Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 17, 2017 5A
Budget: Passed Ax: Incident started with a fight
by a 16-2 vote
Continued from Page 1A
“ We c o u l d h a ve p u t
$25,000 (in revenue) and
$25,000 (in expenses), but
realistically we wanted to
get it started with $10,000
and go from there,” Foggin
said. “If we find there is a lot
of activity and it’s costing
more, that budget number
can be adjusted.”
Lawson said she isn’t
comfortable with a posi-
tion at 25 hours per week
for $30,000.
“I don’t see justification
for a position at a rate
that’s almost double what
we pay our EMTs,” she
said. “I would be much
more inclined that we
have that $20,000 in cost
at about a 15-hour week,
16-hour week position,
until they prove that they
would be able to come up
with that many more ideas
that would justify more
revenue, more expendi-
tures.”
Part-time EMT’s work-
ing for the city will be paid
$10.25 per hour in 2017-
18.
She proposed a motion
to amend the budget to re-
duce the funding for the
rec position to $20,000.
Councilor and budget
committee member Micky
Garus said the city should
focus on other priorities –
such as public safety and
infrastructure.
He also pointed out that
a volunteer group has
begun to pick up organiz-
ing recreational activities in
Dallas.
Those who supported
adding the position said it
provided opportunity to
expand recreation oppor-
tunities for citizens and
helped organizations and
volunteer groups create
more programs.
“My understanding is
that the rec coordinator
position is not going to
take away from anyone
who’s volunteering. Those
groups are going to do
their best … and we need
to support them,” said Jen-
nie Rummell, the coun-
cilor and budget commit-
tee member who proposed
the position be added to
the budget at the first
budget meeting.
She said the group
Garus referred to is new
and will only serve adults,
and that the rec position
could help it grow and
serve as a liaison between
the city and the county
and school district.
The motion to decrease
funding failed, with Law-
son, Garus and Councilor
and committee member
Terry Crawford voting in
favor of the motion.
Fo l l ow i n g t h a t v o t e,
Crawford asked for more
information regarding how
part-time EMT pay is de-
termined.
“How are those salaries
established?” he asked.
“Are they established in re-
lation to what other cities
pay for those positions? Is
there any way to come up
with some contingency
money to equalize those
things?”
Foggin said each de-
partment is asked for a
budget recommendation
for personnel needs,
which include raises, pro-
motions and moving part-
time positions to full-
time.
Chief Fred Hertel, the
Dallas Fire & EMS admin-
istrator didn’t ask for more
money for EMTs, he said.
Hertel, who was in the
room, nodded in agree-
ment.
“I will tell you that it is
somewhat problematic for
us, in the way that we are
structured,” Foggin said.
“We have a straight-up
EMS department. Our peo-
ple are not cross-trained.
EMTs, paramedics don’t
r u n f i re s e r v i c e. T h a t
makes it extremely difficult
for us to compare to a lot
of other organizations.”
The budget, with the
recreation coordinator in-
cluded, passed 16-2 with
Garus and Lawson voting
no.
In other business, the
committee approved the
Dallas Urban Renewal Dis-
trict budget.
Continued from Page 1A
The confrontation be-
come physical when the
man threw a punch at Old-
ham, grazing him.
Oldham tried to punch
back, but the ex-roommate
told police the victim threw
a plastic chair at Oldham
and ran from the house.
Oldham chased him in
his truck. The ex-roommate
told police he tried to stop
him.
“He told me he had at-
tempted to get Tyler to stop
and told him not to do any-
thing stupid, but he would-
n’t listen,” the affidavit stat-
ed.
The male victim told po-
lice as he was walking west
on East Ellendale away
from the house, he heard
an engine revving behind
him.
He was at the stop light
and turned around in time
to see Oldham’s truck driv-
ing at him, according to po-
lice.
“He jumped out of the
way at the last second and
was still able to feel the
passenger side mirror fly
past his ear,” the affidavit
reported.
