Although this particular investigation isn’t over yet, keep in mind three important driving tips – of which you’ll be reminded, by reading this article …

Picture a 12-year-old boy walking toward us within the crosswalk – when suddenly he’s hit so hard by a westbound car that his head cracks the windshield. It happened, right here, on January 9th.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Dark mornings, foggy windshields, and distracted drivers can turn an average morning’s commute into a tragic situation.

Anyone who frequently travels on SE Stark and crosses SE 108th Avenue – that’s where SE Washington Street splits off, heading westbound – has seen the well-marked pedestrian crosswalk at that intersection. Other alert drivers will have noted that Floyd Light Middle School’s parking lot starts just south of the intersection.

Split second of inattention nearly claims a kid’s life
That crosswalk was the scene of a heartrending, avoidable accident early on Wednesday, January 9.

About 7:30 a.m., a 12-year-old student at Floyd Light Middle School was heading to school. As he stepped into the crosswalk, walking south, toward his school, one westbound car stopped for him – as required by law.

But another driver, identified by police investigators as 63-year-old Dinh Van Mai, was also heading west, driving a 1990 Toyota.

He didn’t stop.

“The window in Mai’s car was fogged over,” Sgt. Brian Schmautz, Portland Police Bureau’s spokesman, told us. “The driver hadn’t taken the time to clear the fog off of his windshield. He was wiping it off at the time of the incident.”

Witnesses said the boy’s head cracked Mai’s windshield; emergency radio reports by paramedics stated that blood was flowing from the boy’s ears as he lay on the pavement.

The boy remained conscious, did remember being hit and was transported to Oregon Health and Science University with traumatic, but reportedly non-life-threatening, injuries.

The accident that took place at this crosswalk could have been avoided.

Lessons to be learned
We’re not releasing photos of the young man’s blood on the pavement.

And the only reason we’re bringing you a detailed report of the young man’s injuries is to draw your attention to the three situations that in this case will, forever, alter one young person’s life.

1. Clear your vehicle’s windows before you start driving. A life may depend on your being able to see.
2. Look out for pedestrians who may be in crosswalks. Legally, a crosswalk – whether or not it is marked – is at any street intersection.
3. When a car is stopped at or near a crosswalk or intersection – think before you swerve and pass the “idiot” stopped there. That driver may well be yielding right-of-way to a pedestrian.

By the way, Mai remained at the scene and talked to police. Investigators say they will wait for the analysis from the collision reconstruction to make a final conclusion before issuing any citations.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

‘Uncooperative’ guests at this Madison South party may have well helped a gunman get away with murder …

Police say the New Year’s Eve revelers at this house didn’t want to stop partying – even as a fellow-celebrant lay dying from gunshot wounds in front of the residence.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The fact that gunshots rang out – and that a guest at their New Year’s Eve party, 25-year-old Christopher Adam Monette, lay fatally wounded on the residence’s front walkway – didn’t stop the party at 8407 NE Thompson Street, police say.

Just after midnight, we pulled up and found NE Thompson Street – across from Madison High’s sports field – sporting yellow “Police Line; Do Not Cross” tape. A dozen police cars were parked along both sides of SE 82nd Avenue of Roses.

Patrol cars were lined up on NE Thompson Street, both east and west of NE 82nd Avenue of Roses, as police looked for a deadly gunman who left on foot.

We spoke briefly with Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct Lt. Kevin Modica; but he followed protocol and politely declined to confirm information we’d gleaned by following the police radio calls regarding the event.

Parked in an otherwise empty lot on the corner, we saw a car, doors still open, which was said to have contained five individuals who left the party soon after the shooting.

Murder, minutes before midnight
“There was a ‘disturbance call’ from the house,” Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Sgt. Brian Schmautz told us, when we asked him to fill us in regarding this case.

Officials say it isn’t clear why this man, 25-year-old Christopher Adam Monette, a resident of North Portland, was gunned down minutes before 2008 began.

“We’re not sure why the incident took place, but we do know that the victim was deceased, lying near the street in front of the home on NE Thompson Street at twelve minutes until midnight on New Year’s Eve,” said Schmautz. “The Multnomah County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Monette; the finding was murder.”

