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Volume 140, Issue 4
www.Polkio.com
January 28, 2015
Death raises questions
Undermanned sheriff ’s office criticized for response protocol
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Could he have
been saved?
That’s the question on the
minds of law enforcement of-
ficials, emergency responders
and the public alike following
the death of Chris Clothier,
24, at his parents’ home out-
side Dallas on Jan. 19.
For Clothier’s parents, the
answer is certain. If a deputy
had been available and
medics had arrived sooner,
their son would still be alive.
“He had a heart attack,”
said Tina Clothier, Chris’
mother. “People live through
heart attacks if they get help
soon enough.”
Tina and
her hus-
b a n d ,
James, de-
scribed
their son as
“a bright,
beautiful
l o v i n g
Clothier
brother
and son,” who wanted to go
to nursing school before he
was diagnosed with schizo-
phrenia at age 19.
James and Tina Clothier say
they hope emergency re-
sponse protocol will be im-
proved as a result of what
happened to their son — so
another family doesn’t have to
go through what they are now.
Clothier suffered a “schiz-
Page 10A
ophrenic episode” after Polk
County sheriff’s deputies,
due to reduced patrol hours,
were not available to re-
spond. The call quickly esca-
lated to a medical emer-
gency, but given confusion
about the nature of the situa-
tion, an ambulance crew de-
cided to wait until a police
officer could secure the
scene. However, by the time
a Dallas officer was able to
re s p o n d , C l o t h i e r h a d
stopped breathing.
Tina Clothier said, con-
trary to what official reports
indicate, that Chris still had a
pulse when Dallas police got
there, but in the few minutes
it took medics to arrive, he
died.
P o l k
County
Sheriff Bob
Wolfe said
the med-
ical exam-
iner’s au-
topsy con-
cluded the
Wolfe
cause of
death was excited delirium
and cardiac failure. A toxicol-
ogy test also found metham-
phetamine in Clothier’s sys-
tem, something his family
said was a way to self-med-
icate his mental illness.
Wolfe said given how
quickly the incident escalated,
he wasn’t sure the outcome
could have been avoided.
See DEATH, Page 14A
75¢
IN YOUR TOWN
DALLAS NEWS
Want to trick your brain into thinking that
healthy broccoli actually tastes good?
Just put something you like to eat up to your
nose and breathe in while chewing your vegetables.
That was just one of the scientific tidbits Dallas
elementary school students and their families
learned during Family Science Night Thursday at
Oakdale Heights Elementary School.
The “taste and smell” experiment was a popular
one all night — perhaps because it used candy to
teach students, and the occasional parent, how con-
nected our sense of taste is to our sense of smell.
»Page 18A
FALLS CITY NEWS
OK pizza lovers, brace yourselves.
The Bread Board in Falls City is no longer offering
its popular and yummy brick oven pizzas — at
least on a regular basis.
“We will have pizza on special occasions,” said
The Bread Board co-owner Keith Zinn.
The decision to scale back operations at the bak-
ery — The Bread Board will also now be closed on
Sundays — was about “restoring some balance” in
owners Zinn and John Volkmann’s life.
“Consequently, we’ve decided to make some
changes to our business ...,” read an online update.
»Page 5A
INDEPENDENCE NEWS
Independence will become a hub of importing
and exporting goods via train and trucks when
White’s Hauling expands.
The company hopes to have the new operation
on Hoffman Road up and running by June, said
Cody White, co-owner.
“Our plan is to connect to the short line there
with (Portland & Western Railroad) and bring in a
rail siding, or track, to both ship out wheat and
bring in grain,” White said.
“We’ll import-export basically anything the local
economy demands and supports: timber, lumber,
steel.”
»Page 2A
AARON YOST/ for the Itemizer-Observer
MaKenzie Fernandez, left, and Derrick Zamudio learn to work as a team to put a fire out as trainer Dell Weston watches.
SURVIVAL TRAINING
Teen CERT members gain experience to deal with disasters
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — If a major
snowstorm hit the region or
the dreaded “big one” hap-
pened, would your teenager
know what to do?
The members of a new
club at Dallas High School
will, as part of Polk County’s
Teen Community Emergency
Response Team (Teen CERT).
