2A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • AUGUST 22, 2018
RECORDS
DNA match leads to arrest in 2007 rape case
On May 17, 2007, the
Lane County Sheriff ’s Of-
fice received a report that
a 41-year-old female had
been forcibly raped by a
stranger.
The female reportedly
had car trouble in the Eu-
gene area and a man who
was unknown to her offered
her a ride so she could get
assistance with her vehicle.
Investigation
indicates
the male drove the female to
the Crow area and forced her
to have sex with him after
assaulting her and threaten-
ing her if she fled. The male
left the female on the side of
the road in Crow where she
Jesse Lee Clark
flagged down a concerned
community member who
took her to the Sheriff ’s Of-
fice and the hospital.
The victim consented
to have evidence collect-
ed during a sexual assault
exam at the hospital in 2007,
which was sent to the Ore-
gon State Police Crime Lab
for comparison to DNA
samples on file.
At the time, the kit did not
yield any matches in CODIS
(Combined DNA Index Sys-
tem).
The Oregon State Police
Crime Lab recently notified
the Lane County Sheriff ’s
Office that the DNA submit-
ted in 2007 in connection
with the 2007 rape report
appeared to match that of
37-year-old Jesse Lee Clark
of Junction City.
Clark was located in the
Eugene area on Aug. 2,
2018, and was interviewed
and subsequently arrest-
ed and lodged in the Lane
County Jail on Rape in the
First Degree.
This case has been re-
ferred to the Lane County
District Attorney’s Office for
prosecution. The identity of
the female victim is not be-
ing released at this time.
New technology in place
assists law enforcement in
identifying suspects, even
years after the initial crime.
In this case, Clark’s DNA
was submitted to CODIS
recently due to an unrelated
case.
Irene D. Bridwell
1929-2018
Irene D. Bridwell, 89 of Harrisburg, Ore-
gon passed away August 4, 2018. She was
born April 25, 1929, in Rugby, N. Dakota to
Rolland and Daisy (Geisinger) Northway.
Irene had a business degree and was a legal
secretary for 30 years. She enjoyed sewing,
embroidering, knitting, crocheting, reading,
watching movies and enjoyed spending time with her family
and loved her pets. Irene married Earl Bridwell on September
7, 1947 in Cottage Grove, OR and was with her domestic part-
ner, Bobby Miller for 20 plus years. She is survived by her part-
ner Bobby Miller, Harrisburg, OR, son Gary (Darcy) Bridwell,
daughter Judy (Eugene) Kephart, daughter Joyce (Rod) Bun-
ner, daughter Janette (Daniel) Fergason, daughter Pam (Stan)
Werth, daughter Linda (Dave) Slocum, son Mike (Wanda) Mill-
er, brother Ron (Raeann) Northway, sister-in-law Glenda North-
way, 15 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. Irene was
preceded in death by her husband Earl Bridwell in 1984 and
brother Fred Northway. A Celebration of Life will be held at
10:30 AM on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at Brownsville Pio-
neer Park. Arrangements by Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel,
123 S. 7 th St., Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
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City water meter upgrade proposal deadline is today
Ameresco recently re-
leased the request for pro-
posals (RFP) for the Cottage
Grove city water meter up-
grade project, with propos-
als due at the close of day
today.
Last Tuesday, city staff
gave a tour of possible tower
sites for data collector loca-
tions throughout the city. A
total if six companies toured
the sites and asked ques-
tions in preparation of their
RFP submission.
On Wednesday, public
works and development
director Faye Stewart at-
tended the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s
2018 Safe Routes to School
Grant Program Workshop
in Springfield and then, on
Thursday, the city manager
Richard Meyers, along with
Stewart along with city rep-
resentatives, participated in
a conference call with repre-
sentatives from the United
States Department of Agri-
culture Rural Development
Agency regarding grant and
loan programs for the water
meter project.
City and Ameresco staff
will be working together to
submit a project funding ap-
plication by the first week of
September. It is possible for
the city to receive up to 45
percent of the project costs
from grant funds and the
remainder from a loan at a
rate of 3.15 percent over 40
years.
City staff will be submit-
ting a grant request to fund
pedestrian improvements
along Harrison and Fourth
streets.
ODOT has $16 million
available for improving pe-
destrian and bicycle access
to schools during the 2019-
20 grant cycle.
A letter of intent is due
Aug. 31 and the grant appli-
cation is due Oct. 15.
Grant awards will be an-
nounced in January of 2019.
If the grant request is
awarded, the city could re-
ceive up to 80 percent of
the improvement costs for
eligible pedestrian related
improvements. This will re-
duce the contributions from
adjacent land owners for the
new sidewalks.
Funeral & Memorial Planning
Cremation Options
e Monuments
& Memorials & e Memorials
Cemetery Options e
Monuments
Cemetery Options
e Funeral & Memorial Planning e Cremation Options e
Please Celebrate the 4th of July Safely!
123 South 7th,
Cottage Grove, Oregon
th
123
South
7
,
Cottage
Grove, Oregon
541-942-0185 •www.smithlundmills.com
www.smithlundmills.com
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Pacific-Source grant helping South Lane Mental
Health to continue reduced-price services
South Lane Mental
Health has received a
three-year, $30,000 per-
year grant from the Pa-
cific-Source Foundation
for health improvement
to ensure access to free or
sliding-scale-fee mental
health services for a range
of Cottage Grove area res-
idents.
The grant will support
services for area children,
adolescents and adults
experiencing a mental
health crisis; seniors with
Medi-care-only coverage;
undocumented commu-
nity members; and any
youth seeking mental
health assistance.
As part of its mis-
sion, South Lane Mental
Health provides more
than $350,000 per year
of mental health care at
no charge to community
members in need.
The nonprofit also pro-
vides services to mem-
bers of the Oregon Health
Plan.
South Lane Mental
Health, established in
1988, offers counseling,
crisis response, case man-
agement,
prescription
services and a recovery
program for about 2,200
Cottage Grove area adults
and children each year.
South Lane Mental
Health also provides hous-
ing and support for adults
with persistent and severe
mental illness.
To learn more about
South Lane Mental Health,
visit www.slmh.org or call
541-942-3939.
The
PacificSource
Foundation for Health
Improvement is part of
Springfield-based Pacif-
ic-Source Health Plans,
a not-for-profit regional
health insurance provider.
The City of Cottage Grove
is proud to present the
Second annual
Cottage Grove Armory
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
S aturday , a uguSt 25 1-5 pm
628 WASHINGTON AVE, COTTAGE GROVE OR
Join us for a fun family
celebration featuring:
Ice Cream!
provided by Safeway and Halo
Top Creamery
Classic Carnival
Games!
sponsored and staffed by local
organizations
A classic carnival
look
sponsored by Hoyer Accounting
DIVORCE
Outstanding Music!
sponsored by Middlefield Oaks
Senior Living
Clear Many Convictions,
Arrests, & Expungement
$155
Raffle prizes
Ice Cream and
Games cost just
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Appearances
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Complete Preparation Includes:
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Divorce in
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Possible!
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503-772-5295
each!
VOICE
YOUR
South Lane Fire’s
new truck and
inflatable slide
Meet LifeFlight’s
‘Little Al’
OPINION!
Write a Letter to the Editor today.
Email CMAY @ COTTAGEGROVESENTINEL . COM
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