Reading reports filed by several officers, Schmautz observed, “The party-goers were very uncooperative. One report indicates that people at the party seemed unconcerned that a guest at that party now lay dead in front of the house. They wanted to keep the party going.”

Although five people were stopped as they left the party who we believe were riding in this car, police say none of them was the shooter.

Regarding the five individuals who fled the party in the car, and then scattered when the vehicle was stopped by police, Schmautz said that all of them were apprehended and questioned – none was arrested.

Both victim and shooter attend party
Investigators do not believe this shooting to be a random act, Schmautz revealed. “Both the suspect and victim were attending the party at the listed location.”

As of this report, no suspect is in custody. Schmautz says the suspect is described as a black male in his early 20’s, 5’8″, 150-160 pounds, wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Ken Whattam or Detective Rico Beniga at 503-823-0400.

This investigation is continuing.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

See why police say there wasn’t anything the driver could have done differently to avoid this New Year’s Eve fatal accident …

SE Powell Blvd. was closed for most of New Year’s Eve while officials from the Portland Police Bureau’s Fatal Crash Team investigated the death of a pedestrian.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
80-year-old Joan Catherine Blake didn’t live to see 2008. She died after she stepped off the curb, wearing dark-colored clothing, to cross SE Powell Boulevard near SE 84th Avenue on New Year’s Eve.

Blake was said to have lived by herself in a seniors’ residence, a block south of the accident.

So poorly lit was the accident scene, we had difficulty focusing on the bright orange traffic cones that marked the site of the fatality. The mishap did not occur in a crosswalk.

“The driver, 44-year-old Thomas Lynn Meeker, was eastbound on SE Powell Boulevard,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz reported. “Meeker struck Blake who was crossing SE Powell; he remained at the scene and cooperated with police.”

Traffic Investigators believe neither alcohol nor speed were factors in the collision. And, at this time, no citations have been issued to Meeker.

The investigation is continuing.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

Find out why the men and women who prefer green for the color of their work attire give time and money to youngsters who have so little …

The program supervisor at the county jail, Elizabeth Daily (left, red blouse), and other Multnomah County Corrections workers, get ready to hand out the child-specific bundles of toys and clothes they purchased and wrapped for the occasion.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
As one may imagine, Christmas can be an unhappy and stressful time for kids of parents who are homeless.

But for 18 years now, members of Local 88/Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Multnomah County Corrections Association have pitched in to help make the Holidays brighter for these kids.

“The day we hold our annual holiday party for the Community Transitions School children,” says Elizabeth Daily, Program Supervisor of the Facilities Security Unit, Multnomah County Inverness Jail, “is always special.”

Dep. Moaning, a veteran, 25-year MSCO corrections officer helps out at the event, on her day off. She’s giving out Honorary Sheriff’s Deputy badges.

“The Community Transitions School is a community-based program that teaches children who are homeless. It helps the children be in a school with other children, all coming from the same family environment as them. Instructors at the school recognize that the children have needs that can’t always be taken care of in a traditional school situation.”

Daily told us that each child at the Holiday event gets four gifts: Two of clothing, and two of toys. “Each gift is specifically chosen for each child; it isn’t a ‘grab bag’. And, everything – the toys, clothes, and pizza for the party – are all donated. Nothing comes out of the Sheriff’s Office budget.”

In the absence of Sheriff Bernie Giusto, Raimond Adgers, Facility Commander, Multnomah County Inverness Jail, (front and center), leads a “singing contest” among the jail’s staffmembers and Deputies.

Sheriff misses party
For the first year we can remember, Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto missed the party. He was talking with County Chair Ted Wheeler about the jail’s management – the same meeting at which he says he was misquoted about retiring from his position.

Raimond Adgers, Facility Commander of Multnomah County’s Inverness Jail, handled the Master of Ceremonies duties. The kids, and their teenage mentors from Wilson High School, sang songs, and participated in the day’s entertainment.

Commander Adgers thanks the kids for a handmade “thank you” card.

Chief Deputy Ron Bishop leads the kids in the official swearing-in of the “Junior Deputies”.

The kids who come to this special party get more than gifts.

“Hopefully, our event helps teach these kids,” Daily said, “that interaction with police officers can be positive. Most of these kids only experience uniformed presence when they are in a highly emotional situation. It is important to us to let them know we are here to keep them safe. Here, they get to see that they are real people who care about them and their community.”

