No one was injured in the fire, officials say; but you’ll see the damage this conflagration caused to a home in this quiet neighborhood in outer NE Portland ‚Ķ
Neighbors say things are usually pretty quiet along the 10600 block of NE Knott St., where this fire took place.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Damage to the modest, one-story frame home in the 10600 block of NE Knott St. in Parkrose isn’t great. But, how ‚Äì and why ‚Äì the fire started concerns some area neighbors.
Youngster spots blaze
“I saw a light in front of our house,” explains Jesse Almasan, whose family lives across the street from the fire-damaged home.
“I thought it was my sister coming back from the library.” The young man continues. “I looked out the window and saw a house burning. I called my
Dad and told him to call 9-1-1 because the neighbor’s house, across the street was on fire.”
When neighbor Jesse Almasan saw fire, he made sure his dad quickly called 9-1-1.
The helpful neighbor says he could see fire burning out from the front of the house. “You could really see the flames. It’s too bad this happened. I used to mow the lawn for the lady who owns the house.”
Police arrive before firefighters
Jesse’s father, George Almasan, picks up the story: “Two police cars were here in less than two minutes, and asked if someone was in the house. It looked as if it was empty because no cars were around it in the driveway. I thought there was someone there.”
Telling us his family has lived there for 19 years, the father adds, “l sorry for them. We got to know them. They are very nice people. It is very sad.”
Other neighbors also report seeing police cars arrive before fire units. We’re told that one individual, exhibiting signs of emotional distress, is seen being escorted out by officers.
In the chief’s words
“We have a fire in a single-family residence,” confirms Battalion Chief Chris Babcock.
One occupant was transported by ambulance to Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital, Babcock tells us on scene. “Her exact situation ‚Ķ nothing fire-related. The individual was taken to the hospital for treatment.”
Engine 12 is the first to arrive, quickly followed by an engine, truck, and rescue unit from Station 2. Crews from Stations 19 and 7 also respond to the fire.
An individual, whom neighbors say lives in the home, looks on as firefighters make sure the fire is completely out.
Word from the experts: Fire intentionally set
Although this incident remains under investigation, Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt later tells us they believe the fire was “intentionally set”.
“It may look like the home was severely damaged,” Oswalt continues, “but crews knocked down the fire in minutes. It was hot enough to burn off the PP&L power line, but the fire was contained in the carport area. The home mostly suffered only smoke damage.”
No smoke detectors
There were no smoke detectors in the home, Oswalt adds. “There’s no reason NOT to have a working smoke detector. Today’s units are reliable and inexpensive. And, we have a program that will supply ‚Äì and will even mount ‚Äì a smoke detector in a home of anyone who can’t afford one.”
To learn the conditions that apply to that offer, citizens can call the Smoke Detector Hotline at (503) 823-3752.
“One last thing,” Oswalt adds, “we’ve had several apartment fires in East Portland. Please remind tenants that the landlord is required, by law, to provide a working smoke alarm. They are also responsible for testing it on a regular basis, to ensure that it will give residents the early warning they need, in the event of a fire.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Eighteen hours apart, these two residential fires kept crews from Portland Fire & Rescue busy. See why one of the fires sounded “two alarms” ‚Ķ
Firefighters knew they had to quickly knock this fire down to keep it from spreading to other units of this apartment building. (Dick Harris, PF&R photo)
Story and some photos by David F. Ashton
An apartment house fire on the evening of March 2 sent the crews of eleven fire engines and five ladder trucks to the 13000 block of SE Powell Boulevard.
“On arrival,” PF&R’s John Hill reports, “they had a large amount of fire in two of the first floor apartments.”
The flames, Hill says, were leaping to the second floor of the structure, extending up to the parapet area of the roof. When the roof was ablaze ten minutes after they arrived, the Battalion Chief called for a second alarm.
“A ‘second alarm’ immediately dispatches more resources to a fire,” explains the bureau spokesperson, Lt. Allen Oswalt. “Especially with an apartment fire, we want to make sure we contain the fire, and that it doesn’t spread to other units.”
Portland crews, assisted by Gresham firefighters, quickly knocked down the blaze.
“Damage to the apartment complex was limited,” Hill says, “so that we only had two adults and one child that are going to stay with another family member.”
This fire remains under investigation.
Neighbors’ quick calls save elderly woman’s burning home
Officials say calls by neighbors brought out firefighters to investigate reports of smoke coming from this Southeast Portland home.
“We look out for each other,” says a neighbor, standing in the intersection of SE Steele St. at 57th Avenue as firefighters swirl around us. “I was concerned when I saw smoke coming from this house because an elderly lady lives there.”