Countywide, there are 11
members of the teen pro-
gram. But with the help of
club founder Maurice Dal-
ton, that number could grow
to 16, said Kimber Townsend,
Polk County CERT’s program
coordinator.
“That would make us the
third largest teen program in
the state,” she said.
A Dallas High sophomore,
Dalton, who is already a
CERT and a rare teen trainer,
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
AARON YOST/ for the Itemizer-Observer
CERT trainer Dell Weston leads Polk County CERT’s fire
safety and hazardous materials modules Monday night.
The session concluded with trainees extinguishing fires.
decided to launch the club as
part of his Eagle Scout cap-
stone project.
“I decided to try to do
something unique and build
a CERT team,” he said.
Dalton said the club meets
once a month to keep Teen
CERTs updated on training
exercises, make sure first aid
kits are up to date at the high
school, and address potential
safety hazards. He’s recruited
four DHS students to join the
CERT training session that
began Jan. 19 in Dallas.
“I’m actually quite pleased
with the turnout,” he said of
the new club.
Dalton has been involved
with CERT since 2013. He
said he wanted to go through
the training to learn to be
prepared. He said the best
time to incorporate that
mindset is at a young age.
“People our age are more
flexible, so it’s better to learn
this now before it becomes
inconvenient,” he said.
Townsend has the same goal
in mind and was more than
happy to help Dalton complete
his Eagle Scout project. She
said in the end, those in his
club will be better able to sur-
vive an emergency situation —
and help others around them.
See TRAINING, Page 14A
MONMOUTH NEWS
When it comes to people trying to get personal
information of any kind, it is not rude to just hang
up, close the door or delete an email.
In fact, it’s the smartest thing to do, said Ellen
Klem, director of consumer outreach and educa-
tion for the Office of the Attorney General, at a
presentation about how to protect against fraud
before an audience of about 25 at the Monmouth
Senior Center on Monday.
“If Rachel from Card Holder Services calls and
asks you to press 1 to be removed from the call list,
just hang up,” she said.
»Page 2A
POLK COUNTY NEWS
Family Building Blocks, a Salem-based child
abuse prevention nonprofit, recently opened a Dal-
las office, offering play groups and parent educa-
tion to families in Dallas, Monmouth, Independ-
ence and Falls City.
Family Building Blocks (FBB) has an office in West
Salem, but saw a need to open a more centrally lo-
cated facility in Polk County, said Gabriela Maldon-
ado Bell, the program supervisor in Dallas. The or-
ganization serves families struggling to care for
their young children due to poverty, domestic vio-
lence, drug abuse, or mental health or other issues.
»Page 3A
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
It’s the final Wednes-
day of the month,
and that means
yoga in the hopyard
at Rogue Ales Farm
near Buena Vista.
6 p.m. Free.
James2 Community
Kitchen offers meals
for everyone in the
area every Thursday
at Dallas United
Methodist Church.
4:30-6 p.m. Free.
Bring an instrument
or just sit back and
listen during the
weekly Guthrie Park
Community Center
acoustic music jam.
7-10 p.m. Free.
It’s a showdown for
first place in the
GNAC as Western
Oregon hosts Seat-
tle Pacific in men’s
basketball action.
7 p.m. $4-$6.
It may be Super Bowl
Sunday, but the Polk
Flea Market will be
open for its usual
session at the fair-
grounds in Rickreall.
9 a.m.-3 p.m. $1.
Support the Drag-
ons by attending a
meeting of the Dal-
las High School
Booster Club in the
DHS library.
7 p.m. Free.
There’s an American
Red Cross blood
drive scheduled at
Western Oregon
University’s Werner
University Center.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.
Fog and Clouds
Hi: 54
Lo: 41
Fog; Mostly Cloudy
Hi: 54
Lo: 38
Fog; Mostly Sunny
Hi: 54
Lo: 37
Fog; Mostly Cloudy
Hi: 53
Lo: 40
Showers Likely
Hi: 54
Lo: 44
Rain Likely
Hi: 53
Lo: 42
Chance of Showers
Hi: 51
Lo: 37