Providing energetic entertainment is Vancouver’s own Curtis Carlyle.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

The accused caused thousands in damage to a business – and then wrecked his SUV during the chase. You’ll never guess what he actually trashed a store to steal …

Officers write up their reports, looking at the SUV that plowed through heavy brush and stuck a guard as the driver tried, unsuccessfully, to elude police.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Most folks in Sellwood were winding down, getting ready to settle into the four-day New Year’s weekend, late in the evening of Friday, December 28.

But on that evening, a man, sitting alone in a white 1998 Ford Explorer, outside a business at 8636 SE 17th Avenue in Sellwood, took a swig from a bottle of booze, perhaps screwing up the courage he needed to burglarize the shop he was eyeing.

At 10:06 p.m., police dispatch got a call from a citizen, reporting a man breaking into a lighting fixture business. As they got the description from the caller, dispatchers broadcast officers, asking them to be on the lookout for a white male, average height, late 30s in age, driving a white SUV.

After losing control of his truck, the banged-up bandit, accused of a Sellwood burglary, is strapped to a gurney.

Two minutes later, a patrol car spotted the truck, driving in the dark with its lights off, northbound on SE 17th Avenue, and started following it. At 10:10 p.m., another police officer spoted the truck – and the following patrol car – heading east on SE Tacoma Street, and picking up speed.

Officers reported that they spotted the driver throwing items out of his truck – perhaps a plastic bag and beer cans.

By now fleeing over the Tacoma Overpass, the SUV made a hard left turn on SE 25th Avenue, and squealed onto a business access road under the overpass, and just east of McLoughlin Boulevard. The driver lost control of his vehicle then, mowing down 20 feet of thick brush beside the street.

Cops say the tipsy thief being loaded into the ambulance got a ride to the hospital – with a police officer at his side.

The pursuit ended when the Explorer rammed, head-on, into the end of a thick, firmly rooted steel guardrail. Within minutes, the crew from Westmoreland’s Engine 20 was on-scene, extricating the tipsy thief.

Although he’s an accused drunk driver and burglar, the man was carefully secured on a backboard, strapped to a gurney, and rushed off to Adventist Medical Center – accompanied by a police officer.

41-year-old William Andrew Diamond is the guy police say racked up four charges within fifteen minutes, has a criminal record.

Adds to his criminal record
In addition to filling in details of this abbreviated crime spree, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz told us the alleged drunken thief is 41-year-old William Andrew Diamond. “He has established quite a record for himself,” he noted.

“He must have gotten banged up,” Schmautz added; “he didn’t get booked until the following day.”

Lynn Keller, partner in KH Lighting, Inc., says he can’t believe all the damage the botched burglary did to their business – which only netted the crook a roll of postage stamps.

Thousands in damage for – postage stamps
A few days after the incident, we visited the business, KH Lighting, Inc., formerly known as Keller’s Home Lighting, a Sellwood-based firm that has designed and manufactured custom lighting fixtures for many of the top architectural and design firms in the nation since 1964.

One of the business’ owners, Lynn Keller, greeted us as we enter. Plywood covered a broken-out 8′ x 8′ plate glass window in the front room.

“From what we can tell, he just picked up a rock and threw it through the window. The glass will cost about $450 to replace,” reported Keller. “And, he damaged the $2,000 worth of finished lighting fixtures he stumbled over.”

“What was stolen?” we asked.

“Of all things,” replies Keller, “A roll of postage stamps. We didn’t find anything else missing. My brother, David, is going to testify at the grand jury against him. I hope they put this guy away.”

After mowing down thick brush and saplings, the accused thief’s get-away car was heavily damaged as it struck a steel guard rail head-on.

Draws four charges
According to Sgt. Schmautz, Diamond is charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Attempt to Elude Police Officers, Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree, and Driving While Intoxicated or Impaired (DWII).

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

In a split-second, one driver’s inattention sends another driver to the hospital. Remember these photos when you’re driving at night …

Officials say it took Portland Fire & Rescue workers considerable effort to safely remove the driver of the Mazda Protégé after it was struck by the Toyota SUV.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Although it was dark by 6:30 p.m., on New Year’s Eve, neither of the drivers of the two vehicles that collided in Powellhurst-Gilbert had been drinking. Officials say it was simply a moment’s inattention that led to the traumatic intersection crash.

