Woman admits rape report was false

Molalla Police Department announced Monday evening that a woman who said she was raped in Molalla on June 21 was lying.

The woman had told police that a stranger attacked and raped her on the sidewalk near Sweigle Avenue and 4th Street as she was walking home from a party around 1:30 a.m.

Police produced an artist’s sketch of the suspect based on the description the woman gave of her attacker.

MPD sent many items of evidence to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab for examination, but the lab reported that they found no physical evidence to link a suspect to the crime, according to a press release from MPD.

The victim was re-interviewed by MPD yesterday afternoon and fully admitted that her report was false. Police have identified her as Joresa D. Jefferson, 18, of Molalla.

Jefferson now faces misdemeanor charges for making a false report. She will be issued a citation to appear in Molalla Municipal Court when she returns to town from a vacation.

Molalla Police would like to thank everyone who gave their time to assist the investigation, as well as all of the citizens who gave tips to possible suspects in this case.

Accident on 211 injures woman, closes highway

A car accident seriously injuring a Salem woman closed Highway 211 about three miles northeast of Molalla for two hours this morning and early afternoon.

Jamie Kay Swan, 23, of Salem, was headed southbound on Highway 211 near milepost 15, when her 2002 Mitsubishi car struck a driveway culvert along the road’s shoulder and crossed the highway into the northbound lane, hitting an oncoming delivery truck, according to Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Mike Bates in a press release from OSP.

The truck, a 2002 GMC, was driven by Anthony E. Finley, 34, from Vancouver, Wash.

Swan’s car hit the front of the truck and almost went underneath, severely mangling the front of her car and pinning her legs, Molalla Fire Department chief Vince Stafford said.

“It took us about 20 minutes using the Jaws of Life to free her legs,” Stafford said.

Life Flight was unavailable, either due to the weather or another call, so she was transported by American Medical Response (AMR) to OHSU, Stafford said.

Her apparent injuries were lower leg fractures and possible abdominal injuries, Stafford said.

“She’s very, very lucky,” Stafford said.

Finley was transported to a local hospital by MFD for minor injuries.

Both drivers were wearing seatbelts, according to OSP.

Updated: Mulino man shot and killed Thursday; three charged

A 19-year-old male was shot dead in a Mulino home early Thursday morning and it didn’t take police long to arrest the trio suspected of committing the crime.

By midday, the three suspects were in custody for the murder of David Stipe, who was killed at his mother’s home on 15282 S. Howards Mill Road.

“He was shot to death at approximately 2:30 this morning,” Detective Jim Strovink, spokesman for Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, said Thursday.

Stipe’s mother, Maureen Miltenberger, called 911 immediately after the shooting. Stipe was dead when law enforcement arrived on the scene.

“He was the victim of homicidal violence,” Strovink said. “I think it’s extraordinarily tragic that we have a mother who was present in the residence at the time her son was tragically shot to death. Our hearts go out to her.”

The Homicide and Violent Crimes Investigators from Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene Thursday to investigate the murder.

Around noon the same day, sheriff’s deputies arrested one juvenile female and two adult male suspects who they believe to be responsible for the homicide from a private residence at 106 Frances St. in Molalla.

Brandon Michael Adams, 21, Nestor David Diaz-Miller, 18 and Vanessa Evelyn Morris, 17 are all currently lodged in Clackamas County Jail.

Although still a minor, Morris is expected to be tried as an adult.

The three suspects appeared for arraignment via television monitor in Clackamas County Circuit Court at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Judge Eve Miller ordered that the defendants continue to be held without bail on charges of aggravated murder. She also ordered that the defendants have no contact with each other or Stipe’s family members.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 13 at 3 p.m.

Friends and family members of the suspects attended the arraignment, but declined comment afterward.

The relationship between the suspects and Stipe or a motive for the crime has not been released.

Stipe’s mother could not be reached for comment. Neighbors declined comment.

Stipe did have a criminal record and was on probation after a May 13 sentencing.

He had been arrested on Feb. 27 and originally charged with third-degree rape.

Those charges were dropped, but he was found guilty of sexual abuse and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, according to the Molalla Police Department.

Stipe had also been arrested at his mother’s home by sheriff’s deputies on Dec. 24 as the result of a domestic disturbance, Strovink said.

Storm watch

The National Weather Service issued a warning today that thunderstorms may develop over the Cascades later this afternoon, producing lightning, brief heavy rains and possible hail.

The storm is forecasted to hit after the warmest part of the day and continue through the evening. Flooding is possible in urban areas with poor draining.

Some Molalla businesses and private residences were flooded Saturday night in a sudden storm. Molalla Bowl was among the businesses impacted, collecting about three inches of standing water inside the building.

