A8 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2022
LOCAL
Continued from previous page
Periods of
normal behavior
Between the frequent epi-
sodes when Raleigh’s behav-
ior confused and frightened
her, Koplein said he could act
like a normal, loving son and
father to his four children.
She said Raleigh’s two old-
est sons are both adults.
He and his wife, who sep-
arated but never divorced,
have a daughter who is 18,
and he has another daughter,
by a different mother, who
is 7.
Koplein said that although
Raleigh was not always able
to pay all the child support
her owed, she said he had,
not long before he died,
started chipping away at his
obligations. After he died she
found among his possessions
two receipts for money or-
ders, dated April 8, 2021, one
for $300 and one for $500,
that were made out to two
Carla Koplein/Contributed Photo
of the women with which he
Raleigh Rust, about 2012, getting ready to cook dinner at his mother
had children.
Carla Koplein’s home in Baker City. He had finished a rehabilitation
“Does this tell me that Ra-
program in Pendleton and was “hopeful and happy,” his mom said.
leigh was trying to get right
with the world and live a
good life, or does it tell me he
whether to compel someone
ging his shoulders with his
was going to get right with
to be confined at the Oregon
hands out to his sides, look-
the world and kill himself?”
State Hospital.
ing up at the camera, halfway
Koplein said. “I truly think
The judge must conclude,
through the video at the stor-
that Raleigh was consciously
at the time of a court hear-
age sheds,” Koplein said. “It
trying to do the right thing
ing, that the person is either
looked like he mouthed the
and wanted to live a good
an imminent danger to him-
word ‘mom.’ You know, like
life.”
self or herself, or to others,
what happened? What am I
He was a musician who
Lind said.
supposed to do? Or what did
played in a rock band when
She said it’s very com-
I do wrong?”
he was younger and particu-
mon, in her experience, for
larly enjoyed piano and key-
relatives to believe a person
Police perspective
boards.
should be civilly commit-
In 2020 he sent her a re-
Baker City Police Chief
ted even though the person’s
cording he had made.
Ty Duby, and Officer Rand
actions don’t meet that le-
Weaver — Weaver is one of
gal requirement involving
“Hi, mom,” Raleigh said. “I
the two officers who saw Ra-
a danger to himself or to
just wanted to send you a re-
leigh just before he ended up
others.
cording because I know I’m a
the river — both said police
Lind also said that coun-
jerk on the phone, and I love
officers are limited in what
selors and others who work
you and thank you so much
they can do with people like
with mentally ill people are
for all you do. I just wanted
Raleigh who struggle with
occasionally frustrated by
to play the piano for you.”
mental health problems.
Oregon’s civil commitment
Raleigh played for a couple
“Our hands are pretty
law, because they believe
minutes, including a passage
much tied,” Duby said.
that people who could ben-
from Beethoven’s “Für Elise.”
Weaver said he and other
efit greatly from mandatory
“Sorry, I’m a little frazzled
officers can detain a person,
treatment don’t have that
after our phone call,” Raleigh
and bring them to the hos-
chance because they aren’t
said in concluding the record-
pital, on what’s known as a
civilly committed.
ing. “Not my best pianoing,
“mental health hold” or “po-
Shari Selander, New Di-
but I’ll be recording some
lice officers hold,” but gen-
rections CEO, said the orga-
things for you.”
erally only in cases when the
nization always encourages
Police were called to Ko-
officer believes the person
people to seek treatment, but
plein’s home on Dec. 1, 2020,
is a danger to himself or to
she noted that except in civil
Jan. 30, 2021, and Jan. 31,
others.
commitments, such treat-
2021.
That’s what happened with
ment isn’t compulsory.
In the December incident,
Raleigh when he was jump-
Koplein said, “Raleigh was
ing in the Powder River near
clearly very psychotic that
Restraining order
D Street in August 2020.
morning, talking to people
The Oregon Adminis-
who were not there, halluci-
On March 1, 2021, Ko-
trative Rule that deals with
nating.”
plein, having been unsuc-
mental health holds — OAR
Baker City Police arrested
cessful at having Raleigh
309-033-0230 — states that
Raleigh on Feb. 6, 2021, for
civilly committed, took out a
a police officer can detain a
first-degree burglary and
restraining order on her son.
person when the officer “has
second-degree criminal mis-
When a sheriff’s deputy
probable cause to believe that
chief. Police found him in-
gave Raleigh the order, at
the person is dangerous to
side an empty home that was
Koplein’s home, he told the
self or others, and is in need
for sale, near his mother’s
deputy that his name was
of immediate care, custody
home. The charges were still
Trinity and that he owned
or treatment for a mental ill-
pending when Raleigh went
the home. When the deputy
ness.”
missing on May 14.
asked Raleigh whether he
Weaver said he sometimes
On Feb. 11, 2021, Koplein
understood the document,
asks people if they are sui-
and her brother filed to have
Raleigh said he did because
cidal.