So severe was the pile-up, a Portland Fire & Rescue truck was called to the motor vehicle accident at the intersection of SE 104th Avenue and SE Holgate Boulevard simply to extricate 45-year-old Caroline Scott from her 1999 Mazda Protégé.

Turns in front of traffic
Scott, according to Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz, was westbound on SE Holgate Boulevard. “There wasn’t an indication of excessive speed or impairment.”

Officials warn that taking your eyes off the road, even for a moment, can result in a life-threatening crash like this one.

The other vehicle involved, a black 1994 Toyota 4-Runner, was driven by 27-year-old Elysia Simmons.

A passenger riding in the Toyota told us at the scene, “We were going east on Holgate, turning left (north) on 104th. I yelled when I saw the car coming, and she hit the brakes.”

Simmons was cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device.

© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

See why you should make sure your home’s chimney is free of creosote build-up – even if you don’t have a fireplace …

The crew of Engine 23 attacks the fire started near the home’s furnace.

Story and Photos by David F. Ashton
Homeowners are cautioned to make sure that creosote – a thick, oily liquid that gradually coats the interior lining of flue pipes and chimneys – doesn’t build up in their fireplaces.

But, as occupants of a home just east of Cleveland High School, at 2920 SE Franklin Street, found out on Dec. 21 – this admonition also applies to furnace chimneys.

This fire could have been prevented, officials say, by keeping the chimney and furnace flue free of creosote buildup.

Fire smolders for hours
Officials say that one of the home’s occupants, Thomas Smith, told them he put about six gallons of #2 diesel fuel in the basement furnace tank about 10 o’clock that morning. Smith turned up the thermostat upstairs, and left about 20 minutes later.

When he returned home about eight hours later, he was confronted with a wall of thick, gray smoke when he opened the front door.

Neighbors told us they smelled smoke, and noticed thick, gray smoke coming out of the chimney, but didn’t investigate further.

Then, Smith reported, he went around the house to a door leading to the home’s basement, and said he noticed that the walls were scorched and smoke filled the basement. Minutes later, the fire “flashed over”, and fire erupted throughout the basement and came up the stairwell.

Had the fire call come in earlier, this house would have suffered much less extensive damage.

Firefighters navigate through thick smoke
“When Portland Fire & Rescue Engine 23 pulled up, at 7:20 p.m., the crew found thick, black smoke billowing out the front door of the two-story home,” Battalion Chief C1 Scott Beyers told us at the scene.

“That crew headed for the basement to attack the fire. The Truck 25 crew went to check for fire in the attic,” continued Beyers. “Then we had crews check for fire extension from the basement. There was an interior stairwell they opened at the top, to check the top part of the staircase.”

Firefighters reported that the blaze extended through the house by traveling up through a laundry chute. “The basement was divided up with shelving; it made it difficult for the firefighters to maneuver to the base of the fire.”

Ignition factor: Lack of maintenance
The fire inspector ascertained that the fire started in the flue of the home’s oil-fired boiler/heater unit. The inspector noted reported that the chimney and the flue were heavily caked with creosote buildup; the chimney clean-out was also full.

The loss was set at $90,000.00. While there weren’t any human injuries, a cat perished in the fire. The occupants were referred to the Red Cross for shelter.

Firefighters exit the house after putting out the fire that extended upward through the home by way of a laundry chute.

An ounce of prevention …
“A very hot fire in a well-working fireplace,” explained the fire bureau’s spokesman, Lt. Allen Oswalt, “can prevent creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire, because the continued heat output from the fire eventually warms up the lining of the chimney sufficiently to revaporize the deposited creosote.

“But many people don’t think about having their furnace’s flue and chimney cleaned. That maintenance could save your life.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

See why you should make sure your home’s chimney is free of creosote build-up – even if you don’t have a fireplace …

The crew of Engine 23 attacks the fire started near the home’s furnace.

Story and Photos by David F. Ashton
Homeowners are cautioned to make sure that creosote – a thick, oily liquid that gradually coats the interior lining of flue pipes and chimneys – doesn’t build up in their fireplaces.

But, as occupants of a home just east of Cleveland High School, at 2920 SE Franklin Street, found out on Dec. 21 – this admonition also applies to furnace chimneys.

