A4 The BulleTin • Thursday, June 17, 2021
Trials: Littlewing runners have been training at Bend’s COCC campus for the past year
Continued from A1
“I don’t have to run for any-
body but myself. So, it’s really
just for me, and I really, truly
have nothing to lose in this op-
portunity.”
Other Bend runners in the
trials — all members of the Lit-
tlewing Athletics team in Bend
— include Rebecca Mehra
(1,500 and 800 meters), Sadi
Henderson (800) and Angel
Piccirillo (800).
Lawrence grew up in Reno,
Nevada, and ran for the Uni-
versity of Washington before
moving to Bend in 2013. She
said she is getting close to the
end of her running career
and this will likely be her last
Olympic trials.
In her first Olympic trials,
in Eugene in 2016, Lawrence
reached the final and finished
eighth. (The top three compet-
itors in the finals of each event
qualify for the U.S. Olympic
team.) The Tokyo Games are
set for July 23 through Aug. 8.
Lawrence had already
achieved an Olympic trials
qualifying time before the 2020
trials were postponed to this
year. USA Track & Field is hon-
oring those times, but Lawrence
still ran a personal best of 9
minutes, 27.34 seconds in the
steeplechase at a Portland Track
Festival event at the end of May.
That is the fifth-best time
among women entered in the
steeplechase at the trials, with
the first round set for Sunday
night and the finals scheduled
for June 24. (In the steeple-
chase, runners must clear four
barriers and one water jump
per lap, for a total of 28 barriers
and seven water jumps.)
“My first goal is to just get
through safely to the finals,”
Lawrence said. “I think the
steeple is tougher than it’s ever
been, so I think just making
it to the finals is going to be a
challenge. But of course my
A, A-plus goal is to qualify for
the team, but kind of just baby
steps. Like, OK, just make it
to the final, and then you can
think about the next goal.”
Lawrence said the pause in
competition last year due to
the COVID-19 pandemic was
mostly a positive for her. She
tweaked a hamstring in a 5-ki-
lometer road race in late sum-
mer, and decided to take two
months off from training in
September and October. That
allowed for some healing of
both her body and mind.
“I didn’t exercise, because I
couldn’t, and I just let my body
heal,” Lawrence recalled. “I
think mentally for me it was
really, really good, because I
kind of had these thoughts last
year of like, what are we doing?
Why are we training this hard?
It was just hard to navigate,
and so I think it ended up be-
ing better for me.”
This year, Lawrence has
been able to travel to meets
with her teammates, going to
races in Portland, Los Angeles
and Iowa.
The Littlewing runners —
coached by Bend’s Lauren
Fleshman, a two-time national
champion in the 5,000 meters
— have been training together
at the Central Oregon Commu-
nity College track for much of
the past year. The entire team is
fully vaccinated for COVID-19,
according to Lawrence.
“Our group is so unique,”
Lawrence said. “And Lauren is
an amazing coach. She’s been
in our shoes, and she’s been
through the process, where
she’s tried to make Olympic
Lawsuit
Polygraphs
Continued from A1
Continued from A1
He recently received certifi-
cation as a physician’s assistant.
Police opened a case after
Sprague’s former wife made
statements to a mandatory
reporter of abuse. He was
charged by a grand jury Dec.
31 and arrested on an asso-
ciated warrant the following
week.
He posted $10,000 to bail
out of the Deschutes County
jail, an amount he had to bor-
row from friends, according to
court records.
Sprague’s indictment lists
three counts of second-degree
sexual assault, two counts of
first-degree rape, two counts
of endangering the welfare of a
minor and one each of menac-
ing and first-degree unlawful
sexual penetration.
As a result, Sprague was for-
bidden from contacting his
child and forced to wear an
alcohol ankle monitor, which
cost him $400 per month.
In March, Sprague sought
court approval to attend
an employment interview
in Washington, which was
granted.
On April 13, the district at-
torney’s office filed a motion to
drop all charges for insufficient
evidence.
A call to Hastings was not
returned. Sprague’s attorney
declined to discuss the case.
Deschutes County District
Attorney John Hummel called
Sprague’s claim meritless.
“Our job is not to prosecute
every case we review,” Hummel
wrote to The Bulletin. “Our job
is to ensure justice is done in
every case, and we always reas-
sess the evidence throughout
the pendency of cases to ensure
we get it right. This is what we
did in Mr. Sprague’s case.”
And with criminal justice
reform a major topic of the
day, the tests also are em-
ployed regularly by prose-
cutors, despite the inherent
flaws.
In 2013, Bend Police De-
partment purchased its first
polygraph machine, which
it still uses. Across town,
the Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Office keeps its
own machine, a Lafay-
ette-brand LX4000.
Bend Police formerly
employed Detective Pat
Hartley, who is licensed
to perform the tests with
the Oregon Department
of Public Safety Standards
and Training. But last sum-
mer, Hartley transferred
to the sheriff’s office. He
still performs about one to
two polygraph exams per
month on behalf of Bend
Police, about the same as
the sheriff’s office.