Raleigh civilly committed for
he was a paralegal.
If a person answers no,
mental health treatment.
The next day, March 2,
and Weaver can’t otherwise
“Every time I called the
2021, police arrested Raleigh
“articulate the danger,” that
police to the house, because
after he kicked open the
the person poses to himself
Raleigh was out of control,
front door of Koplein’s home
or to others, then there is no
and we felt threatened, I was
and then the door leading to
legal authority for the officer
told by police that there is
her bedroom, where she had
to detain the person, he said.
nothing they can do because
sheltered out of fear.
Weaver said he had spo-
it is not against
She said he
ken with Raleigh several
the law to be
didn’t harm her,
Weaver said
times before the night of
crazy, and that
although he
May 13, 2021, when he is-
I should file a
threw a dish-
that although “it cloth at her.
sued Raleigh the citation for
restraining or-
trespassing at the motel.
der,” Koplein
was apparent He was yelling
Weaver said that although
said.
“where’s my
he mental
“it was apparent he had men-
cat?” repeatedly.
Eight days
tal issues,” Raleigh never
Koplein
later, on Feb.
issues,” Raleigh called
said directly, or gave the im-
911.
19, 2021, Ra-
pression, that he intended to
“It hurts to
leigh volun-
never said
harm himself or anyone else.
watch your
tarily checked
directly, or gave child, who you
Weaver said he called of-
into the psy-
chiatric hospi-
the impression, know loves you ficials from New Directions
Northwest, the county’s men-
very much, to
tal in Idaho.
tal health provider, to talk
Koplein said that he intended act so crazy,”
her civil com-
with Raleigh on some occa-
she said. “It is
to harm himself shocking.”
mitment re-
sions.
quest was de-
But Weaver noted that
Raleigh spent
or anyone else.
nied by a New
Raleigh, and others, can’t be
a little more
Directions
compelled to talk with coun-
than a month
Northwest employee later
selors.
in the Baker County Jail. He
in February 2021. The em-
Both Weaver and Duby
was released April 7, 2021.
ployee wrote in a court doc-
said it is frustrating to re-
Raleigh was arrested again
ument, which Circuit Court
spond to multiple calls from
on April 14, 2021, for vio-
Judge Matt Shirtcliff signed
the public about a person
lating the restraining order.
on Feb. 25, 2021, that Raleigh
such as Raleigh and not be
He was taken to the Baker
“does have a mental disorder
able to get any help for the
County Jail, where he re-
but that he is not dangerous
person.
mained until April 29.
to himself or others, and that
But they noted that act-
He was arrested on May 6
he is able to provide for his
ing strangely, including
for probation violation, and
basic needs. Furthermore,
talking to yourself or gestic-
released on May 10.
he has reported a willingness
ulating, as Koplein said Ra-
Koplein has a video show-
to participate in outpatient
leigh sometimes did, is not
ing Raleigh on May 12,
treatment services for mental
only insufficient reason for
two days before he died,
health and substance abuse.”
a mental health hold, but it’s
at the storage unit she had
But that treatment never
also not illegal.
rented for him. He is on the
happened, Koplein said.
Weaver said the initial 911
video for 22 minutes, from
Marji Lind, clinical direc-
call early on the morning of
4:26 p.m. to 4:48 p.m.
tor at New Directions, said
May 14, 2021, was about a
“He looks very confused,”
that although she can’t com-
person, possibly a female or
Koplein said. “He is talking
ment specifically about Ra-
juvenile, who was wailing.
to the security camera.”
leigh or anyone else, the civil
Weaver said he had no
On the video Raleigh dis-
commitment process has a
reason to think Raleigh was
plays what looks to Koplein
“very high threshold” to con-
involved.
like a “fist bump” gesture.
vince a circuit court judge,
However, while checking
“He appeared to be so con-
who ultimately decides
on the 911 call, and driving
fused at one point, shrug-
in the alley between First and
Main streets downtown, he
saw Raleigh running by.
Weaver said Powell had
also seen Raleigh running
through the Chevron park-
ing lot, heading east toward
the river.
In a recording of police
conversations during the in-
cident, Powell says he saw
Raleigh Rust, although he
also refers to him as a juve-
nile.