This fire could have been prevented, officials say, by keeping the chimney and furnace flue free of creosote buildup.

Fire smolders for hours
Officials say that one of the home’s occupants, Thomas Smith, told them he put about six gallons of #2 diesel fuel in the basement furnace tank about 10 o’clock that morning. Smith turned up the thermostat upstairs, and left about 20 minutes later.

When he returned home about eight hours later, he was confronted with a wall of thick, gray smoke when he opened the front door.

Neighbors told us they smelled smoke, and noticed thick, gray smoke coming out of the chimney, but didn’t investigate further.

Then, Smith reported, he went around the house to a door leading to the home’s basement, and said he noticed that the walls were scorched and smoke filled the basement. Minutes later, the fire “flashed over”, and fire erupted throughout the basement and came up the stairwell.

Had the fire call come in earlier, this house would have suffered much less extensive damage.

Firefighters navigate through thick smoke
“When Portland Fire & Rescue Engine 23 pulled up, at 7:20 p.m., the crew found thick, black smoke billowing out the front door of the two-story home,” Battalion Chief C1 Scott Beyers told us at the scene.

“That crew headed for the basement to attack the fire. The Truck 25 crew went to check for fire in the attic,” continued Beyers. “Then we had crews check for fire extension from the basement. There was an interior stairwell they opened at the top, to check the top part of the staircase.”

Firefighters reported that the blaze extended through the house by traveling up through a laundry chute. “The basement was divided up with shelving; it made it difficult for the firefighters to maneuver to the base of the fire.”

Ignition factor: Lack of maintenance
The fire inspector ascertained that the fire started in the flue of the home’s oil-fired boiler/heater unit. The inspector noted reported that the chimney and the flue were heavily caked with creosote buildup; the chimney clean-out was also full.

The loss was set at $90,000.00. While there weren’t any human injuries, a cat perished in the fire. The occupants were referred to the Red Cross for shelter.

Firefighters exit the house after putting out the fire that extended upward through the home by way of a laundry chute.

An ounce of prevention …
“A very hot fire in a well-working fireplace,” explained the fire bureau’s spokesman, Lt. Allen Oswalt, “can prevent creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire, because the continued heat output from the fire eventually warms up the lining of the chimney sufficiently to revaporize the deposited creosote.

“But many people don’t think about having their furnace’s flue and chimney cleaned. That maintenance could save your life.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

See why officers say this “cop shop” will be more than just a report-writing station …

Officer Greg Baldwin, Dennis Adair, manager Parkrose Hardware, and Sgt. John Anderson here look at lighting improvements they’ll be making at the new Parkrose Police Contact Center.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Portland Police Bureau will soon have a new East Precinct Contact Center on NE Sandy Boulevard at NE 111th Avenue.

“Parkrose has traditionally been ignored by the city,” explains the project manager, Sgt. John Anderson. “Even with our enhanced patrols, there’s still a lot of crime, including drugs and prostitution. Increased police presence here would be a good deterrent.”

Some police substations, often referred to as “cop shops”, provide a place for district officers to relieve themselves, eat lunch – and write reports.

Adair and Anderson check out the front door, while identifying improvements they plan to make to the office space.

A community meeting place
“While it won’t be full-time staffed by officers,” Anderson says, “We want this to be a place where people can come and gather. It will be open to the public, so citizens can speak directly to an officer when they’re here.”

The sergeant says he plans to hold monthly events at the office. “We’ll talk about all kinds of public safety issues – including graffiti, identity theft, and elder abuse – in addition to working together to solve problems from drugs and prostitution.”

Special Parkrose phone hot-line
Anderson also plans to install a “Parkrose Crime Hotline” phone line for non-emergency problems. “Citizens can call and talk to a district officer right here. Officers will log the issues and problems which neighbors call in.”

Rossi family contributes community office
They were contacted by the Rossi family, Anderson tells us, and were offered the office space, “charging only a dollar per year. It’s a great deal for us and for the community”.

Although the space is in fairly good condition, police and community members will be sprucing up the office with new lighting, some fresh paint, and new carpeting.

In a few weeks, this office will become the newest East Portland police substation.

“We’re doing this on a tight budget,” reports Anderson, “so we’re accepting volunteer labor help and contributions of materials.”

