees a lot of methamphetamine and an increasing amount of heroin in its in- teractions with locals. Shepherd said that many misdemeanor charges such as Theft III are also drug related. “People will steal anything they think has value to try and get that next bag,” he said. “People that purport- edly take property in exchange for drugs aren’t very selective as long as the property has some value — bikes, strollers, tools, etc. A huge percent- age of local crimes are motivated by Please see DRUGS, Page 11A ottage Grove Police say the driver of a car that sideswiped another vehicle near the Fire Station Saturday evening has come forward and been charged with a hit-and-run. Kassandra Dexter and Brian Dodge, the par- ents of three children with one on the way, say they were returning to their vehicle following Saturday evening’s free movie presentation at South Lane County Fire and Rescue’s Station 2-1 on Harrison Ave. at about 9 p.m. when a car collided with the rear passenger-side door of their 2000 Dodge Intrepid and kept driving. Dodge said he was pushing a stroller to the car and had unlocked the door. He and Dexter were buckling their children into their seats when Dodge said he walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. “I heard a car coming, and it came straight for us,” he said. “I had to jump out of the way, and I felt a rush of air go by me.” Dodge said that the next thing he saw was that the rear passenger door of his vehicle was folded forward in half and nearly touched the driver’s-side door. He said he was sure there would be something wrong with Dexter, who was standing nearby, but that she was unhurt. “I was lucky the door was pushed out as far as it was,” Dexter said. “The car hit the stroller fi rst.” “I was yelling at the car,” Dodge said. “It just kept going and going, and I never saw it again.” Interim Cottage Grove Police Chief Scott Shepherd said that, at about 8:30 Sunday morning, a woman identifi ed as Barbara Raum reported that she had been driving near the Fire Station Saturday evening when she “heard a loud clunk.” Raum didn’t see anyone near- by, she reportedly told police, and attributed the noise to something that had gone wrong with her car, later identifi ed as a 2006 Chevy Malibu. After a short interview, Shepherd said Raum was arrested and issued a citation to appear in municipal court for Failure to Per- form the Duties of a Driver when Property is Damaged, a Class A misdemeanor. The cita- tion indicates the failure of a driver to stop and exchange information, etc. with the other par- ties involved in a crash. When a hit-and-run involves a collision with a person, the charge is a Class B felony. Public input sought on possible Coiner Park additions BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel L photo by Jon Stinnett Ariana Phillips enjoys a slide at Coiner Park, where the addition of new playground equipment is expected soon. ittle Ariana Phillips had a blast playing at Cottage Grove’s Coiner Park on Friday, and Phillips seemed to be thor- oughly enjoying the slides and other playground equipment she encountered there. Nearby, her parents said that the park is great for their daugh- ter because it has swings, unlike the nearby playground equip- ment at Bohemia Park. They also fondly recalled the merry- go-round and toy digging equip- ment that were once offered at Coiner. These are just a few of the opinions of local kids and par- ents regarding Coiner Park, which is located across from Safeway on Main Street. But the City of Cottage Grove and local Rotarians want to hear more. City Planner Amanda Fergu- son explained that the City is helping the Cottage Grove Ro- tary Club conduct a survey to see what new playground equip- ment Rotary could potentially bring to Coiner Park. “They were just going to put in some new toddler equipment,” Ferguson said. “But instead it was decided that we would do a survey to fi nd out what people really want to see there.” The new equipment won’t be the only changes to come at Coiner; Ferguson said the City plans to update lighting in the park’s gazebo to better monitor any nighttime activities there. The nearby basketball court is due for resurfacing and new nets. The addition of a full-time City staffer to handle parks is- sues should help clear up a maintenance backlog with re- gard to parks and particularly Coiner Park, Ferguson said. “We’re working on irrigation and lighting, and it’s a good time to ask people what they think about what else needs to be done,” she said. The opening of the new play- ground equipment at Bohemia Park, located four blocks from Coiner, has drawn crowds there throughout the summer and may have helped foster rumors that the City had other plans for Coiner Park (rumors that apart- ments are planned for the land there are baseless, Ferguson said). Still, Ferguson said both parks are of value to the City and its residents. “Coiner has a different char- acter than Bohemia,” she said. “The tree coverage there makes it a much more pleasant place in the summer. It has more in- timate spaces for gatherings. I think we need both, and I like that they have different charac- teristics. I’m not surprised that kids want to go to Bohemia — it’s new and shiny. But I don’t think we should let Coiner fall apart for that reason.” Ferguson said the City will also be looking into improve- ments at the Harrison park across from the Fire Station in the near future. The new addi- tions at Coiner Park are sched- uled for installation this spring. In the meantime, those who wish to comment on the need for new equipment at Coiner are encouraged to complete the sur- vey located at www.surveymon- key.com/r/RRTBCTX. Rain Country Realty Inc. N EW 39372 Row River 2 bedroom, 1 bath cute little ranchette! 2.41 acres ( 2 lots?) with fruit trees, near falls and recreation. GO Y U B D O Principal Brokers Teresa Abbott ..................221-1735 Frank Brazell....................953-2407 Lane Hillendahl ................942-6838 545 Crestwood Loop 3 bedroom, 2 bath built in 2002. Big corner lot. Spacious kitchen, vaulted ceilings. Brokers Laurie Phillip....................430-0756 Valerie Nash ....................521-1618 $199,500 $129,900 Licensed in the State of Oregon ! CONTACT US www.cgsentinel.com On the Internet (541) 942-3325 By telephone (541) 942-3328 By fax cgnews@cgsentinel.com By e-mail P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 By mail Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove In person WEATHER CONTENTS HIGH LOW 72 44 Sunny Calendar....................................... 11B Channel Guide ............................... 5B Classified ads................................. 7B Obituaries....................................... 2A Opinion .......................................... 4A Public Safety .................................. 5A Sports ............................................ 1B 75 CENTS