The National Weather Service advises local residents to keep an eye on today’s weather and seek shelter indoors if thunder is heard, as it is a likely indicator that lightning may be within striking distance.

UPDATE: Molalla man found dead in Highway 211 ditch

A utility worker found an adult male body early this afternoon in a ditch on the eastbound shoulder of Highway 211, about one mile east of S. Union Mills Road, according to Oregon State Police.

The man has been identified as Justin Lelan White, 23, of Molalla.

A segment of the Highway 211 eastbound lane was still closed for investigation as of 5:15 p.m. and investigators predicted their work on the scene would continue for several more hours. Investigators believe White was struck by a car in a hit and run accident.

White left his home on Wright Road outside Molalla around 12 a.m. Friday, his brother and roommate, James White, 26, said.

Justin White had suffered head trauma in a car accident several years ago. The family was in the process of getting him admitted into a mental hospital for evaluations, James White said, hoping that doctors could prescribe a medication to help him.

It was not unusual for Justin White to take long walks.

“He walked everywhere,” James White said. “He walked from Molalla to Colton probably 20 or 30 times … He just wanders around where he wants to. That’s what he needed medicine for.”

Still, last night was different. James White said he had trouble sleeping after his brother left. When he awoke and found that Justin had not returned, he began calling everywhere he could think that his brother might be.

“We were just waiting,” White said. “I was just naming off numerous places he could be.”

When the police arrived, White was on the phone with his mother. They both knew the news would be bad.

White believes that Justin was headed toward their mother’s house in Colton when he was struck by the vehicle. He said that Justin did like to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, but was not under the influence of either when he left the house that night.

White said he wants to get word out of his brother’s death in hopes that the driver of the vehicle will be found. He said Justin weighed around 250 pounds and surely the vehicle that hit him would have visible damage.

Authorities are seeking help in identifying and finding the vehicle. Oregon State Police, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Clackamas County Medical Examiner are involved in the investigation. 

 

Bomb threat closes Molalla High School Thursday

A bomb threat found Tuesday on a Molalla High School bathroom stall led administrators to cancel Thursday classes.

A student found the note yesterday afternoon.

“We had the police come out and review the writing in the restroom,” Molalla River School District superintendent Wayne Kostur said.

Molalla Police Department officers inspected the school and did not find further evidence of an actual bomb. They are currently reviewing videos from a hall camera that shows everyone who entered and exited the bathroom where the threat was found, investigating officer Scott Douglas said.

Former MHS basketball players face more punishment from Deschutes County judge

The five former Molalla High School basketball players charged with assaulting a freshman teammate in December of 2006 were convicted on Monday afternoon by a Deschutes County judge.

John Berokoff, 19 and Joshua Haqq, 17, were convicted on menacing charges and third and fourth degree assault charges.

They were sentenced to 30 days in jail, 150 hours of community service and 36 months of probation, said Deschutes County deputy district attorney Jason Kropf.

In addition, the young men must write letters of apology to their victim and to the high school and will participate in counseling with their probation officer.

Onisefor Kutsev, 18, Vlasy Kutsev, 17 and Cody Anderson, 17, were all convicted on assault charges and were sentenced to 10 days in prison or juvenile detention, 100 hours of community service and will also write letters of apology, complete 36 months of probation and do counseling with their probation officers.

“Everybody who is over the age of 18 will serve their time in jail and people under the age of 18 will serve it in juvenile detention,” Kropf said.

All five were tried as adults and pleaded no contest to the charges, Kropf said.

The plea bargains, which reduce the original sexual abuse charges to assault charges, were similar to the plea bargains that four of the five young men accepted in Clatsop County last Tuesday.

The fifth defendant, Onisefor Kutsev, was unable to attend last week’s Clatsop hearing and will appear in court there May 12. He was, however, present at the Deschutes County hearing on Monday.

With the combined charges from Deschutes and Clatsop counties, Berokoff and Haqq will likely serve a full two months in jail. The other three young men will each spend a total of 17 days in custody. However, their Clatsop County sentences will not be official until their sentencing on May 12.

The incidents that raised the charges occurred on MHS basketball team road trips in December of 2006. The victim was reportedly abused in both Sisters and Seaside, which is why the young men were tried in two separate counties.

The five defendants and the victim all transferred out of Molalla High School after the charges were filed.

The defendants were originally charged with sexual abuse for digitally penetrating their teammate, but due to the plea bargains they accepted in both counties, the charges were changed to assault.

Had the Measure 11 sexual abuse charges been upheld, the young men would have faced minimum eight-year prison sentences and would have become registered sex offenders.

The abuse reportedly took place in the back of the team bus and in a hot tub at a hotel where the team was staying the night.

