A2 The BulleTin • Wednesday, april 13, 2022
The
Bulletin
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
how to reach us
PORTLAND
CIRCULATION
didn’t receive your paper?
start or stop subscription?
541-385-5800
Man sentenced to federal
prison for smuggling
marijuana out of state
PHONE HOURS
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
7 a.m.-11 a.m. saturday-sunday
and holidays
GENERAL
INFORMATION
BY MAXINE BERNSTEIN
The Oregonian
541-382-1811
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
ONLINE
www.bendbulletin.com
EMAIL
bulletin@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
Central Oregon Fire information/submitted photo
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! Magazine
Jody lawrence-Turner ............541-383-0308
Editorials richard Coe ...........541-383-0353
News Tim doran .......................541-383-0360
Photos .........................................541-383-0366
Sports Mark Morical ...............541-383-0318
TALK TO A REPORTER
Bend/Deschutes Government
Brenna Visser .............................541-633-2160
Business
suzanne roig ............................541-633-2117
Calendar .....................................541-383-0304
Education
Bryce dole .....................................541-617-7854
Fine Arts/Features
david Jasper .................................541-383-0349
Health
suzanne roig ............................541-633-2117
La Pine ........................................541-383-0367
Public Lands/Environment
Michael Kohn ............................541-617-7818
Public Safety
Garrett andrews ......................541-383-0325
Redmond
Joe siess..........................................541-617-7820
Salem/State Government .. 541-383-0367
Sisters .........................................541-383-0367
Sunriver .....................................541-383-0367
REDMOND BUREAU
Mailing address ..................p.O. 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
OTHER SERVICES
Back issues ..................................541-385-5800
photo reprints ............................541-383-0366
apply for a job ..........................541-383-0340
all Bulletin payments are accepted at the
drop box at City hall or at The Bulletin,
p.O. Box 6020, Bend, Or 97708. Check
payments may be converted to an
electronic funds transfer. The Bulletin,
usps #552-520, is published daily by
Central Oregon Media Group, 320 sW
upper Terrace drive, Bend, Or 97702.
periodicals postage paid at Bend, Or.
postmaster: send address changes to The
Bulletin circulation department, p.O. Box
6020, Bend, Or 97708. The Bulletin retains
ownership and copyright protection of
all staff-prepared news copy, advertising
copy and news or ad illustrations. They
may not be reproduced without explicit
prior approval.
A firefighter works on the Rosland Road Fire northwest of La Pine in July 2020.
Central Oregon to get
$41M in federal funding
for wildfire resiliency
BY MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
Efforts to reduce wildfire
risk and improve forest land-
scapes in Central Oregon will
receive $41.3 million in funds
over the next three years from
President Joe Biden’s biparti-
san infrastructure bill, accord-
ing to a document released
by the U.S. Forest Service on
Tuesday.
The announcement guaran-
tees funding for the thinning
projects to be conducted on
the Deschutes National Forest,
an area bordering several large
population centers, including
Bend, La Pine and Sunriver.
Forest restoration projects in
the area are designed to pro-
tect communities from wild-
fire risk by reducing forest
fuels.
Work will be also be con-
ducted on the Crooked River
Grasslands.
The Forest Service said
Central Oregon will receive
$4.5 million in funding this
year to treat around 5,000
acres of forest and grasslands.
A total of $41.3 million will
go toward work on 50,000
acres through fiscal year 2024.
“Central Oregon is fortu-
nate to receive this funding,
which will support increased
public engagement with our
communities, reduce the po-
tential for catastrophic wild-
fire, make our forests more re-
silient to insects and disease at
a landscape scale, and protect
our critical watershed both for
wildlife and sources of com-
Oregon weekly
coronavirus
cases climb 20%
BY FEDOR ZARKHIN
The Oregonian
Nearly 2,400 Ore-
gonians tested positive
for the coronavirus or
were diagnosed with
COVID-19 over the last
week, 20% more than the
previous week and 70%
more than the week before
that, state data show.
The growing case num-
bers have been expected,
given the highly conta-
gious BA.2 omicron sub-
variant and the lifting of
masking requirements.
Whether or not the in-
crease in cases — in its
second week after nine
weeks of decline — is a
harbinger of another surge
is yet to be seen, though
local experts and officials
have said a major surge is
unlikely.
