January 27, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A
Former fire chief Balzer gets $55,000
in settlement with fire district, board
Lawsuit had
alleged civil
rights violations
By R.J. Marx
Cannon Beach Gazette
Former Cannon Beach Fire
Chief Mike Balzer will receive
a one-time payout of $55,000
from the Cannon Beach Rural
Fire Protection District and the
district’s board of directors.
Details of the settlement,
prepared by attorneys for Bal-
zer, the fire district and the
board of directors, were re-
leased Wednesday.
According to the agree-
ment, Balzer will not receive
attorneys’ fees or any addition-
al compensation from the fire
district. Balzer agrees he will
not apply or accept employ-
ment from the fire department
again, and agrees not to pursue
future litigation against the fire
district or board of directors.
The settlement was dated
Dec. 13. Balzer’s civil rights
lawsuit against the fire district
was dismissed by U.S. Magis-
trate Judge Paul Papak in Port-
land on Jan. 4.
“My only comment would
EO MEDIA GROUP/FILE PHOTO
Mike Balzer, left, served as fire chief from 2012 to October
2015.
‘The lawsuit itself is the end of any
dispute between Mr. Balzer and the
Cannon Beach Rural Fire District.’
Judy Snyder,
Balzer’s attorney
be to express that the settle-
ment is not an admission of
fault to either side, but more a
business decision based on the
costs of litigation moving for-
ward, not just for the district
but for Mr. Balzer, as well,”
said Ron Downs, an attorney
with the Special Districts As-
sociation of Oregon who rep-
resented the fire district and
members of the board of di-
rectors.
Earlier this week, Balzer’s
attorney Judy Snyder said the
former chief was “pleased
with the resolution.”
“He’s pleased he’s engaged
in this process and that it re-
sulted in a satisfactory out-
come for him,” Snyder said.
Balzer was fired in October
2015 in what the fire district’s
board described as a “person-
nel matter.”
Balzer, who earned more
than $100,000 in annual salary
and compensation, was faulted
for “poor leadership” in a per-
formance evaluation.
Balzer stated in his com-
plaint that the board’s actions
led to damages to his reputa-
tion and standing in the com-
munity. He had sought com-
pensation of almost $678,000
and reinstatement of his duties
and benefits.
“The lawsuit itself is the
end of any dispute between
Mr. Balzer and the Cannon
Beach Rural Fire District,”
Snyder said this week.
Serial hotel robber
sentenced to 10 years
Held up hotel
at gunpoint
By Jack Heffernan
EO Media Group
A serial robber who held
up a Cannon Beach hotel
at gunpoint was sentenced
Tuesday, Jan. 17, to 10 years
in prison.
Ernest Lee Dean, 44,
pointed a handgun at hotel
clerk Orlo Baldwin at the
Stephanie Inn in January
2014 and forced him to hand
over almost $7,000 in cash.
After ordering Baldwin
to lay on his stomach, Dean
zip-tied Baldwin’s hands be-
hind his back and left him
on the floor. Baldwin, an el-
derly man, testified Tuesday
in Clatsop County Circuit
Court that he was scared for
his life, but that Dean gave
him a reassuring pat on the
back before leaving.
“The defendant, with
great humanity, patted me
on the back as if to say, ‘It’ll
be OK old man,’” Baldwin
said. “I hold no animosity
toward him.”
Baldwin left the court-
room soon after testifying,
but Dean said later — while
not fully ad-
mitting to the
crime — that
he had “un-
conditional
empathy” for
Baldwin.
Ernest Lee
Dean,
Dean
who
was
arrested in
Portland in February 2014
after an investigation that
involved police in Cannon
Beach, was responsible for an
armed robbery spree at sever-
al hotels and is serving a 25-
year prison sentence handed
down in Multnomah County.
Judge Paula Brownhill
ruled that Dean’s 10-year
sentence for the Cannon
Beach robbery will be add-
ed to the Multnomah County
penalty. Dean was convicted
of first-degree robbery, sec-
ond-degree kidnapping and
felon in possession of a fire-
arm.
“Based on the facts of the
case, it is clear the defen-
dant’s intent was to commit
more than one offense, and
the defendant created a risk
of qualitatively different
harm or injury to the victim,”
Deputy District Attorney
Steve Chamberlin wrote in a
sentencing memorandum.
CANNON BEACH POLICE LOG
Jan. 8
5:08 a.m., Highway 26: Police assist
a woman who believes she is endan-
gered. It is determined the woman is
under the influence of a controlled
substance; she is transported to
Providence Seaside Hospital for
evaluation.
7:19 p.m., 200 block Beaver Street:
Criminal mischief in the second
degree is reported at the school
building where the gym door Plexi-
glass window has been broken. The
building is secured by a maintenance
worker and the school district office
is notified.
8:23 p.m., 7900 block Cannon Road:
During a follow up on a domestic dis-
turbance, one individual is arrested
by the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office
and charged with domestic assault.
Jan. 9
7:00 a.m., 1600 block Whispering
Pines Drive: Cannon Beach police
assist other agencies at the stand-
off in Seaside.
7:04 a.m., 1100 block Spruce Court:
Police respond to a complaint of a
coyote getting into garbage in a res-
idential neighborhood. Prior to their
arrival, they come upon a coyote who
was apparently struck and killed by
a vehicle. Its body is removed from
the highway.
after the shooter barricades himself
inside the residence.
Jan. 10
11:38 p.m., 200 block S. Holladay
Drive, Seaside: Cannon Beach police
assist Seaside police with a suicidal
subject at a neighborhood market.
Subject volunteers to go to Provi-
dence Seaside Hospital.
9:17 p.m., Haystack Parking: Subject
is warned about illegal overnight
camping.
10:41 p.m., Highway 101: Police con-
duct a field interview with a man ob-
served walking south on the beach
who told police he was being picked
up by a woman driver. The two are
advised about recent break-ins in the
area and of the parking regulations.
Jan. 12
Jan. 11
3:44 a.m., 100 block Elliot Way: Police
respond to a physical disturbance
where a child is present. Female
subject is arrested for assault.
4:21 p.m., 1600 block Whispering
Pines, Seaside: Cannon Beach police
assist with active shooter situation
7:17 p.m., 100 block Sunset Boule-
vard: A small black and gray terrier
found wandering in the location of
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the American Legion is subsequently
returned to its owner
charged with DUI.
Jan. 14
Jan. 13
12:00 a.m., 1300 block Alder Drive:
Police respond to a domestic verbal
dispute. Both parties agree to sepa-
rate for the night.
10:14 p.m., 800 block S. Roosevelt
Drive, Seaside: Police dealing with
an intoxicated man with a bloodied
face at the Stop ‘n Go in Seaside first
contact Medix who treats the man
before transporting him to Provi-
dence Seaside Hospital.
11:48 p.m., Highway 101 and N.
Cannon: A juvenile is arrested and
6:54 p.m., Highway 101 and N. View-
point: Police assist two subjects who
have a flat tire.
7:13 p.m., 1200 block S. Hemlock: A
motor vehicle hit-and-run is reported
after one vehicle backs into another
and leaves the scene. Police locate
the driver of the vehicle which did
the damage and suggest a civil res-
olution.
9:34 p.m., Ecola Park: Police assist in
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believed lost on Tillamook Head.
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