Already, Parkrose Hardware has donated paint, hardware, and some electrical supplies.

“We look forward to having an open house in the spring,” Anderson says. “I hope the neighbors and businesses will come join us in making Parkrose a safer and more livable community.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

See how, by acting on a hunch, this East Precinct police sergeant put the brakes on three gun-toting crooks. How did a standoff with one of the thugs end? Read this …

SE Powell Blvd. was closed from mid-afternoon until 10:30 p.m. as police and SERT officers tried to coax a suspected gunman out of a home he’d invaded.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Joey Conn walked in on three armed thugs committing a home-invasion robbery at his Centennial neighborhood house in the 2500 block of Southeast 168th Avenue, shortly after 3:00 p.m. on December 7.

This crime, which included Conn being pistol-whipped before the trio ran off, kicked off an eight-hour police action that closed SE Powell Blvd. from SE 112nd Avenue to SE 122nd Avenue.

Acting on a hunch, Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Sgt. John Anderson (shown here previously speaking at a Parkrose Business Association meeting) said he was the first to spot the thug’s getaway car.

Sergeant spies get-away car
Portland Police Bureau East Precinct’s day sergeant, John Anderson, told us his role in this story. He said it started when he heard a radio dispatch call about the home invasion robbery.

“After you’ve been a cop for a while,” Anderson began, “you sometimes get a hunch about where to be.”

Anderson headed east on SE Powell Blvd., he continued, looking for the smaller, white Chevrolet identified in the dispatch call. “The license plate number stuck in my mind. The number on the plate reminded me of the name of a company with which I deal.”

Trapped on a dead-end street
When he saw a small, white car, Anderson related, he spied the plate – and it matched the description. “I made a hard U-turn and headed west. Fortunately a TriMet driver let me in. I followed the car, and turned south on SE 118th Avenue – it’s a short dead-end street.”

As he pulled up at the end of the road, the trio of suspects had abandoned the car with engine still running. “I saw two of them hike over the fence westbound. I radioed asking for more cars – and to come with their sirens on. Hearing the cars approaching often encourages [fleeing criminals] to give up.”

Makes a second, armed home invasion
But, almost immediately after the suspects split up and ran, the 911 Center received a call from an apartment a block away. The resident reported that someone had forced entry to his apartment and hit him with a gun.

During the struggle, a shot was fired. “Fortunately for that man,” Anderson said, “the gun jammed after the round went off.” The suspect then fled the apartment.

Within minutes, officers had two of the three suspected home invaders pinned down, waiting for police backup before taking them into custody.

Portland Police Bureau East Precinct officers stand back while SERT officers search in darkness – because of the early winter sunset – for the armed, accused criminals who didn’t ditch their guns.

Kicks in the door of a third residence
As patrol cars swooped into the area, folks from a house in the 11600 block of SE Powell Blvd. ran from their house.

“They told us that it sounded like someone kicked in the door leading to the washroom and basement of their house,” Anderson told us.

Officers secured the home and surrounded the yard. Anderson activated the bureau’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT). “When we have a situation with armed individuals on the run, or in a standoff, barricaded in a home, the SERT team has the equipment and training to deal with it.”

The holed-up suspect then broke into the main part of the house, said Anderson. “It looks like he smoked some cigarettes and stole money from the house while he was in there, surrounded by police.”

Spreading out over a two-block area of Powellhurst-Gilbert, officers combed yards, outbuildings and brambles.

SERT combs blocks
Because there was talk that there were others involved and still on the loose, Anderson reported that the SERT officers made a careful, yard-by-yard search of two-block area.

“Using our night-vision scopes, I could see them moving through the area. At one point, they used a ladder to climb over brambles. Those are long blocks where Powell Court curves around. They searched every shed and thicket in the area.”

Holed-up suspect gives up
Because the suspect had invaded the house of innocent citizens, officers hesitated to shoot tear gas into the house.

“They set up a loud-hailing system and kept telling the guy to surrender,” continued Anderson. “Finally, a SERT officer shot a ‘SAGE’ round — a rubber baton – through the home’s front door window. The suspect gave up and was taken into custody about 10:20 pm.”

Police say they’ve charged (shown left to right) 28-year-old James Gerald Richardson, 20-year-old George Edward Rowe and 27-year-old Travis Edward Saltsman each with four counts of Robbery in the First Degree.

