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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2010)
SIX - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 10,2010 Morrow County DA takes job at Department of Justice Elizabeth Ballard will join the Medicaid Fraud Unit, which is a national leader in combating health care Fraud Elizabeth Ballard O regon A ttorney G en eral John Kroger Tuesday announced the hiring o f Morrow County District At torney Elizabeth Ballard to prosecute health care fraud for the Oregon Department o f Justice. “As a district at torney, Elizabeth Ballard brings unparalleled experi ence and judgment to our team," said Attorney Gen eral Kroger. “We are hon ored she chose to join the Department o f Justice.” Ballard, a 2002 graduate o f the University o f Oregon School o f Law, is an experienced prosecu It’s been a great honor to serve the citizens o f Morrow County as dis trict attorney,” Ballard said. "1 am looking forward to working for all the citizens o f Oregon.” The Oregon D e partment o f Justice is a national leader in the fight tor who has handled a w ide range o f cases from property crime to aggrav ated murder. A prosecutor since 2002, she was elected Morrow County District Attorney in 2006. She starts working for the Oregon Department o f Justice Medicaid Fraud Unit in March. Cutsforth files for Morrow Co. district attorney against health care fraud. S in ce A ttorney G eneral Kroger took office in Janu ary, 2009, the Department o f Justice has recovered nearly $20 m illion from p h arm aceu tical c o m p a nies that defrauded Oregon consum ers and the state Medicaid program. He told the Gazette that he did this when he heard the incumbent DA, Elizabeth Ballard, would not be running for re-election (see story page 1). “My primary reason was when 1 heard the DA in Morrow County would not be running again." Cutsforth said it is hard to run against a sitting District Attorney and he did not want to do that. He also said that he knows many people in Morrow County and thinks he can do some good things here. He is currently self employed in a private law practice. The new s release also mentioned numerous civic and professional organizations Cutsforth has belonged to or participated in. Tom Cutsforth, who was bom and raised in Morrow County but now lives in Mayville, has filled to run for district attorney * k in Morrow County, his campaign an- nounced this week. Cutsforth, who was raised on ■ff" HL the family farm nine miles northeast River, Morrow, Gilliam, Baker, Grant and Wasco counties. The release said he prosecuted “over 1800 defendants, completed over 300 jury trials (without assistance), over 2000 cases and two murder cases.” Cutsforth was recalled from the WheelerCounty DA job in July, 2008, after residents became angry about his backing o f a secure residential treatment facility near { S B ot 1 s", melon, graduated from lleppnei Fossil. The proposed facility, similar to the one recently Ifieh School 111 I O ' 2 then received Ins constructed in Fleppner, divided the community in a bitter B S degree from ( »regon State l Diver fight and was never completed. Cutsforth lost the recall sity in 1976 and his law degree from 335-to-296. Tom Cutsforth the Univ ersity o f Oregon in 1988. Cutsforth had registered Dec. 4, 2009, to run for According to a press release district attorney in Gilliam County, and then on February Life-long Morrow County Attorney Justin N elson is from his campaign, Cutsforth spent 1988 to 2008 as a 8 withdrew that filing and the same day filed to run in the resident and current Uma seeking the office o f Mor tilla County Deputy District career prosecutor in the Lane, Union, Wheeler, Hood Morrow County election. row C ounty D istrict A t torney in t h i s cíeASckwafc.corw y e a r ’s May 18, 2 0 10 , primary election. Nelson filed for the posi tion with the Ore gon Sec- Justin Nelson retary o f State’s Office on October 20, 2009. N elson w as born and raised on his fam ily’s farm near Lexington and attended H eppner H igh School. After graduating from Heppner High School, he attended Oregon State University where he grad uated w ith a b a ch elo r’s degree in agricultural busi n ess m anagem ent and a minor in natural resource environmental law and poli cy. Nelson received his law degree and graduated with honors from W illam ette LIGHT TRUCK B SUV TIRES PASSENGER CAR TIRES University College o f Law, Salem, w here he was also a PEGASUS member o f the Willamette Law Review. Besides his STARTING AT STARTING AT employment as a Umatilla County Deputy District At torney, Nelson also current P235/75R-15 ly serves Morrow County as a Morrow County Planning Commissioner. During his time as a Umatilla County Deputy District Attorney, N elso n has su cce ssfu lly tried num erous crim inal matters, felony and misde meanors alike in the Uma tilla County Circuit Court. STARTING AT STARTING AT Nelson is married to Andrea N elson who is seventh and eighth grade P155 8ÛR 13 P235/75R-15 teacher at Heppner Junior/ Senior High School. A c c o r d i n g to a news release from his cam paign Nelson is supported y in his candidacy by Umatil la County District Attorney Dean Gushwa, and others in the legal and law enforce ment sector. Gushwa, who STARTING At STARTING Al has direct k now ledge o f N e lso n ’s ab ilities, states that “Justin Nelson has the 175/65R-14 ex p erien ce n ecessary to becom e Morrow County The durable M AS rated Open Country A T otters aggressive DEVINO 2 7 7 DEVINS 349 m 40 000 Mill WARRANTY District Attorney. He has wet and snow traction for pickups vans and SUVs This versatile sitnr Hack all terrain tire delivers rugged good looks without compromising been in this race since Oc 9Í mctuiHi HÂHOiiHc Y GRimmuf STARTING AT STARTING AT handling ride comfort or on and off road stability tober o f 2009 and has been ioni sim ir siaci i «mume • in tuns • iiiiiiMS O «Hüllt • III dlCIS • Nili IMS IBM tin I« siaci working to build the neces cm ibi ski a PRici tee m i n a il • un unii /te e im i iin n - un «un « u n a s k i » pru sary experience for district attorney his entire career,” the news release stated. Nelson to run for DA mmm It S SCHWAB IT STARTED 4 7 YEARS AGO AS A TRIBUTE TO... mm. WHY I t S SCHW AB BRA KES? f Over 25 Years Experience • Professionally BRAKE SYM PTOM S TO WATCH TOO: Do year brakes trab? IE S SCHWAB BRAKE SERVICE INCIUBES: mmmrmrnm íil;lir.líTT.mhfi:¡’ilfft Oa yaar brakes squeal when CALIPER ASSEMBLY REAR 0RUM BRAKE ASSEMBLY ra itiu tj Quality Parts ¿HE. 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