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CGSENTINEL.COM 3 WEDNESDAY EDITION | OCTOBER 30, 2019 | $1.00 S entinel C ottage G rove Est. 1889 VOL. 131, NO. 42 S ERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF C OTTAGE G ROVE , C RESWELL , D ORENA , D RAIN , E LKTON , L ORANE AND Y ONCALLA Your Local News Delivered Your Way: In Print. Online. On the Go! PERSONAL | BUSINESS BENEFIT PLANNING | SURETY CGHS locker room hazing leads to citation of two students Investigations by SLSD and Cottage Grove Police provide answers but also leave questions (541) 942-0555 PayneWest.com /Cottage-Grove By Damien Sherwood Ned Hickson Nick Snyder & Joshua Leach The Sentinel WEATHER A Sunny skies with a high of 55 and a low tonight of 37. Full forecast on A5 COMMUNITY Making tracks with tiny trains. A3 n alleged hazing incident at Cottage Grove High School has resulted in the criminal citation of two 15-year- old boys and the discipline of at least seven others following a police and school district inves- tigation. The allegations surfaced after a freshman junior varsity football player reported that he was ha- rassed by two older varsity play- ers in the school locker room. Following an investigation by the Cottage Grove Police De- partment, as well as a separate victim as being sexually assaulted with as many as 10 people pres- ent, as reported to the Eugene newspaper by what it identified as a “member of the victim’s fam- ily.” Subsequent reports by local news stations and comments and allegations on social media have revolved around the sexual na- ture of the incident as well as the possibility of more victims, lead- ing to outrage among some in the community in regard to what complainants felt were light con- sequences for the students who were cited. SLSD released a letter to stu- dents and parents on Oct. 24, stating that, “the reports of rape and other sexual crimes … are “We had to tell [kids] to quit ... chasing people or snapping them with towels, but we never dealt with anything like this.” — Scott Shepherd, CGPD Chief and past CGHS basketball coach SPORTS — B Lions on brink of elimination. B1 • RECORDS Obituaries Police Logs Births A2 • LORANE NEWS A5 • CLASSIFIEDS Listings and public notices B6-B7 FOLLOW US FOR THE LATEST NEWS : /CGS ENTINEL @CGS ENTINEL CGS ENTINEL . COM investigation by the South Lane School District (SLSD), two stu- dents were cited for harassment, a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum $6,250 fine and/or one year in jail. The Sen- tinel learned at least seven other students were disciplined, with some receiving suspensions, after the school investigation revealed other incidents that the district said were less severe and not re- lated to the hazing incident. The school district would not com- ment further on the reasons for the other student reprimands due to student privacy concerns. The case was first made pub- lic in an Oct. 21 Register-Guard article which characterized the Elementary, middle school programs focus on lowering district’s high bullying rates The relatively new ‘Buddy’ and other programs are aimed at a long-term solution By Joshua Leach Intern for The Sentinel Catherine Coffrini’s class- room, crowded but cozy, erupt- ed when a gaggle of students marched through her front door. Brenna Fairchild’s fifth grade class entered the room, faces etched with smiles, and traipsed into the waiting arms of more than a few seven-year- olds. It was time for Buddies. Out came the papers covered with pumpkins. Out came the crayons and began the color- ing. The kids raced to build their pumpkin faces, taking turns rolling dice and drawing whatever shape the numbers told them to, peals of “Baby Shark” ringing out over the ca- cophony of tiny voices. “She won,” said Boston, 11. “I couldn’t get a nose in time.” Boston and Payton, 7, have been paired up as buddies, col- not consistent with the findings of our investigation.” The following day, on Oct. 25, three parents protested outside the high school in response to the district’s handling of the incident. the Cottage Grove Police Depart- ment and SLSD began separate investigations. The Case That night, at least a dozen var- Sources close to the investi- gation have confirmed to The sity football players were missing Sentinel that around 11 a.m. on from the roster of a high school Sept. 27, the school district was football game in Cottage Grove. notified of a complaint about When asked that evening at the harassment in the school locker event, school staff would not room. When it became apparent comment on the