“We continue to use
polygraph as needed based
on case development,” said
Lt. Juli McConkey, a Bend
Police spokesperson. “At
this time, we utilize outside
resources to conduct poly-
graphs and will continue to
seek assistance from these
e
Reporter: 541-383-0325,
gandrews@bendbulletin.com
Pick up Thursday’s Bulletin for
weekly event coverage
and calendars
Rebecca Mehra
Mehra, 26, is also excited to
compete in Eugene in her first
Olympic trials. She said the
pandemic was not necessarily
a negative for her training as
she prepares for both the 1,500
and 800. She qualified to race
both events at the trials last
season. Women’s 1,500 prelim-
inaries start Friday at 4 p.m.,
and women’s 800 prelims start
June 24.
“It’s been a hard and weird
year,” said Mehra, who moved
to Bend in 2018 after gradu-
ating from Stanford. “But for
me personally and athletically,
it probably wasn’t a bad thing
that I got another year of devel-
opment, another year of train-
ing, for me to kind of take a
couple of steps forward.”
She said she is glad the track
season this year has been rela-
“We continue to use
polygraph as needed based
on case development. At
this time, we utilize outside
resources to conduct
polygraphs and will
continue to seek assistance
from these resources.”
— Bend Police Lt. Juli McConkey
resources.”
One group that’s tried to
limit polygraph use is the Or-
egon Innocence Project, not-
ing instances when polygraphs
have been used to convict the
wrongly accused.
Often, it’s defense attorneys
who provide polygraph results
to the prosecutors when the
results are seen as benefiting
the defendant. Sometimes, dis-
trict attorneys are unmoved by
those results.
“There are a lot of reasons
why a person might not pass a
polygraph. That’s why they’re
not admissible in court,” said
Shaun McCrea, executive di-
rector of the Oregon Criminal
Defense Attorneys Association.
The field of polygraphy was
established around 100 years
ago. The technology involved
has evolved continuously since
Find it all online bendbulletin.com
State and University of San
Francisco to train with The Lit-
tlewing team.
The native of Corvallis,
Montana, said the pandemic
gave her extra time to train
with her new team in Bend.
She qualified for the Olympic
trials in the 800 by running a
2:01.23 at the Portland Track
Festival in late May.
“I think it’s been a blessing
as far as my athletic develop-
ment goes,” Henderson said. “I
definitely needed some time to
develop into this new training
program, a new environment.
The pandemic gave me a lot of
time to be able to do that.”
Henderson is realistic,
knowing she is a long shot to
make the final in the stacked
800 field, but she cannot wait
to race at Hayward in front of
fans.
“It’s going to be crazy,” she
said. “I can’t imagine what it
will be like in a stadium full of
people.”
Submitted photo
Angel Piccirillo, left, competes at the Portland Track Festival earlier this
year. She moved to Bend 10 months ago to train. “I’m glad we have
kind of our whole track group going,” Piccirillo said. “I’m trying to give
myself a shot.”
tively normal, as she has traveled
to New York and Boston for
meets that included spectators.
“It just made such a differ-
ence, having a crowd,” Mehra
said. “It’s been really fun and
energizing to get to be around
other track athletes again, and
have big opportunities. I feel
very grateful that I’ve had peo-
ple to train with. I know a lot
of people were not in situations
where they had that. But we’ve
been training together this
whole time, which has been
awesome.”
Mehra’s goal is to make the
final in the 1,500.
“I feel like American wom-
en’s distance running is better
than it’s ever been, so it’s re-
ally hard to make the Olympic
team in any event,” Mehra said.
“But I feel like I’m in a really
good place, and fit and healthy,
and all you can do is put your-
self there and give yourself a
shot, and that’s what I’m plan-
ning to do.”
then, said Fairall, head of Blue
Line Polygraphs & Investiga-
tions in Albany, and he still
sees quite a demand for the
technology.
But the relatively demanding
regulatory framework in Or-
egon has kept the field some-
what subdued.
There are around 45 licensed
polygraph examiners in Or-
egon, according to the safety
standards training department.
Fairall estimates around 20 of
those have retired from the law
enforcement field in some ca-
pacity.
Fairall suspects the reason
there are fewer polygraphers in
Oregon than most other states
is Oregon’s more involved li-
censing process.
Many states, like California,
have no licensing system. Cal-
ifornia, and other states, also
still allow polygraph testing in
pre-employment screening, a
common practice that’s essen-
tially illegal in Oregon.
For these reasons, Fairall
thinks people interested in
working in polygraph testing
elect to establish in states other
than Oregon.
“I would guess there’s more
than 1,000 polygraph exam-
iners in California, because
in California all you have to
do is buy a polygraph instru-
ment and call yourself a poly-
graph examiner,” Fairall said.
“I’d say Oregon is among the
most challenging states to get
licensed in.”
In Oregon, one first must
attend an accredited poly-
graph school, of which there
are around 10 in the U.S. A
general polygraph course runs
about three months. Further
training is required to perform
post-conviction sex offender
polygraph testing in Oregon.