Weaver said he left the al-
ley at Auburn Avenue, and
turned east, driving toward
Resort Street.
Weaver said he had no
reason to connect Raleigh to
the 911 call, and that neither
he nor Powell was chasing
Raleigh.
“There was no reason to
stop or detain Raleigh, un-
less he wanted to talk to us,”
Weaver said. “The last we
saw he was running down
the street.”
Duby said he understands
that Koplein blames Weaver
and Powell for failing to fol-
low up, to make a more con-
certed effort to talk with Ra-
leigh and make sure he was
not in danger.
“We explained to her that
there’s not a lot we can do (in
the circumstances of May 14,
2021),” Duby said. “We wish
there was.”
The police officers and
Koplein agree on one point
— that Raleigh ought not
have been out on the streets
in the middle of the night.
But Koplein has a decid-
edly different opinion about
the obligation police offi-
cers had in those few min-
utes between when Raleigh
passed in front of the secu-
rity camera at the Chevron
station, and when he was
in the river — particularly
because Raleigh, who was
homeless, didn’t have any
place to go.
Koplein thinks the officers
were negligent, and that they
might have seen Raleigh, or
at least have found his phone
beside the Parkway, had they
walked the stretch of path
between Bridge Street and
Auburn Avenue.
“They didn’t ask Raleigh if
he was OK,” she said. “How
would you feel about being
chased around town for sev-
eral blocks without a drop of
water to quench your dried
lips and parched throat?
Maybe he would be so very
tired while attempting to
bend over the edge of the
river bank to quench your
thirst, that he lost his bal-
ance and fell in. He was bone
tired while he was running.
You can see that in the video.
Maybe he threw himself
down in the nearest grassy
spot, and rolled over the edge
accidentally.”
Yet even as she ponders
these unknowable scenes,
Koplein’s thoughts return to
the two stacked cellphones.
That doesn’t support the
theory of Raleigh flopping
down and falling down the
riverbank.
Duby said Baker City Po-
lice investigated after Ra-
leigh’s body was found on
June 1, 2021.
“There was nothing to in-
dicate foul play,” Duby said.
Lingering questions
Koplein has copies of sev-
eral incident reports, most
written by Baker City Police
Detective Shannon Regan.
Some dated to late May 2021,
while Raleigh was still miss-
ing, and others in early June
2021, just after his body was
found.
In one report, written
by Officer Mark Powell on
June 6, 2021, he writes that
sometime the previous night
someone had left a note on
the front window of a police
car while it was parked on
the north side of the police
department. The note listed
a name, claiming the person
was responsible for selling
heroin and meth in Baker
City and “he also did in Ra-
leigh Rust.”
The next day, June 7,
2021, Regan wrote a report
that video camera footage
showed that a male left the
note. The report includes the
name of a person who might
have placed the note.
In a June 16, 2021, report,
Regan wrote that she and
Detective Chris Sells talked
to the male on June 10, and
he admitted he had left the
letter on the police car.
He told the detectives he
“had no factual knowledge
or basis for saying someone
had caused Raleigh’s death.”
The man said he was mad at
the person whose name he
wrote on the note, implicat-
ing that person in Raleigh’s
death.
Still, Koplein wonders
whether the man the detec-
tives interviewed actually did
have legitimate information
about a possible suspect in
Raleigh’s death.
Later, Koplein exchanged
a series of online messages
with the man who left the
note on the police car.
Although the man told
Koplein he didn’t have any
specific information, he
wrote that he had heard
“about some deal I think
went bad with your son” and
the man whose name was on
the note left on the police car.
Too many cracks
to fall through
Koplein has a three-ring
binder crammed with re-
cords.
Police reports.
Timelines of Raleigh’s
movements, actions, arrests.
She also has dozens of
photos.
Raleigh as a little boy.
Raleigh playing in a rock
band.
Raleigh pushing a kid in a
swing at the park.
And she still has his
phone.
But she also has questions
— questions she fears won’t
ever be answered.
And regrets.
She wonders whether she
could have done something
different, whether anyone
could have, to prevent her
son from ending up in the
swollen Powder River on that
chilly May morning.
Ultimately, Koplein
laments that Raleigh died
before he could conquer the
mental health and drug use
issues that had plagued him
for so long.
“Every crack you can
think of, he went through
it,” she said. “I knew he was
going to die if he wasn’t de-
tained in some manner. Of
course I didn’t want to see
him locked up, but I felt
that he would have a chance
to get the counseling, and
proper medication, and to
be observed by professionals
who could help him men-
tally, and maybe even spir-
itually.
“The system fails.”
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