reason for the a possible crime had occurred, lack of active players for the Sept. school officials contacted local 27 game. As part of the Cottage Grove police. By 12:25 p.m. the school resource officer had requested a Police Department’s investiga- case number for the incident as tion, separate interviews were oring pumpkins that will soon hang in Grocery Outlet. “I’m your BFF, right?” Pay- ton asked Boston. “Yep!” said Boston with a wry smile. Boston and Payton met only a few weeks ago when their classrooms were paired up as part of the “Buddies, not Bul- lies” program at Bohemia Ele- mentary School. The program is designed to help build con- nections across grade levels and create a stronger school community. It’s one of the ways the South Lane School District (SLSD) is trying to combat bul- lying. “What we really try to pro- mote is this idea of family and how we take care of each oth- er at Bohemia,” said Principal Heather Bridgens. Previous reporting by The See BULLYING 10A conducted with the alleged vic- tim, witnesses and suspects. Conversations with the victim led to the freshman boy being referred to a children’s advocacy group in Eugene, where a foren- sic interview was conducted the following Tuesday on Oct. 1. Through the investigation, it was determined that on or around Sept. 16, a member of the varsity football team picked up the freshman victim in the See HAZING 7A City seeks community input for housing code changes By Damien Sherwood dsherwood@cgsentinel. com 541- 942-3325 ph • 541-942-3328 fax P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424 The city held an open house in the Community Center on Oct. 22 to share information on recom- mendations made by the Development Code Audit Committee and gather in- put from the public. More open houses are to follow and will present an opportunity for the community to weigh in on changes to the city’s housing code. “They’re real informal,” said Public Works and Development Director Faye Stewart. “It’s gener- ally a one-on-one with city staff who are present.” Attending staff at the Oct. 22 open house ex- plained the process for code recommendations, the reasons for the change and took comments from the public. Stewart felt public input was an important part of the process. “We want to protect the values that people want in our community and we want to make sure the things we’re doing don’t negatively impact their lives or the quality of life in Cottage Grove,” he said. The passage of House Bill 2001 this year re- quired updates to city codes and comprehensive plans around Oregon. UPCOMING AT OPAL The bill is an effort to curb rising housing costs by increasing supply of smaller homes. Among mandates was a stipulation that cities with at least 10,000 residents allow development of du- plexes in lands zoned for single-family dwellings. Cottage Grove has recently passed the 10,000-resident mark. To comply with the leg- islation, the audit com- mittee has adjusted the city’s code to allow du- plex development on any lot where single-family homes are allowed. The city has previously al- lowed duplexes only on certain lot sizes in town, but the code change will effectively allow their de- velopment in any residen- tial zone. The code audit com- mittee is also taking the opportunity to address housing needs in the community as detailed by the city’s 2018 Housing Needs Analysis. Policy recommenda- tions from the analysis were adopted by the city in January. The analysis report- ed a lack of housing across low-, middle- and high-income levels as the city’s vacancy hovers around 1 or 2 percent. The report recom- mended a growth rate of 69 units per year to help the city meet a goal of 1,379 more units by 2038. The analysis also not- ed that the city would be able to achieve its housing goals without expanding its urban growth bound- ary. In looking for solu- tions, the city considered if codes or costs were hindering development in Cottage Grove, a con- versation out of which the Development Code Audit Committee was born. The committee has since been exploring the impacts of modifying development code to en- courage a greater range of housing mix and housing density. See CODES 11A CASCADE GARDEN EQUIPMENT, LLC Sales & Service –Since 1959– OPAL HALLOWEEN: Psychopath Monologues Open Mon – Fri 8 – 5 Pickup & Delivery Available A crazy, creepy, funny evening of serial killers, movie characters, and TV theme songs. Show Times Thurs. Oct. 31 • Fri. Nov. 1 • Sat. Nov. 2 Fri. Nov. 8 • Sat. Nov. 9 513 E. MAIN ST. 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