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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
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By Caitlyn May
Law enforcement
seeking information
in a structure fi re
that claimed the life
of a Cottage Grove
man
An early morning fi re on
Highway 99 had one casualty
and destroyed a home. By late
Monday aft ernoon, the smell
of smoke was still in the air
surrouning 1557 Highway 99
and police tape marked the spot
a trailer used to sit.
Cottage Grove Police re-
ported that it began receiving
multiple calls beginning at ap-
proximately 5:45 a.m. Monday
morning about a structure fi re
at the Frontier Park trailer park.
According to a statement
released by CGPD, offi cers ar-
rived on the scene to fi nd the
Sullivan
explores
longer stay
CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
South Lane County Fire and Rescue and Cottage Grove Police responded to a structure fi re
in the early morning hours of Sept. 17. One individual died in the fi re.
home fully engulfed in fl ames.
“Two of the occupants were
able to escape from the resi-
dents, however it was learned
that another adult male occu-
pant, was still inside the home,”
the statement read.
CGPD evacuated nearby res-
idences and reported that South
Lane County Fire and Rescue
(SLCFR) arrived on scene but
were unable to make entry into
the home.
“Once the fi re was contained,
it was confi rmed that one of the
occupants was deceased,” the
statement read. Survivors of the
fi re were relocated temporarily
by the Red Cross.
Th e cause of the fi re and the
death are both under investiga-
tion by the Oregon State Police,
State Fire Marshall, SLCFR and
CGPD.
According to a statement
released by SLCFR chief Joe
Raade, 12 fi re personnel re-
sponded to the fi re along with
four fi re and EMS apparatus.
SLCFR was assisted by fi refi ght-
ers from the Goshen/Pleasant
Hill fi re department.
“Th e structure was a com-
plete loss,” the statement read.
“And there was a single adult
male fatality.”
Law enforcement is asking
witnesses to Monday morning’s
fi re contact Offi cer Steven Bie-
hler at 541-924-9145 ext. 227.
Local vet fi nds sanctuary with wolves
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
In May of this year, the
South Lane School District
board announced that Dr.
Larry Sullivan would be the
interim superintendent for
the 2018-19 school year.
Now it turns out that he
may also be interim su-
perintendent for the 2019-
2020 school year.
At the Sept. 10 SLSD
board meeting, Sullivan
discussed how the board
will be working to con-
tinue with its plan of hiring
a new superintendent for
the next school year when
school board member Sher-
ry Duerst-Higgins made a
suggestion.
“Having been involved
with several superintendent
searches, it takes an enor-
mous amount of time. And
it sounds like from the report
you’re doing today, that we
have a lot on our plate. And
I’ve been so impressed, Lar-
ry, with how you’ve dug into
things not only in the school
district but in the commu-
nity,” said Duerst-Higgins.
“Have you thought, and I
don’t know how the board
feels about this, but I think
it would be really benefi cial
for our district if you were to
serve two years.”
“Or three,” added board
member Jerry Settelmeyer.
Sullivan initially retired
from 40 years in diff erent
CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Local veteran Jeremy Lucier sholds up a photo of himself and a wolf at Lockwood Animal Rescue in California
where he volunteers his time.
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
J
eremy Lucier’s job last April was to
stand at the end of the driveway.
He’d fl own from Cottage Grove to
rural California aft er getting a phone call
from a friend of his asking for help. His
friend, a fellow veteran, had been work-
ing with a non-profi t to rescue wolves
from breeders and uninformed owners
who mistook the wild animals as poten-
tial pets.
He was standing at the end of the
driveway of a property the group had
confi rmed was housing wolves, a fed-
erally protected animal, illegally when a
car sped by him.
“Th ey chased that car for over an hour
and when they fi nally stopped to get
something to drink or to take a break,
the guys, they got him. Th ey got George.”
George is what Lucier describes as a
“big” guy. He was purchased, illegally,
for $500 and his story still elicits tears
from Lucier who has offi cially joined the
volunteers of Lockwood Animal Rescue
— a non-profi t dedicated to providing
a permanent home for wolves, coyotes
and other animals through coopera-
tion with veteran volunteers. According
to organization’s website, it provides a
“supportive environment for combat
veterans through employment, job skill
See WOLVES 9A
DOWNTOWN
Main Street Coordinator
Cottage Grove residents
recognized for their role in
America’s history.
Jared Sidman named as
new Main Street
coordinator.
PAGE A7
INDEX
COMMUNITY
Cottage Grove’s ‘Rosies’
Rain Country Realty Inc.
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Licensed in the
State of Oregon
Court bars
prosecution
for outdoor
sleeping
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
A ruling earlier this month,
by the Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit defi ning ci-
tations for homeless individ-
uals sleeping on the street, ab-
sent an alternative, cruel and
unusual, has Cottage Grove
administrators searching for
answers.
“We don’t know for sure
yet what it means,” said City
Manager Richard Meyers.
“Th e court ruling and the
interpretations, so far, are all
over right now.”
Th e ruling, which was
handed down Sept. 4 aft er
two individuals in Idaho
challenged existing city ordi-
nances that prohibited sleep-
ing overnight in city parks,
makes citing individuals for
sleeping on public property,
essentially, a constitutional
violation.
“It’s criminalizing home-
lessness,” Meyers said. “Take
our parks, they close for
everyone at 10 p.m. and re-
open at 5. Does that mean
when the park closes, and
we can’t tell them they can’t
sleep there, are we creating
additional rights for homeless
individuals that Joe Citizen
doesn’t have?”
Cottage Grove law enforce-
ment does not typically cite
individuals for sleeping on
public property but rather,
asks them to move. However,
the ruling strips offi cers from
issuing citations and creates
the environment for confu-
sion if the individual refuses
to relocate from the area.
“Th ere’s nothing that offi -
cer can do,” Meyers said. “If
they’re smoking or starting a
fi re or dripping liquid or lit-
tering, they can be cited. But
if they’re just sleeping, it cre-
ates a credibility issue for our
offi cers if they’re saying ‘you
can’t be here’ and the person
says ‘yes I can.’”
Th e ruling is based on the
eighth amendment which
prohibits cruel and unusual
punishment noting that an
issuance of a citation violates
this amendment only if an
alternative location such as
a shelter is not available or
the individual cannot aff ord
lodging such as a hotel room.
However, the ruling also
states that the court is not
prohibiting
municipalities
from acting against individu-
als using public spaces. “Nor
do we suggest that a jurisdic-
tion with insuffi cient shelter
can never criminalize the act
of sleeping outside.”
What does that mean?
“We don’t know,”
See COURT 11A
See INTERIM 9A
PAGE A5
For a complete six-
day forecast please
see page A5.
CGSENTINEL.COM
Investigation into deadly fi re continues
cmay@cgsentinel.com
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1320 Hwy 99 • 541-942-7246
Calendar ...................................... B12
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Corner of Sixth and Whiteaker, Cottage Grove
_______________
VOLUME 130 • NUMBER 48
Marriage & Family Counseling
Learn to positively overcome confl icts
and create stronger relationships for life.
Alan D. Walker
A Masters Level Christian Counselor
Offi ces in Cottage Grove, Yoncalla, and Roseburg
541-817-6271
AlanWalkerPACO@gmail.com • AlanDWalkerCounselor.com