Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Seaside signal. (Seaside, Or.) 1905-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2018)
2A • January 19, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com Surf Pines ‘Peeping Tom’ is convicted on multiple counts Cazee guilty on 23 counts By Jack Heffernan Seaside Signal A Surf Pines man was found guilty Jan. 5 of 23 charges stemming from sever- al “peeping Tom” incidents in his neighborhood. Kirk Richard Cazee, 56, peered through bedroom win- dows and recorded videos of residents during private mo- ments, a jury found after a four-day trial. Cazee was convicted on multiple counts of using a child in a display of sexual conduct, each of which carries a minimum of nearly six years in prison. He was also con- victed of invasion of personal privacy, stalking and criminal trespass. The Clatsop County Sher- iff’s Office had been investi- gating a potential prowler in the Surf Pines area, based on numerous complaints from residents, for more than a year leading up to Cazee’s first ar- rest in February. After being released from jail on those charges, he was arrested again in April following further in- vestigation by the sheriff’s office. The victims included sev- eral young women — some of whom were under 18 years old — and one man. During the trial, some of the vic- tims — sometimes with tears streaming down their faces — recalled seeing a subject on Kirk Richard Cazee their property. A witness also recounted confronting a shad- owy figure from a distance in his backyard before the man ran away. Witnesses believed Cazee was the prowler but were unable to unequivocally identify him. Much of the case was based on videos obtained from Cazee’s phone. The vid- eos often displayed the vic- tims in a state of nudity and, occasionally, performing sex- ual acts. The videos do not re- veal who took them, but they at times appear to record the voice of a man sexually pleas- ing himself. “How many other people have video of the victims in this case?” Chief Deputy Dis- trict Attorney Ron Brown rhe- torically asked the jury during closing arguments. Cazee was charged with two counts of criminal tres- pass after his original arrest. Around 10 p.m. that night, sheriff’s deputies found Cazee walking in the area without a flashlight minutes after yet another complaint of a man searching through windows. Just before his arrest, deputies found that Cazee was carrying pair of binoculars and some toilet paper. Cazee told deputies that he brought the binoculars to observe wildlife, but Brown called the optical aid one of the “smoking guns” in the case. “Good luck unless the wildlife is standing under a streetlight that doesn’t exist in Surf Pines,” Brown said. Following his release, dep- uties arrested Cazee again in April, and he has since been held in jail on $2 million bail. Brown also presented ev- idence that Cazee, a surgical nurse in Portland at the time, had stolen mail from one of the victims and kept it at his Portland mobile home. Ca- zee’s wife and son testified that he often went for walks by himself late at night. One of the victims, due to repeated suspicions of some- one prowling outside her home, placed a surveillance camera outside her residence in early 2017. That camera footage, on two occasions, displayed a man whose face was not visible because his hood was up. The man was wearing a camouflage jacket in one of the videos. Cazee was wear- ing a camouflage jacket at the time of his arrest, though attorneys debated whether the jacket was the same one that appeared in the video. Lawyers also argued about whether the various states of nudity in the videos warrant- ed certain charges and if Ca- zee made sufficient contact with the victim to justify the stalking charges. Ryan Colvin Connell, Ca- zee’s Hillsboro-based attorney, pointed out that a number of victims recalled the peeper as being “tall and skinny,” argu- ing that his client’s appearance could not be described as thin. He also highlighted the fact that there was no witness tes- timony or physical evidence conclusively proving that Ca- zee recorded the videos. “This case is a pretty clas- sic example of a time when the state is trying to make evidence fit a specific person as opposed to just following the evidence,” Connell said during closing arguments. “When their witnesses say there’s nothing here to say, ‘This person made this vid- eo.’ If you say he does, you’re speculating, you’re guessing, you’re filling in blanks that they’re saying is not full.” But Brown likened his case to that of a child caught at the end of a trail of crumbs that begin at an open cookie jar. “You’ve got a trail of cir- cumstances that leads you to believe that a certain thing happened,” Brown said. At minimum, Cazee will be sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for using a child in a sexually explicit display. He may face more prison time depending on whether the sentences are imposed con- currently or consecutively. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for February. FLOORING CCB# 205283 y ou ou r r w ep alk ut o at n io n Flooring Installation Carpet Cleaning 3470 Hwy 101 Suite 102 • Gearhart, Oregon 503.739.7577 • carpetcornergearhart.com ADVERTISING YOUR AD HERE! Our Business Directory is an inexpensive way for your business to advertise with us! ONLY $ 25 HOLLY LARKINS Call 503-325-3211 to discuss new and exicting ways to promote your business on the North Coast TIRES/WHEELS DEL’S O.K. TIRE Same great service YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR TIRES CUSTOM WHEELS · AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES 35359 Business 503-325-2861 Hwy 101 Hours: Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat- 8-4 For emergencies (Miles Crossing) Astoria, OR 503-325-0233 CONSTRUCTION Randall Lee’s 0% FINANCING AVAILABLE Window Treatments, Fabric, Designer Wallpaper, Visit Our Counter Tops, All Flooring and Miele Vacuums Outlet! 2311 N. Roosevelt Dr., Seaside, OR 97138 • 503-738-5729 rlflooring @ yahoo.com • www.RandallLeesFlooring.com Randall Lee’s Flooring Outlet • 3579 Hwy 101 Gearhart • 503-738-6756 Warehouse pricing • Open to the Public • Hundreds of instock rolls & remnants • In House Binding John Pepperd Richard Paul Vogelsang James Mitchell Scarborough Ashley Griffiths Kasandra Dehart Ashley Clarke SECURITY Two meth busts net six in Seaside Six arrested after two busts Seaside Signal Six people were arrested in a bust on two apartments in the same complex in Seaside on Dec. 26. Officers from the Clat- sop County Sheriff’s Office, Seaside Police Department, aided by the Cannon Beach Police Department executed a search warrant at an apart- ment complex where they found two people in posses- sion of methamphetamine. Richard Paul Vogelsang, 42, was found in possession of 22 grams of metham- phetamine, valued at about $1,000; digital scales, pack- aging material and a firearm. Vogelsang was detained on a probation violation and trans- ported to the Clatsop County Jail. Kasandra Dehart, 36, was found in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine. Dehart was cited and release on the charge of frequenting a place where drugs are sold. The case was forwarded to the Clatsop County Dis- trict Attorney’s Office for determination of additional charges. The same night, a search in a different apartment brought four additional drug-related arrests. James Mitchell Scarbor- ough, 57, was arrested after being found in possession of a small amount of heroin. John Peppard, 53, was charged with delivery of a controlled substance, after being found in possession of approximately 16 grams of methamphetamine, digital scales, packaging material and approximately $450. Ashley Clarke, 29, was at the residence and arrested for frequenting a place where drugs are sold. Ashley Griffiths, 29, was at the residence and arrested for frequenting a place where drugs are sold. 503-738-9003 LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Residential & Commercial: Burglary & Fire Protection, Video Surveillance, Central Station Monitoring, Remote Arm/Disarm LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED Seaside, Oregon • www.CoastalAlarm.net • info@CoastalAlarm.net CCB# 201010 • Reg.# 977689-99 LANDSCAPING B oB M c E wan c onstruction , inc . E xcavation • u ndErground u tiitiEs r oad w ork • F ill M atErial s itE P rEParation • r ock owned and operated by 503-738-3569 POLICE LOG Jan. 1 12:15 a.m., 1800 block N. Wahanna: A person is arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants; they are also charged with hit and run and reckless driving. 2:04 a.m., 700 block Second Avenue: A DUII is reported and a subject is placed under arrest. 