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A2 THE BULLETIN • FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022 The Bulletin LOCAL, STATE & REGION How to reach us BEND CIRCULATION Couple with 4,500 fentanyl pills sentenced Didn’t receive your paper? Start or stop subscription? 541-385-5800 PHONE HOURS 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday and holidays GENERAL INFORMATION 541-382-1811 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. ONLINE www.bendbulletin.com EMAIL bulletin@bendbulletin.com BY GARRETT ANDREWS The Bulletin A couple that trafficked fen- tanyl in peanut butter jars will head to prison following sen- tencing this week in Deschutes County Circuit Court. Ryeann Nicole Martin re- ceived an 18-month sentence, while her husband, Luke An- thony Martin, was sentenced to 40 months. Ryeann Martin, 29, pleaded guilty to manufacturing meth- amphetamine, manufacturing fentanyl and aggravated ID theft, for having more than 10 pieces of identification from 10 or more people. Luke Martin, 38, pleaded no contest to the same charges. He received a longer sentence than his wife primarily be- cause he has a more extensive criminal record. When defendants plead “no contest,” they accept re- sponsibility for an offense without specifically admitting guilt. Last month, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team announced the Martins’ arrests following a Feb. 11 raid of their home in the 61000 block of Ferguson Court. Offi- cers used stun grenades to dis- orient the couple, according to the drug enforcement team. As detectives swarmed the home, Luke Martin was hold- ing a grocery bag with an “unusual” number of peanut butter containers, according to Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Police believe the pea- nut butter was used to mask odor and prevent drug dogs and detectives from finding the drugs. In all, police recov- ered 4,500 fentanyl pills in the raid. The arrests were part of a larger investigation of fentanyl trafficking in the Central Ore- gon, Vander Kamp said. Police believe the Martins imported large quantities of fentanyl pills and powder from the Portland area into cCentral Oregon, where they distrib- uted it. Detectives also found stolen mail from around the Bend area. They believe it was part of a fake-check operation run from the couple’s home. █ Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com AFTER HOURS Newsroom ................................541-383-0348 Circulation ................................541-385-5800 NEWSROOM EMAIL Business ........business@bendbulletin.com City Desk .............news@bendbulletin.com Features.................................................................. communitylife@bendbulletin.com Sports ................. sports@bendbulletin.com NEWSROOM FAX 541-385-5804 OUR ADDRESS Street .............. 320 SW Upper Terrace Drive Suite 200 Bend, OR 97702 Mailing ........... P.O. Box 6020 Bend, OR 97708 B ADMINISTRATION Publisher Heidi Wright ..............................541-383-0341 Editor Gerry O’Brien .............................541-633-2166 DEPARTMENT HEADS Advertising Brian Naplachowski .................541-383-0370 Circulation/Operations Maria Johnson ..........................541-617-7830 Finance Wendy Dougherty ...541-383-0324 Human Resources ................541-383-0340 TALK TO AN EDITOR City Julie Johnson ...................541-383-0367 Business, Features, GO! 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Box 6020 Bend, OR 97708 Phone ......................................... 541-617-7829 CORRECTIONS The Bulletin’s primary concern is that all stories are accurate. If you know of an error in a story, call us at 541-383-0367. TO SUBSCRIBE Call us ......................541-385-5800 • Home delivery and E-Edition ..........................$7 per week • By mail .................................$9.50 per week • E-Edition only ...................$4.50 per week To sign up for our e-Editions, visit www.bendbulletin.com to register. TO PLACE AN AD Classified ......................................541-385-5809 Other information ....................541-382-1811 OBITUARIES No death notices or obituaries are published Mondays. When submitting, please include your name, address and contact number. Call to ask about deadlines, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Phone ..........................................541-385-5809 Email .......................obits@bendbulletin.com LEGAL NOTICES Email .....................legals@bendbulletin.com Oregon could do more to reduce risk of violent extremism, audit finds Associated Press SALEM — The breach of the Oregon Capitol in December 2020 and the hours- long standoff with police capped a year of heightened politically-motivated violence, state auditors said in a new report. Auditors said Wednesday the state could do more to prevent these events from hap- pening and improve coordination between levels of government and agencies grap- pling with the threat of extremist acts, the Statesman Journal reported. Oregon ranks 27th among states in pop- ulation, but came in sixth among states for violent extremist attacks between 2011 and 2020, auditors said, citing data from the Cen- ter for Strategic and International Studies. The threats have “become increasingly complex and volatile,” with people using social media and websites to propagate “ex- tremist narratives and activity,” according to the auditor’s report. Oregon state law doesn’t define or criminalize domestic violent extremism. Auditors suggest Oregon consider look- ing to other states that define domestic violent extremism or “terroristic acts” in their laws, which can mean the state can charge offenders if federal standards ar- en’t met. Federal law defines domestic terrorism as “acts dangerous to human life” that are illegal, primarily take place on U.S. soil and Abigail Dollins/Statesman-Journal via