A14
News
Blue Mountain Eagle
RUN
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
pace of the “little legs” they had with
them.
The fact that it’s a kid friendly event
is a big attraction, too, for Beil.
Her grandchildren had so much fun
last year with the powdered paint, she
said, “They were even laying in it.”
Beil said she had never participated
in a color run before, and likes this one
because it “benefits a great cause.”
She added, “We plan to make it an
annual thing.”
And yes, there are a lot more goodies
this year. The stash includes a backpack,
water bottle, white T-shirt, race num-
ber, bag of paint to toss, bottle of wa-
ter, key chain, magnet, nail file, Emer-
gen-C drink packet, granola bar and fruit
snacks.
The cost is $20 a person or $40 for
a three-person family group. Early reg-
istration is encouraged to be guaranteed
goodies. Forms are available at Triangle
Oil, The Corner Cup, The Blue Moun-
tain Eagle, and Java Jungle in John Day
and Prairie City, or from Heart of Grant
County.
For more information, call Heart at
541-575-4335 or email heartgc@ortel-
co.net.
Continued from Page A1
The brand Heart of Grant County
buys is made in America, and is tout-
ed as the safest Holi powder on the
market.
There will be six color stations this
year – red, yellow, green, bright pink,
purple and teal – enough to turn every-
one and everything up at the Industrial
Park into one big rainbow.
Betty Beil of Canyon City is ready to
run with the colors again.
Beil participated in the 2014 “Color
Me Free” Fun Run, along with several
family members, including her daugh-
ter-in-law, Tia Gibson of Vancouver,
Wash., and three of her five grandchil-
dren, Teagan, Rae and Gunner.
They are all signed up again for this
year’s event.
“It was just fun. You don’t have to
worry about running – there was no
pressure,” she said.
They especially liked the option
of walking – or skipping or hopping –
during the route because that was the
Caleb Sturgill of
John Day and
his niece Ember
Dutcher keep
pace together
through clouds
of colored
powder during
the 2014 ‘Color
Me Free’ Fun
Run.
Contributed photo
Tanni Wenger
Photography Studio
Two forensic analysts at state crime lab being investigated Wolves
Grant County DA
says no local cases
have been affected
at this time
Blue Mountain Eagle
and Associated Press
The Oregon State Police (OSP)
says two forensic analysts at its crime
labs are being investigated for miscon-
duct.
The revelation that a second ana-
lyst is being investigated comes less
than a week after state authorities said
evidence in hundreds of criminal cases
was being reviewed following accusa-
tions a forensic analyst who worked
at the agency’s lab in Bend tampered
with drug evidence.
The ¿ rst analyst, identi¿ ed by The
Oregonian as Nika Larsen, 35, was
placed on leave earlier this month. She
is accused of stealing pills and other
drugs and replacing them with over-
the-counter pills. The newspaper said
Larsen could not be reached for com-
ment.
OSP said Sept. 18 a second analyst,
Grant County District Attorney
Jim Carpenter
identi¿ ed as Jeff Dovci, who worked
at its Central Point lab, overstated ev-
idence during a criminal trial in 2005.
Dovci retired in 2013 and shortly
thereafter, OSP found materials with
potentially exculpatory information
related to the case.
In April 2014, state police alerted
20 of the state’s 36 prosecutors about
the second analyst’s work.
State police noti¿ ed district at-
torneys across the state about those
¿ ndings and issued lists detailing the
affected cases.
Grant County District Attorney Jim
Carpenter said in a Sept. 21 news re-
lease he is not aware of any local cases
that were compromised by these al-
leged actions.
“The Oregon State Police have
indicated that they will notify each
county affected,” Carpenter said. “As
of today, I have not received any such
notice, nor do I expect to receive one.”
The discovery puts current cases
and convictions in doubt and could
cost counties thousands of dollars to
retest and retry cases. State police de-
clined to publicly release the number
of potentially affected cases, citing
their ongoing criminal investigation.
Deschutes County District Attor-
ney John Hummel said he must retest
the evidence in 502 cases dating back
to 2012. In Klamath County, District
Attorney Rob Patridge said he’s re-
viewing 328 cases dating as far back
as 2007.
The majority of cases with evi-
dence worked by Larsen are from east-
ern Oregon. Ulys Stapleton, district at-
torney in Lake County, said only about
a dozen of his cases were affected and
two cases remain pending.
Authorities said the problem with
Dovci’s work wasn’t that he tampered
with evidence, but that he came to too
strong of a conclusion based on the
evidence.
State police said in reviewing re-
cords for a subpoena, forensics staff
and an Oregon Department of Justice
attorney found material that “poten-
tially cast doubt on Dovci’s future tes-
timony.”
Dovci, now a private forensic con-
sultant, said he did not steal anything,
did not falsify results, and the state’s
allegations about his interpretation of
evidence are a matter of opinion.
The state police operates ¿ ve labs
across the state. Others are in Spring-
¿ eld, Pendleton and Portland.
Lt. Bill Fugate, a state police
spokesman, said the forensic labs have
very strict policies and procedures in
place, including regular audits. But, he
said, the disclosures about the analysts
are prompting further reviews.
found dead
WALLOWA COUNTY
– According to an OSP
statement, two wolves
were found dead in Wal-
lowa County the week of
Aug. 24. One was a col-
lared female OR-21, the
other a male previously
observed in her company
by the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wild-
life, which designated the
two the Sled Springs Pair
and in January created the
Sled Springs Pair Area of
Known Wolf Activity.
While Oregon State
Police publicly appeal
for information about the
two dead wolves at Sled
Springs, a Senior Troop-
er investigating the case
says it’s not clear their
deaths were deliberately
caused.
Last month, wildlife
officials responded to the
scene after the female’s
collar emitted a mortality
signal.
t
n
i
a
P Drop-Off
Event
It’s Free!
Saturday
September 26
9 am - 2 pm
Bring your old leftover paint for recycling
This event is open to households and businesses from
any place in Oregon. Households may bring any amount
of latex or oil-based paint, stain or varnish. Businesses
may bring latex paint, but there are restrictions on
oil-based paint. Contact PaintCare for details.
PaintCare also has over 150 permanent drop-off sites
throughout the state (most are paint stores that volunteer
to take back paint). For details on what we accept and the
amount of oil-based paint accepted from businesses, visit
www.paintcare.org/or or call (855) 724-6809.
Recycle your electronics at this event, too!
Monument City River Park
Cavender Lane off
Kimberly-Long Creek Hwy (402)
Monument, OR
Reverse Logistics Group Americas, operator of an
electronics recycling program funded by electronics
om
r
manufacturers, will provide environmentally
t f
n
sound recycling for your old electronics.
ai SES
p
Bring unwanted TVs, computers, monitors,
pt ES
e
c IN !
printers, keyboards and mice for free!
ac US too
e
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