2:43 p.m., 2000 block N. Holladay: A missing person was reported. 7:26 p.m., 400 block N. Holl- aday: Police responding to a report of someone trying to commit suicide by putting a hose in a vehicle discover a per- son siphoning gas from their vehicle. Person tells them they have no thought of self-harm. Jan. 2 4:14 p.m., 12th and Franklin: Police respond to a report of a man using binoculars to look into a yard. The man told police he was minding his neighbor’s bird feeder and is using binocu- lars to monitor the situation. 6:10 p.m., Waterline: A de- ceased person is reported. 8:49 p.m., 1900 block Spruce Drive: A missing person is reported. 7:27 a.m. Avenue A: A cardboard box left behind in a parking ga- rage was reported as suspicious. Officers responding determine the box is empty and of no harm. Jan. 4 8:19 a.m. 500 block S. Cottage, Gearhart: Subject reported a male with a rifle standing in a driveway in a ghillie camou- flage suit. Officers contacted complainant and searched the driveway. The subject who was wearing hunting camouflage that made him look like a bush admitted to recent use of methamphetamine and agreed to go home and try to sleep. 9:13 a.m., 600 block Pacific Way, Gearhart: The subject is transported to the hospital for detox. 3:53 p.m., 100 block Fourth Avenue: Police respond to a report of a woman lying on the side of the road. Officers responding found no one lying by the side of the road. 5:54 p.m., Beach Drive and Ocean Vista: Police assist a person who forgot where they parked their car. Jan. 5 Jan. 3 12:20 p.m. 700 block N. Wahanna: Dog offenses were reported. 2:21 a.m. 300 block N. Prom: An assault in the fourth degree is reported. Also reported are strangulation and harassment. 1;28 p.m., The Retreat: A female pedestrian said to be weaving in and out of traffic was advised people were com- plaining about her behavior. 1:43 p.m. Police headquarters: Someone came in for their annual sex offender registry. 3:45 p.m., 1200 block Avenue E: Someone who reported a theft from in front of their house did not respond when police went to the residence. A message was left for the reporting party. Jan. 6 12:15 a.m., 400 block S. Roos- evelt: Police give a courtesy ride to a motel to a woman who said she’d had an argument with her boyfriend and had left the residence without her purse. Police returned with her to the residence so she could retrieve the purse. 6:41 p.m., 400 block S. Columbia: A father/son disagreement that escalated into a police call was quieted down when police ar- rived. The father said the son had left the premises for the evening. Jan. 7 3:08 p.m. 2500 block S. Roos- evelt: Police assist Medix with a combative patient. 4:16 p.m., Avenue U: Police respond to a report of a couple fighting; the man is reported to have kicked his dog. Police are unable to locate either subjects or the dog. Jan. 8 12:03 p.m., 1100 block 11th M ike and C eline M C e wan Ave.: The parent of a young child who was using the phone as a toy and dialed 911 was advised to not let the child play with the phone. 34154 Hwy 26, Seaside, OR P.O. Box 2845, Gearhart, OR S erving the p aCifiC n orthweSt S inCe 1956 • CC48302 ADVERTISING Jan. 9 6:52 p.m., 300 block S. Colum- bia: Caller reports their father did not make it to a sched- uled medical appointment in Portland. It was learned he had been in a rollover vehicular accident on Highway 26. The matter was turned over to Oregon State Police. Jan. 10 1:45 a.m., Goodman Park: A person running a generator and creating unnecessary noise was warned. They agreed to turn it off. 9:03 a.m., 700 block S. Wah- anna: A person is arrested on a warrant. 1:10 p.m., Avenue A: Police speak with a woman who ap- pears to have been abandoned by her family members. She told police she saw someone in her family she dislikes. Another family member may be able to get her home to Portland, but if not, a bus voucher was offered. 5:11 p.m., 100 block Avenue E: Police respond to a report of a possibly suicidal person. A bulletin was put out and the subject was found and taken to detox. ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Call HOLLY LARKINS 503-325-3211 hlarkins@dailyastorian.com FLOORING Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix Soil Amendments YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF (no Scotch Broom) 503-717-1454 34154 HIGHWAY 26 SEASIDE, OR Laurelwood Farm