AP, file A right-wing protester screams at Salem Police as she attempts to get into the Oregon State Cap- itol during a special session of the Legislature in Salem on Dec. 21, 2020. A newly released audit says the state needs to take action to reduce the risk of violent extremism. appear to intend to influence a government or intimidate people. “Attacks on the Oregon state capitol and the U.S. capitol over the last couple years clearly demonstrated the risk to public safety and the high cost on public resources resulting from domestic terrorism and vi- olent extremism,” Audits Division Director Kip Memmott said. “Our report notes that Oregon is especially at high risk for this type of violence.” The report also suggested the state’s homeland security council come up with a statewide strategy that includes “specific, measurable outcomes” to counter extrem- ist activities, and that the state revise its plan to protect critical infrastructure like hospitals and power plants with the “latest information” on threats of domestic violent extremism. COVID-19 community levels for Central Oregon The Bulletin is no longer publishing COVID-19 daily case counts by county. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitors community levels of COVID-19 to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium or high and are deter- mined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital ad- missions and the to- tal number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. The CDC lists the following levels for Central Oregon: Deschutes County: Low Crook County: Low Jefferson County: Low Precautions the CDC recommends for communities with low levels: Stay up to date on vaccines and get tested if you have symptoms. Oregon to pay $1.3M to home Ex-superintendent created care workers who received toxic workplace, suit alleges late or partial payments ALSEA SCHOOL DISTRICT genitalia and sexual life on “an ALSEA — A lawsuit alleges almost daily basis,” the legal the Alsea School District en- complaint alleges, and regu- abled its former su- larly used sexual in- perintendent to create nuendos and made a hostile work envi- sexually suggestive ronment with gender comments about discrimination, sex- women’s bodies. It ual harassment and was so pervasive that general misogyny. Rice would take a The lawsuit alleges “mental vacation” Marc Thielman, who Thielman whenever Thielman resigned as super- steered a conversation intendent in February after toward sex, the lawsuit said. several complaints were filed The lawsuit alleges district against him, “engaged in sex- officials enabled him by con- ual harassment on a regular, sistently ignoring concerns sustained and ongoing basis” and complaints and retaliated throughout Shanon Rice’s em- against Rice by not renewing ployment with the rural, West- her contract, effectively termi- ern Oregon school district, nating her as of June 30, 2022. the Albany Democrat-Herald Rice is seeking more than reported. $3.7 million from the district Rice, the principal of Alsea for the alleged hostile work Elementary School, filed the environment, sexual harass- lawsuit in Benton County Cir- ment, gender discrimination cuit Court last week. The law- and whistleblower retaliation. suit does not name Thielman Thielman made waves in as a defendant. District offi- January when he announced cials could not be reached for that at his direction, the school comment. board had passed a resolu- Thielman is running for tion to return “local control” Oregon governor as a Repub- to the board and make indoor lican. masking optional during the He would talk about his COVID-19 pandemic. Associated Press BY JAMIE GOLDBERG The Oregonian Oregon will pay a com- bined $1.3 million in late fees to more than 4,000 home care workers who received late or incomplete payments over the last seven months due to glitches in a state soft- ware system. Rebecca Sandoval, vice president of Service Em- ployees International Union Local 503, which represents home care and personal sup- port workers, said the union is aware of more than 8,600 instances over the last seven months where Oregon failed to provide home care work- ers employed by the state with their full paycheck on time. The glitches have impacted 4,366 workers, nearly a sixth of the state’s home care work- ers, who care for seniors with physical disabilities, according to the state. “It’s not acceptable,” San- doval said. “It’s quite negli- gent in terms of servicing a workforce.” Elisa Williams, a spokes- person for Oregon’s Depart- ment of Human Services, said the state is working on a fix that will allow hours to be entered entirely electron- ically. Williams said the state hired an outside vendor to implement the new system in order to meet federal law, which required the state to use an electronic visit veri- fication system to approve hours. In light of the issues with incorrect payments, Williams said the state has hired additional technical staff to help home care work- ers, reached out directly to workers who are experienc- ing problems with the system and provided access to com- puters where workers can en- ter their hours at agency of- fices around the state. The union filed a griev- ance against the state in No- vember. The settlement between the union and Oregon’s De- partment of Human Services requires the state to pay pro- viders who received partial or late payments since Au- gust $150 for each incident when they were incorrectly paid, in addition to the pay they were owed for their time worked. The money will start going out to work- ers in May. The state agency also agreed to pay late fees when home care workers receive late paychecks and partial payments going forward, the union said. The Oregon Home Care Commission has also agreed to investigate any late pay complaints within 30 days, the union said. 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