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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 11, 2015 5A Polk County News Roads: Police depend on county’s safety services Continued from Page 1A They agreed to sell the pistol for $100 and metham- phetamine. Middleman’s services in finding a buyer ended up being expensive, $40 and half the metham- phetamine. Dallas police asked for Salem PD’s assistance in finding Middleman. Following interviews with each of the suspects, police arrested Smash on Nov. 24, Middleman on Nov. 26 and Grab on Nov. 27. — Dallas police took the suspects to Polk County Jail to await arraignment in Polk County Circuit Court. Re- gardless of jurisdiction — Dallas, Independence, Mon- mouth, West Salem, Oregon State Police — each arrestee is taken to the county jail in Dallas and the case placed in the hands of the Polk County District Attorney’s Office. Both agencies — in particular the DA — struggle against reduced staffing lev- els to finish the job officers begin. With the exception of charging the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for holding suspects until they are charged in Polk County Circuit Court, the jail holds inmates at no charge. Even suspects charged in city courts are held for free. Sheriff Bob Wolfe said some- day that may have to change. “I really do not want to go there,” Wolfe said. “The cities help pass the bond (to build the jail) and the com- missioners said they won’t charge them. But times have changed, costs have gone up. I’m trying to keep from passing on that cost.” Police also hand over evi- dence and reports to the DA for prosecution. District Attorney Aaron Felton said that begins with reviewing the case and de- ter mining appropr iate charges. That has to happen fast. Charges have to be filed with the court by 10:30 a.m. the next business day or suspects may be released. With a staff of four prosecu- tors — including Felton — and a full schedule of court hearings, trials and other cases coming in, that puts the office under the gun. Initially, Smash was charged with two counts of first-degree theft and un- lawful entry into a motor ve- hicle; Grab with one count of first-degree theft and un- lawful entry into a motor ve- hicle; and Middleman with first-degree theft for his role in selling the gun. On Dec. 3, a grand jury indicted them on those charges. These cases did not go to trial, but still had several court hearings before each suspect agreed to plea bar- gains. Smash pleaded guilty to first-degree theft on Feb. 10 and was recommended for drug court, given his crimi- nal history and issues with drugs. Grab pleaded guilty to first-degree theft in Decem- ber and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, given his cooperation and lack of criminal history. Middleman pleaded guilty to first-degree theft and was sentenced to 18 months of probation, though that may be in dan- ger as he’s been accused of not reporting to his parole officer. “This is a bread-and-but- ter case,” Felton said. “That was really good police work. … We were able to work out plea agreements with all of them. We convicted them all.” But just to get there — charging them, attending court hearings, negotiating and preparing for a poten- tial trial — takes weeks or months of work and money. “All that is in the context of doing the same thing with other cases,” Felton said. — Now convicted of crimes, the trio is in the hands of Polk County’s drug court and community corrections office. While this case involved felony charges, many plea deals end in misdemeanor convictions, Silbernagel said. His office is allocated funding from the state to su- pervise offenders based on felony convictions, so fewer deputies on the road and fewer prosecutors to work on felony cases means his office will suffer. Silbernagel is already see- ing a downward trend in the number of cases under su- pervision due to a declining number of arrests with fewer deputies on duty. He says without the levy that will continue. “It’s big circle, how we work together,” he said. Timeline of a Case Side Example of a Polk County criminal case and the agencies involved: — • Oct. 5, 2014 — Two thieves break into a truck on Northwest Denton Avenue in Dallas, steal- ing a safe with a 45 mm pistol inside. They decide to sell the pistol for drugs and cash. • Oct. 6, 2014 — The owner of the truck reports the theft to Dallas police, who start an investigation into that and similar inci- dents in the area. Officers lift fingerprints off vehi- cles and send them to Salem Police Depart- ment’s Crime Lab. • Nov. 24, 2014 — Fin- gerprint analysis identifies one of the suspects. Police interview that suspect, who admits breaking into cars and eventually to stealing the gun. The first suspect also tells police about his partner in the break-ins. Police interview the second suspect as well, who describes the theft and identifies yet an- other person involved in selling the gun. • Nov. 24, 2014 — First suspect is taken to Polk County jail. • Nov. 25, 2014 — Polk County District At- torney’s Office charges are filed on first suspect. • Nov. 26, 2014 — Of- ficers located the third suspect, who helped the first two sell the pistol for drugs and money. He admits to his involve- ment and is taken to jail. • Nov. 27, 2014 — Second suspect is ar- rested and taken to jail. • Nov. 28, 2014 — DA files initial charges on sec- ond and third suspects. • Dec. 3, 2014 — Polk County Grand Jury in- dicts all three suspects. • Dec. 23-24, 2014 — Second and third sus- pects plead guilty to first-degree theft charges and are sentenced to 18 