Molalla High School has since changed its rules to require at least one coach to ride in the back of the bus when teams travel to sporting events.

The incident also prompted the school board to require that coaches attend a training session last summer to learn how to deal with and prevent hazing.

Former MHS players plead no contest to assault charge

Four of the five former Molalla High School basketball players charged with a 2006 hazing against a teammate pleaded no contest to third degree assault charges in Clatsop County this morning.

The fifth player, Onisefor Kutsev, had a schedule conflict and will appear for his plea hearing on May 12, the same day the other four defendants will be sentenced.

The young men were originally charged with sexual abuse, but a plea bargain reduced the charge to third degree assault. The third degree assault charge is still a felony, but unlike the sexual abuse charge, it is not a Measure 11 crime and carries much softer penalties and does not label them sex offenders.

Joshua Haqq, 17, and John Berokoff, 19, pleaded as adults and will likely be sentenced to serve 30 days in jail, plus probation, said Clatsop County deputy district attorney Ron Brown. They could face 24 months in prison if they violate probation.

Vlasy Kutsev and Cody Anderson, both 17, pleaded as juveniles and are expected to be sentenced to serve seven days in custody. If they violate probation, they could be sent to Maclaran Youth Correctional Facility, Brown said.

The charges came after a team road trip in December of 2006, when the five players assaulted a teammate on several occasions. Haqq and Berokoff are said to have been the leaders of the hazing.

The young men are scheduled to appear in Deschutes County next Monday and are expected to accept a similar plea bargain.

Basketball players’ final hearing delayed, again

The five former Molalla High School basketball players facing felony sex abuse charges in Clatsop and Deschutes Counties are still awaiting final hearings, but a resolution to their case may come by the end of this month.

Joshua Haqq, John Berokoff, Cody Anderson and brothers Onisefor and Vlasy Kutsev are being charged for hazing incidents against a teammate that allegedly occurred on a varsity team road trip in December of 2006.

The young men’s hearing in Deschutes County has been postponed several times. Most recently, their April 14 hearing was rescheduled for April 28, because the district attorney is still negotiating terms for a plea bargain.

They are scheduled to appear in Clatsop County next Tuesday for a final resolution conference hearing, where they have also been offered a plea bargain.

Instead of being charged with Measure 11 crimes of sex abuse, the plea bargain would likely reduce the young men’s charges to third degree assault, greatly reducing prison sentences and keeping them from being labeled sex offenders if found guilty.

April 12, 2008 front page

Local leaders named to county land committee

Group will advise commissioners on urban, rural reserves

Twenty-one people, including two Molalla-area governmental leaders, have been named to the Clackamas County Urban and Rural Reserves Policy Advisory Committee.

Deb Leighton, a councilor for the city of Molalla and Joanne Rigutto, webmaster and registrar for the Hamlet of Mulino will be among the volunteers who will be responsible for advising the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners regarding the selection of urban and rural reserves in the county.

Hard times = county health-care cuts

County makes plans to close all three of its health clinics

Announcement causes local confusion, fear about which clinics are actually closing

Clackamas County Community Health Division announced Tuesday that it will be closing its Molalla Health Center on June 30.

The Molalla clinic will be the first of three county clinic closures, followed by the Sandy Health Clinic on Dec. 31, 2008 and, eventually, the Oregon City Health Clinic in 2010 or 2011.

GUEST COLUMN: How and where will Molalla grow?

By John Atkins
Molalla City Manager

On April 16, the Molalla Planning Commission and City Council will meet in joint session to hear your comments on the draft Molalla Comprehensive Plan and a proposal for 50-year “urban reserve area.”

The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. at the Molalla Adult Center located at 315 Kennel Avenue. Your participation in this important public hearing is encouraged.

City council meets illegally, no votes taken

Five members of the Molalla City Council violated Oregon’s open meetings law which considers a gathering of a majority of councilors a quorum and therefore an official meeting. However, no votes were taken at the meeting and the violation was unintentional, according to City Manager John Atkins.

“Apparently no one knew until the meeting began how many councilors would show up,” he said.

Pioneer story brings TV news to town, again

We couldn’t help but notice the KATU television news van that drove past the front door of our newspaper office earlier today. “What are they doing in town this time?” we wondered aloud. Nothing has been happening with the ongoing basketball player trial, the never-ending tome about Snowball the deer hasn’t been on the front burner for quite some time. So why are they here today?

Then it hit us. The Portland TV guys were probably down here following the story that we broke last weekend about a local computer guy accidentally discovering a zip drive containing thousands of private driver’s license records while he was at work in Milwaukie.

It’s nice to know that the Portland media are reading our paper. So, without further ado, in case you missed Bethany Monroe’s story on Saturday, here it is.