Because of the high tuition and
time commitment involved in
training, a candidate is often
sponsored by an employing
Sadi Henderson
Henderson, 25, moved to
Bend in January 2020 fresh off
her collegiate career at Boise
Angel Piccirillo
Piccirillo, 27, just qualified
for the Olympic trials this past
Friday by running a 2:01.51 in
the 800 at a meet in Coates-
ville, Pennsylvania.
Piccirillo grew up near Pitts-
burgh and ran collegiately for
Villanova. She moved to Bend
10 months ago to train with
Littlewing.
“I’m glad we have kind of
our whole track group going,”
Piccirillo said. “I’m trying to
give myself a shot. The 800
is really stacked, just like any
team or event to make in the
United States. But if I could put
my nose in it and make the fi-
nal, that would be incredible.”
e
Reporter: 541-383-0318,
mmorical@bendbulletin.com
law enforcement agency, as was
the case with Hartley and Bend
Police.
Next, the trainee polygra-
pher must complete a 2-year
apprenticeship under a li-
censed polygraph examiner.
After trainees perform at least
200 polygraph tests, they must
pass a written exam adminis-
tered through the safety stan-
dards and training department.
After receiving their license,
Oregon polygraphers must re-
new it every year.
e
Reporter: 541-383-0325,
gandrews@bendbulletin.com
OBITUARY
Arthur Kelly
Conrad, Jr. MD
October 18, 1951 - February 15, 2021
Kelly’s Celebrati on of Life is now to be held
Saturday, October 16, 2021, at noon at Bend Golf Club.
Come join his family please!
OBITUARY
Howard Merlin Winegarden
Donald L Conwell
of La Pine, OR
Joann Shirley Disbrow
of Redmond, OR
Oct 28, 1936 - June 10,
2021
Arrangements:
Baird Memorial Chapel
of La Pine is honored
to serve the Conwell
family. Please visit our
website, www.bairdfh.com,
to share condolences and
sign the online guestbook.
Services:
A Memorial Service will
be held on Saturday, June
19, 2021 at 1:00 pm, at the
Faith Lutheran Church, La
Pine, OR.
Dec 22, 1929 - June 11,
2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals of Red-
mond is honored to serve
the family. 541-504-9485
Memories and condolenc-
es may be expressed to
the family on our website
at www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
A private service will be
held at a later date.
Contributions may be
made to:
Partners In Care hospice,
2075 NE Wyatt Ct., Bend,
OR 97701
Fred “Eric” Boutchyard
of Redmond, OR
Central Oregon’s
source for events, arts
& entertainment
teams and World teams. She
knows what it feels like. She
knows how we feel to be stand-
ing on that starting line. It pro-
vides a really unique perspec-
tive for her coaching us.”
Most meets that Lawrence
has raced in this past year have
had few if any fans. So, she is
thrilled about the prospect of
racing in track-crazy Eugene,
where Hayward Field is limit-
ing capacity to about 9,000 fans
in the 12,650-seat stadium.
“People in Eugene love track
and field, and that’s something
that doesn’t exist very much
in the U.S.,” Lawrence said.
“Whereas in Europe, people
love track and field and the
meets are big and people get ex-
cited, and there’s beer gardens.
But it’s hard to find a place in
the U.S. outside Eugene that
does that. So I’m glad that we’ll
get that atmosphere and vibe.”
Spet 21, 1971 - June 8,
2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals of Red-
mond is honored to serve
the family. 541-504-9485
Memories and condolenc-
es may be expressed to
the family on our website
at www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
A private service will be
held at a later date.
OBITUARY DEADLINE
Call to ask about our deadlines
541-385-5809
Monday - Friday, 10am - 3pm
No death notices or obituaries
are published Mondays.
Email:
obits@bendbulletin.com
April 12, 1927 - June 11, 2021
Howard Merlin Winegarden, 94, passed away in Bend, OR
on June 11, 2021. He died peacefully at home with family
at his side. Howard is survived by his wife of 71 years,
Beverly Winegarden of Bend, and his brother, Winston
Van Winegarden of Walnut Creek, CA; children: Kathryn
(Lee) Quiring, Constance (Michael) Walters, Debra Van
Winegarden, and William (Lynett e) Winegarden; eight
grandchildren; and fi ve great-grandchildren.
Howard was born in Berkeley, CA on April 12,1927. He
graduated from University of California, Berkeley with
a degree in industrial engineering. He served in the U.S.
Navy during WWII. Howard worked for Owens Illinois
Glass Company for 32 years, reti ring as a vice president. He
will be remembered for his mechanical wizardry, carving perfect turns on Mt. Bachelor,
scrambling up peaks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, ti nkering with cars, and for skill as
a fi sherman in stream and ocean.
The family will gather for a celebrati on of life later this summer at the A-frame cabin
Howard designed and built in the Sierra among old-growth sugar pines, cedars, and fi rs.