The victim told police
Oldham had jumped the
curb on the north side of
the street in an attempt to
run him over, the report
said.
The victim stopped walk-
ing because he was close to
Oldham’s home in the 700
block of East Ellendale Av-
enue and waited for his
girlfriend, who was on her
way to meet him, to arrive,
according to police.
The girlfriend was walk-
ing east on Ellendale when
she too was confronted by
Oldham. She said she had
just seen Oldham attempt
to run over her boyfriend
before he pulled into his
driveway. She was ap-
proaching the sidewalk in
front of the driveway.
“She told me Tyler got
out of his truck and ap-
proached her with an ax in
his hand,” the report read.
“Tyler asked her, ‘Where is
he?’ to which she replied,
‘Where is who?’”
The report said Oldham
lifted he ax and swung it at
her. She jumped out of the
way and the ax hit a tree.
“The ax getting stuck
made Tyler mad, and she
used the opportunity to run
away,” the report said.
Upon investigation, po-
lice found the ax head, but
did not find Oldham at his
house the night of the inci-
dent.
Officers encountered the
two victims when they re-
turned to their patrol cars
after talking Oldham’s
brother.
The next day the female
victim told police she be-
lieved Oldham was sending
her threatening messages
on Facebook. She said the
messages said he was going
to slice her throat, kill her
and rape her. Later she re-
ceived a phone call from
and unknown number say-
ing, “Enjoy laying on the
couch and watching TV
while you can.” She had
been watching TV on her
couch at the time.
The next day, Dallas po-
lice found Oldham at his
home and asked him about
the incidents on May 9 and
the threatening Facebook
messages and phone call to
the female victim.
Oldham told police he
was defending his friend
and didn’t throw the ax at
the woman, but “swung it
purposefully into a tree to
scare her and to make sure
she knew he was serious.”
He told police his Face-
book account had been
hacked, according to the
report.
Police arrested Oldham
without incident and taken
to the Polk County Jail,
where he is held on
$117,500 bail.
POINT investigation results in arrests
Itemizer-Observer staff report
POLK COUNTY — Start-
ing in the month of March,
the Polk Interagency Nar-
cotics Team began an inves-
tigation which lasted more
than a month involving the
trafficking of heroin in the
Polk and Marion county
areas by Samantha Gaines,
Levi McCleskey and others.
With the assistance of the
Salem Police Street Crimes
Unit, on April 21, McCleskey
Visit our
website,
was taken
into cus-
t o d y. A t
the time
McCleskey
was found
to be in
possession
of 22.5
Gaines
grams of
heroin, danabol steroids,
and a significant amount of
cash and gold.
A search warrant was ex-
ecuted at McCleskey’s resi-
dence and a storage unit
held by Gaines, where more
contraband was located.
The Polk County Sheriff’s
Office asked for help finding
Gaines on Friday morning .
Police said she could have
been carrying a firearm and
should be considered dan-
gerous.
Gaines was arrested
booked into the jail on Fri-
day on three counts of deliv-
ery of heroin and two counts
of possession of heroin.
She’s also charged with
possession of methamphet-
amine in a separate case.
Marion County asked for
a hold on her on a charge of
delivery of heroin.
Bail was set at $715,000.
An arraignment took place
on Monday in Polk County
Circuit Court with another
court appearance scheduled
for Thursday at 1:14 p.m.
Solution on Page 6A
www.polkio.com
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their Work
Session Meeting on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 be-
ginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas,
Oregon. The Regular Meeting will be held on
Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at 204 SW
Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. An Executive Session
pursuant to ORS 192.660 will be held immedi-
ately following the Regular Meeting, if required.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Housing
Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The loca-
tion for the meeting is handicapped accessible.
Please advise the West Valley Housing Authority
if you need any special accommodations to at-
tend the meeting. For information, please call
503-623-8387, TDD 1-800-735-2900.
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