The percentage of tests
that come back positive
has also increased, from
2.9% April 3 to 4.6% Sun-
day. The higher the test
positivity rate, the more
virus is circulating in the
community.
Multnomah County
accounted for more than
1 in 3 infections identi-
fied statewide in the past
week. The county’s daily
test positivity rate topped
5% three times during that
span.
It’s unclear if the state
has a full picture of the
prevalence of disease in
Oregon, given the Or-
egon Health Authority
does not know how many
of the cases in its tally
originated with widely
available at-home tests.
People aren’t required to
report their results to the
state or local health agen-
cies, though they are able
to online or by calling
866-917-8881.
Asked about rising
cases last week, the Ore-
gon Health Authority ac-
knowledged the increase,
saying it likely has been
driven by the subvari-
ant and changes in peo-
ple’s behavior. A spokes-
man for the agency also
pointed to stable hospital-
ization numbers which,
at 100 occupied beds, re-
main at a level last seen
before the delta surge.
Still, increasing cases usu-
ally precede rising hospi-
talizations.
“It is hard to predict if
cases will continue to rise
or for how long as there
are many factors that
play into cases,” Jonathan
Modie said in an emailed
response to questions.
“OHA will continue to
monitor case counts and
hospitalizations, and re-
port developments in the
pandemic.”
Since it began, Ore-
gon has reported 707,512
confirmed or presumed
infections and 7,315
deaths. Since April 4, the
Oregon Health Author-
munity water,” according to a
statement from the Deschutes
National Forest.
The Forest Service states
that a primary goal of the for-
est treatments is to ensure
protection of Central Oregon’s
tourism economy.
The Deschutes National
Forest adds that a “healthy
and resilient forest” will re-
cover more quickly if wildfires
do occur.
Central Oregon was the
only forest area in Oregon se-
lected to be part of the fund-
ing.
Central Oregon made the
list from an initial group of 29
regions that were considered
for funding.
█
Reporter: 541-617-7818,
mkohn@bendbulletin.com
A Portland man who
helped smuggle more than
$2.5 million worth of Ore-
gon-grown marijuana out
of the state in hand-built
freight crates was sentenced
Monday to two years and
nine months in federal
prison.
Robert Benjamin Kaw-
ika Dawe, 39, worked with
two accomplices and oth-
ers to ship more than 2,200
pounds of marijuana to
New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Georgia, Texas, Arkansas,
Illinois and Minnesota and
create false cargo bills, ac-
cording to prosecutors.
They then flew to the
destination cities to receive
the shipments to help avoid
scrutiny and to distribute the
marijuana for sale in those
states, according to federal
prosecutors.
When the operation’s
warehouse in Vancouver,
Washington, closed down,
Dawe used his home to store
marijuana for distribution,
according to court records.
On Oct. 16, 2020, for ex-
ample, police intercepted a
load of marijuana that left
Dawe’s home in a rental
truck. The truck met up
with another truck pulling a
53-foot refrigerated trailer,
according to prosecutors.
His accomplices loaded two
large crates from the rental
truck into the trailer.
Police stopped both vehi-
cles and searched the trailer.
They found two crates con-
taining 12 cardboard boxes
that held more than 600
pounds of vacuum-sealed
marijuana bud with mark-
ings describing their respec-
tive strains, according to
court records.
The load was destined for
San Antonio, Texas, accord-
ing to prosecutors.
After shipping the mar-
ijuana to other states and
receiving the crates, Dawe
and his accomplices would
then fly back on commercial
airlines with cash from the
drug sales or structure cash
deposits through bank ac-
counts.
Dawe and his two accom-
plices created the companies
of Transport 1 Logistics and
PDX Payments Solutions
as fronts to disguise the na-
ture and source of their drug
trafficking proceeds, accord-
ing to court records.
During a search of Dawe’s
home, agents seized 238
pounds of marijuana and
$7,000 in cash.
Dawe pleaded guilty in
November to conspiracy to
traffic in marijuana.
“Following his greed
and ambition, the defen-
dant joined the cadre of
black-market marijuana
smugglers that unabashedly
ignored the rules that apply
to everyone else for his own
personal and financial gain,”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia
E. Jarrett wrote in a sentenc-
ing memo.