Three in custody
Police initially took 28-year-old James Gerald Richardson and 20-year-old George Edward Rowe into custody. Finally, after the hours-long standoff, they led 27-year-old Travis Edward Saltsman away. Three handguns were recovered.

“Thanks to good police work, Anderson said, “we contained the suspects in a relatively small area.”

We learned that a total of 67 officers were on-scene; the number grew to 120 when the SERT officers joined the mission.

“This was one of the more intense situations I’ve been in years,” Anderson concluded. “We’re not going to risk the public’s safety when we know there are three armed guys, on the run, forcing their way into houses.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

The young man’s mother says her son, the accused drunk driver, is “a good boy”. See why the bereaved family may hold a different opinion …

This broken sapling is the only reminder of the fatal accident – on this SE Stark Street sidewalk – that took the life of a pedestrian.

Story and photo by David F. Ashton
Nearly the whole night, on December 11, the 11200 block of SE Stark Street was closed, as the Portland Police Bureau’s Major Crash Team investigated a fatal collision between a Jeep and pedestrian.

Just after 11 p.m., 42-year-old Angela Buyas had been walking near her home, westbound on the sidewalk along SE Stark Street with another person. She never saw the out-of-control vehicle careening toward her from behind.

“Based on information learned during the investigation, officers believe that a Jeep was driving westbound on SE Stark St. at a high rate of speed,” reported Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “The driver lost control of his car and drove it up onto the sidewalk on the north side of the street.”

The individual with whom she was walking saw the Jeep at the last moment and jumped clear, but Buyas, a mother of three teenagers, was mowed down, investigators said.

The Jeep’s driver, 21-year-old Tareq Temple, “returned to the roadway and continued westbound for about a half block before stopping, then ran back to the scene. Temple remained there until officers arrived, and cooperated with the investigation,” Schmautz continued.

Temple was taken into custody and charged with one count each of DUII, Reckless Driving, and Manslaughter in the Second Degree.

“As you can imagine, the kids have been devastated by the news that their mom has been killed,” added Schmautz. “The victim’s children are being cared for by their grandmother.”

Police accuse 21-year-old Tareq Temple of killing a pedestrian with his Jeep as she walked along a sidewalk near her home.

Following Temple’s arraignment, his mother, Annette Moody, spoke briefly, saying “Please forgive my son, he’s a good boy.”  She admonished the family of the slain mother to be strong, and added, “It was a terrible mistake.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service

Learn why the crew of Portland Fire & Rescue Station 30 proudly showed off their firehouse, and what the improvements mean to the community …

Portland Fire & Rescue firefighter Kyle MacLowry shows the engine to future firefighter Cooper White, being held by his mom, Tracy.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Rescuing and firefighting is a serious profession. Members of Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) are ready to save lives and put out fires at any time of any day.

But on November 27, the staff of PF&R Station 30, at 13313 NE San Rafael Street, couldn’t resist throwing a party to celebrate their firehouse’s reopening.

“After being closed for about 18 months,” says Captain Fred Ellison, “We want to celebrate our reopening.”

Ellison told us the station underwent a major remodeling. The building was made more structurally sound to resist the effects of earthquakes and other natural disasters. “Also, our living areas are more gender-friendly, providing private showers and rooms for our firefighters. Our giant dorm has been broken into very nicely-sized rooms.”

In addition to the new look inside the station, the firehouse got a new name –or, we should say, number. “We are the home of Engine 30, formerly known as Engine 43,” Ellison says. “We also house a call-back rig Engine 30R. It is fully prepared for greater-alarm fires. Crews can be called in to take it to a fire when needed. We have no ladder trucks here.”

An active member of many community organizations, Jon Turino Farmer’s Insurance agent, says he’s never been in a fire engine before. So, Captain Fred Ellison helps him climb into the driver’s seat. Ellison explains the function of the controls of Engine 30. Yes, the lights were flashing!

Ellison says he’s pleased with the community’s response to the open house.

“We’ve had a couple hundred visitors here today, including some school groups. Some retired firefighters came by to look over their old station,” Ellison reports. “Some of them told stories about life in the dorm, and commented on the change to having individual bedrooms. They said it looks like we’ll be comfortable here.”

© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service