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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2015)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 14, 2015 15A Student may be charged in threat against Central High Post about threat ‘went viral’ on Oct. 6, prompting warning Ite mizer-Observer staff report INDEPENDENCE — A Central High student has been referred on a charge of disorderly conduct after making a threat of violence against another student at the school. Independence Police Chief Bob Mason said it was against a particular student, b u t “w a s made in a general manner that re- f e r re d t o Brazeau anyone present.” Central School District of- ficials and Independence police learned of the threat on the evening of Oct. 6 and sent a message to parents that night informing them of the threat. The threat, posted to Face- book and Twitter by someone other than the suspect, went viral on Oct. 6. Within min- utes, several calls were made to police and to district offi- cials, spurring an immediate police investigation. “Through that investiga- tion, we were able to deter- mine, with a reasonable level of certainty, the source of the rumor. A plan was de- veloped to address the per- ceived threat while opening school as usual on Wednes- day,” Superintendent Buzz Brazeau said in a statement posted on Central’s website following the incident. While Wednesday was business as usual at Central, there was an increased po- lice presence on campus. Independence Police Chief Bob Mason said the suspect originally made the threat to another student more than a week before it was posted. Rumors spread about the threat throughout the school in the subsequent days before it was posted, Mason said. On Oct. 6, the text of a Facebook group chat about the threat was posted to Twitter and spread through- out the community, he added. “The student that made the original threat had noth- ing to do with the message going viral,” Mason said. “There was no direct threat posted in any form, but rather, a message from unre- lated people talking about the threat.” Mason declined to com- ment further on the suspect, fearing revealing details would identify the student. No arrest was made fol- lowing the incident, but the suspect has been referred to Polk County Juvenile De- partment on first-degree disorderly conduct, he said. Vet group begins meetings POLICE REPORT Information for the police report comes from law en- forcement agencies. Not all calls for service are included. The status of incidents report- ed may change after further investigation. Individuals ar- rested or suspected of crimes are considered innocent until proven guilty. — DALLAS Arrests/Citations • Christopher G. Wilson, 23, of Portland, in the 400 block of East Ellendale on Thursday on charges of felony fourth-de- gree assault, felony strangula- MONMOUTH Arrests/Citations tion, second-degree criminal mischief, harassment, and reckless endangering. INDEPENDENCE Arrests/Citations • Juan Sullivan Martin, 40, of Keizer, in the 1400 block of South Seventh Street on Sept. 28 for irst-degree theft. Mar- tin also was charged with irst- degree burglary in the 200 block of C Street on Sept. 27. • Vega David Loeza, 27, of Newberg, in the 500 block of Main Street on Sept. 28 for driv- ing under the inluence of intox- icants and reckless endangering. • Zachery Ryan Cochrane, 35, of Corvallis, at the corner of Paciic Highway South and Main Street East on Sept. 26, for driving while suspended and felony driving under the inluence of intoxicants. • Pedro Nava Trujillo, 33, of Monmouth, at the corner of Monmouth-Independence Highway and Boyd Lane on Sept. 29 for driving under the inluence of intoxicants, reck- less driving, two counts of reckless endangering, and giv- ing false information. Police defuse two incidents Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — Dallas police responded to a pair of calls on Thursday evening. At 8:16 p.m., Dallas officers re- sponded to a report of an intoxicated and suicidal male in the 300 block of Southeast LaCreole Drive. The male reportedly fired one round from a Taurus Judge pistol into the air in an attempt to have officers kill him before police ar- rived. Officers talked to the man, who surrendered. No physical force was needed. Police seized the pistol and the male was cited for un- lawful use of a weapon be- fore he was released to an appropriate medical care facility. While officers were work- ing on the LaCreole call, au- thorities received an unre- lated call of a potentially armed person reportedly making threats to kill family members in the Dallas area. Authorities found the in- dividual, determined his threats were not credible, and did not rise to the level of a criminal act. The indi- vidual was not armed. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Po- lice assisted Dallas Police with handling the calls. “We are very thankful for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Po- lice response to these calls,” Lt. Jerry Mott said. “We had exhausted our quickly avail- able resources with these calls including both the chief and I responding from home and another officer who happened to be at the station who responded to the call.” Polk County Battle Buddies will have monthly gatherings By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Veterans help- ing veterans. That’s what the organizers of the new Polk County Battle Buddies veterans’ support group hope will happen after it begins meeting this month. Battle Buddies will hold its first monthly gathering Monday at 6 p.m. at West Valley Hospital, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. A partnership between the local chapters of Veter- ans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, the group will be modeled after one of the same name in Salem. Co-organizer Wayne Crow- der said he’s heard that there could be as many as 8,000 veterans living in Polk Coun- ty. Many could benefit from a A helping hand What: Polk County Battle Buddies Where: West Valley Hospital’s conference room, 525 SE Washington St. When: Third Monday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m. For more informa- tion: Beth Lillibridge, 503-480-6254 or Mary Smith, 503-580-8001. group like this, he said. Crowder, formerly with Serving Our Veterans At Home (SOVAH), said the idea is to give veterans a safe place to talk about their lives and struggles with others who understand their situa- tion. A meal will be provided during the first hour to allow veterans to get to know each other. “We want to have a meal that they can share,” Crow- der said. “There’s nothing easier for a conversation to start than a plate of food.” The second hour is dedi- cated to group discussion. “They can just talk about their daily lives,” Crowder said. He added co-organizers Beth Lillibridge and Mary Smith are doing the behind- the-scenes work to get the group off the ground. Crowder said after the first few months organizers may decide to meet more often than once a month. It depends on what those who attend would like to see. “The need is definitely there,” Crowder said. Planning a Holiday Bazaar? We can help! The Itemizer-Observer will be publishing a comprehensive list of all the holiday bazaars and art & crafts sales in Polk County on Wednesday, October 28th. This feature will be designed for our readers to keep throughout the holiday season. We will publish the information for your event at no charge. If you wish to have your bazaar published any other time during the holiday season you must purchase an advertisement. Deadline to submit your event information is Friday, October 16th. So hurry and get your bazaar information to our office today! Event organizers who want more exposure than will be provided in the October 28th issue are encouraged to call one of our advertising representatives at 503-623-2373. Westling Ost Payne Trujillo Anderson Corrections posts ‘most wanted’ DALLAS — Polk Coun- ty Community Corrections lists these individuals as “most wanted” for October. Citizens with information on the whereabouts of any of them can call Communi- ty Corrections at 503-623- 5226. • Kerry A. Westling, born Oct. 23, 1982, 5-2, 135 pounds, blonde hair, brown eyes. Charges: Possession of methamphetamines, sec- ond-degree theft. • Ryan Patrick Ost, born March 12, 1994, 5-4, 140 pounds, black hair, green eyes. Charges: Possession of heroin. • Rebecca Payne, born May 6, 1991, 5-4, 200 pounds; brown hair, hazel eyes. Charges: Identity theft, hindering prosecution. • Guadalupe Trujillo, born Dec. 11, 1987, 5-10, 200 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Charges: Third- degree assault. • Robert James Anderson, born Nov. 6, 1994, 5-11, 185 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. Charges: Possession of methamphetamine, unlaw- ful possession of a firearm and first-degree failure to appear. IMAGINE OUR Communities without our LOCAL NEWSPAPER! Thank the businesses who advertise in the Itemizer- Observer. Without them... Contact: Dawn Ohren 503-623-2373 or e-mail: dohren@polkio.com Itemizer-Observer 147 SE Court St., Dallas Interested in advertising? Call 503-623-2373