months of probation. • Feb. 10, 2015 — First suspect pleads guilty to first-degree theft and is assigned to Polk County Drug Court, with the stipulation that if he fails in the program, he will serve prison time. • March 13, 2015 — Third suspect is due back in court on a possible probation violation. Noland Gardner Bryant Hernandez Corrections posts ‘most wanted’ Itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — Polk County Community Correc- tions lists these individuals as “most wanted” for March. Citizens with information on the whereabouts of any of these individuals should call Community Corrections at 503-623-5226. • Christopher Side, born March 16, 1981, 6-2, 200 pounds, brown hair, green eyes. Charges: Burglary I. • Kelly Lane Noland, born Nov. 5, 1970, 6-1, 210 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes. Charges: Burglary I. • Lateshia R. Gardner, born Jan. 25, 1992, 5-3, 120 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. Charges: Possession of heroin. • Arlie Br yant, born March 10, 1989, 5-7, 145 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. Charges: Burglary I, possession of methamphet- amine. • Jose Molina-Hernandez, born Aug. 15, 1979, 5-5, 160 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Charges: Assault IV. POLICE REPORT Information for the police re- port comes from law enforce- ment agencies. Not all calls for service are included. The status of incidents repor ted may change after further investiga- tion. Individuals arrested or sus- pected of crimes are considered innocent until proven guilty. — DALLAS Arrests/Citations • Nicholas M. Roe, 25, of Dal- las in the 200 block of Southeast LaCreole Drive on March 2 on charges of unlawful possession of less than four ounces of mar- ijuana and physical harassment. • Steven J. Ridenour, 19, of Salem in the 400 block of Southwest Ash Street on March 3 on charges of failure to carry or present an operator’s license and a violation of license re- strictions. • Michael J. Adams, 56, of Salem in the 200 block of East Ellendale Avenue on March 4 on a parole violation. • Sabrina D. Eldridge, 34, of Dallas at Walmart, 321 NE Kings Valley Highway, on March 4 on a charge of third-degree theft. • Nicholas R. Greenwood, 31, of Dallas on Southwest Donald Street on Friday on charges of failure to carry or present an operator’s license, a violation of license restrictions and driving uninsured. • Scott R. Mertens, 48, of Dal- las in the 300 block of South- west Donald Street on Friday on charges of second-degree criminal mischief, physical ha- rassment and second-degree disorderly conduct. • Carl J. Luthe, 41, of Dallas on Southwest Levens Street on Friday on a Florence Municipal Court warrant. INDEPENDENCE Arrests/Citations • Monica Lisa Villa, 45, of In- dependence in the 900 block of Morning Glory Drive on Thursday for felony fourth-de- gree simple assault. MONMOUTH Arrests/Citations • Antonio Ranjel Guijosa, 21 of Monmouth in the 100 block of Edwards Road South on March 1 for misdemeanor fourth-degree simple assault. • Abraham Vela, 30, of Mon- mouth in the 300 block of Gen- tle Avenue East on March 3 for unlawful possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and a parole violation. • Robert Lee Logan, 47, of Monmouth at Volunteer Hall, 144 Warren St. S., on March 4 for second-degree disorderly conduct, second-degree crimi- nal mischief and probation vio- lation. • Eric Merrell, 36, of Mon- mouth in the 400 block of Hef- fley Street South on Thursday for endangering the welfare of a minor and furnishing, provid- ing a place or giving liquor to a minor or intoxicated person. • Rachel Carpenter, 34, of Salem in the 300 block of Mon- mouth Avenue North on Thurs- day for second-degree official misconduct and knowingly ob- taining or using personal infor- mation from Department of Motor Vehicle records. • Israel Vargas, 27, of Mon- mouth in the 200 block of Clay Street East on Saturday for vio- lating a restraining order and physical harassment. • Karina Parra, 21, of Inde- pendence in the 400 block of Clay Street East on Sunday for aggravated harassment, assault of a police officer, resisting ar- rest and second-degree disor- derly conduct. Solution on Page 6A Superintendent: Johnstone starts with district on July 1 Continued from Page 1A Blanchard said when he called Johnstone Sunday night to extend the offer, she didn’t hesitate to accept. “She said she wants to come to a district like this,” he said. “She is very excited about coming to this dis- trict.” Pending the outcome of contract negotiations, John- stone, 51, will be paid $125,000 in salary. A final contract will be approved at a future Dallas School Board meeting. Dennis Engle, who has been serving as interim su- perintendent, will resume his role as assistant superin- tendent once Johnstone joins the district. In the meantime, Blan- chard said Engle and John- stone will be working togeth- er to assure a smooth transi- tion between now and July 1. “We need to ensure that students leave our educa- tional system ready to achieve their goals and are contributing members of our society,” Johnstone said in a statement following the an- nouncement. “Becoming the Dallas superintendent is an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the district’s children. I look for- ward to becoming a part of this wonderful community.” Order Photos From Home. Delivered To Your Door! Visit our online galleries at polkio.com or go to http://polkio.zenfolio.com. Photos, coffee mugs, mousepads, tote bags, buttons and t-shirts of your favorite photos. 147 SE Court St, Dallas • 503-623-2373