Jarrett sought a sentence
of three years and 10 months
for Dawe, while defense law-
yer Kevin M. Sali argued for
the lesser sentence that the
judge imposed.
Dawe said he’s now see-
ing a drug therapist and is
committed to staying sober.
He said he had previously
viewed his offense as falling
in more of a “gray area,” hav-
ing seen marijuana “sold on
the streets in dispensaries.”
Co-defendant Jere-
miah David Cruz was sen-
tenced in February to a
year and nine months in
prison. Co-defendant Kyle
Cerkoney is awaiting sen-
tencing after pleading guilty
to conspiracy to traffic in
2,200 pounds or more of
marijuana.
LOCAL BRIEFING
COVID-19
community
levels for Central
Oregon
The Bulletin is
no longer publish-
ing COVID-19
daily case counts by
county.
The Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention moni-
tors community lev-
els of COVID-19 to
help communities
decide what preven-
tion 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 listed
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 vac-
cines and get tested
if you have symp-
toms.
ity has reported 101 addi-
tional deaths connected to
COVID-19. The agency
is no longer providing
detailed information for
each death.
Man arrested after police
pursuit near La Pine
A Salem man suspected of
drunken driving led police on a ve-
hicle chase near La Pine and later
ran into a wooded area and was
captured with the aid of a police
dog.
At about 4 a.m. Tuesday, the
Bend Police Department ended
a short pursuit of a suspected
drunken driver after they at-
tempted a traffic stop and the
driver refused, the Deschutes
County Sheriff’s Office said Tues-
day in news release.
At around 4:28 a.m., a sheriff’s
deputy saw the suspect vehicle,
driven by Michael Gookin, 43, of
Salem, traveling south without
lights on U.S. Highway 97 near
Vandevert Road. Another deputy
set up tire deflation devices and at-
tempted a traffic stop, but Gookin
did not stop, despite the deflation
of one tire, according to the sher-
iff’s office.
Deputies continued chasing
Gookin until they reached La
Pine, where they fell back and saw
Gookin’s vehicle make a U-turn,
according to the sheriff’s office.
Gookin then began driving north.
Near Burgess Road, a sheriff’s dep-
uty performed a driving technique
to stop Gookin’s vehicle using the
deputy’s own car, at which point
Gookin is alleged to have fled into
a wooded area to the west.
A deputy with a police dog be-
gan chasing Gookin through the
woods, according to the sheriff’s
office. Gookin allegedly refused
to cooperate with the officer’s at-
tempts to take him into custody,
and the dog, named Ronin, bit
Gookin, who was then arrested, ac-
cording to the sheriff’s office.
After his arrest, Gookin was
taken to St. Charles Bend for eval-
uation, then to the Deschutes
County jail on suspicion of at-
tempting to elude, driving under
the influence of intoxicants, driving
while suspended, reckless driving,
reckless endangering, felon in pos-
session of a restricted weapon, re-
sisting arrest and attempted assault
on a law enforcement animal.
Central Oregon police arrest
alleged fentanyl distributor
An anonymous tip led to the ar-
rest of an alleged Central Oregon
fentanyl distributor, police said
this week.
Dallas James Harper, 33, was ar-
rested around 10:30 p.m. Sunday
by officers with the multiagency
Central Oregon Drug Enforcement
Team following a long-term inves-
tigation, according to Deschutes
County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kent Vander
Kamp. Police believe Harper was
importing drugs from the Portland
area into Crook County.
Over the weekend, officers con-
ducted surveillance and received
a warrant to search Harper’s vehi-
cle. Harper was later pulled over
by Crook County sheriff’s deputies
and his rental car was searched.
Investigators allegedly found
large amounts of counterfeit phar-
maceutical pills made of fentanyl,
methamphetamine and heroin.
In addition to the controlled sub-
stances, a loaded pistol was also
seized from Harper, according to
police.
Harper was arrested on suspi-
cion of attempting to distribute
fentanyl, possession of fentanyl,
attempting to distribute metham-
phetamine, possession of meth, at-
tempting to distribute heroin and
being a felon in possession of a
weapon.
Harper’s passenger, Justine
Durham, was cited on suspicion
of possession of a controlled sub-
stance.
Harper was jailed at the Crook
County Jail. He’s scheduled to be
arraigned Friday.
— Bulletin staff reports