The concern led her, and other neighbors, to promptly call 9-1-1 when they saw smoke coming from more than the chimney of the modest blue home on March 3.
While firefighters check on her wellbeing, neighbors gather to comfort the woman whose home is damaged by a basement fire.
Quick investigation leads to fast action
Within minutes, Portland Fire & Rescue’s Truck 25 rolls on scene.
“Firefighters arrived to find smoke-stained windows,” Battalion Chief Erin Janssens tells us on scene. “They immediately called for ‘residential house fire response’, thus dispatching more units.”
A jet of water sprays out of a basement window, as firefighters quickly extinguish the fire, said to be located above the home’s basement ceiling.
Concerned that the occupant might be in the building, Janssens tells us, some firefighters made a complete search of the building while others looked for the source of the potential blaze.
“In the basement, they found the source of the smoke, and extinguished it,” says Janssens. “Fortunately, the occupant was out of the building.”
Lt. Greg Holsinger, from Station 25, comforts the homeowner, and gives her information regarding resources available to her.
In all, 24 firefighters responded to the incident, hailing from PF&R Stations 25, 20, 9 and 11.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Witnesses, including an off-duty police officer, say they were surprised the elderly driver who turned in front of a rolling MAX train wasn’t killed
Portland Police NRT Officer Michael Gallagher (center, writing on the pad on the car) witnessed what he said was a grinding mix-up between the wrecked car and a MAX train.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Witnesses say it did not look like the driver of blue Dodge Astra was racing, trying to beat the MAX train to the SE 108th Ave. intersection from E. Burnside St.
Nevertheless, the heedless driver lost the contest and was struck, broadside, on the clear, dry early afternoon of March 8.
Thought she was killed
“I happened to look out the window,” says neighbor Laura MacDonald, “and couldn’t believe I was seeing a car just turn in front of the MAX train. It slammed into the car so hard, it spun it around. I thought it must’ve killed the driver for sure.”
The MAX Train coupler struck the car broadside, first in the driver’s door; then in the rear quarter-panel, as it spun it off the tracks.
Driver appears oblivious
About to start his afternoon shift, off-duty Portland Police NRT Officer Michael Gallagher was on his way from the Gateway Area Business Association meeting to East Precinct.
“I was coming south on SE 108th Avenue, waiting for traffic to clear,” Gallagher tells us on scene. She [the driver of the Dodge] was westbound on E. Burnside St. I observed her pulling into the left hand turn lane to travel south on 108th. She appeared to be oblivious to the MAX train, bearing down upon the intersection.”
Gallagher says the train indicator lights and traffic signals were operating, and the MAX train sounded the horn, then hit its brakes.
“When I got out, checking on her after the accident, I thought she’d be seriously injured ‚Äì or worse,” says Gallagher.
TriMet officials check over the MAX train; it is released to continue its westward journey.
Instead of finding a mangled driver, the officer says the heedless driver refused medical attention – and, using her four-point cane, walked away from the accident.
“It was my fault, I think,” said the elderly woman. “I didn’t see it.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service.
See why the commute into Portland — from Gresham, and points east — became a nightmare during the March 1st morning drive. The good moos: No cows were injured …
Hours after the mishap, big-rig tow trucks were still trying to right the toppled milk-carrying tanker trailer.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Eastbound traffic on Interstate 84 was slow mooo-ving on March 1 because of a trucking accident.
At 5:55 am, Portland Police Bureau East Precinct officers, and investigators from the Traffic Division, were called to the scene of a non-injury collision on I-84 westbound near NE 122nd Avenue, involving an overturned milk truck.
Investigators contacted the driver of the truck, 36-year-old Francisco Macias. He told them he had been forced to swerve to avoid a car after it cut in front of him in traffic.
As he swerved, he struck an abandoned vehicle on the side of the roadway. The jolt from the impact caused the load of milk to shift in the big tanker truck, with the milk’s momentum carrying the second tanker over onto its side, where it ruptured open.
The concrete Jersey Barriers on either side of the lanes contained the milk, making it easier to clean up.
Police allowed one lane of traffic to slowly make its way past the scene of udder desolation – backing up drivers past Troutdale.
On this morning, the “Milky Way” wasn’t in the heavens nor within a tanker truck ‚Äì the bovine product covered the freeway. Cats across east Portland were said to be near tears.
The milk was the property of the Milky Way Corporation of Sunnyside, Washington, but after the washdown and cleanup, they won’t be getting it back. No one was hurt, and no citations have been issued.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland Mooos Service
Even after police used a ladder to help a woman escape from a Brentwood-Darlington home, the man involved didn’t give up. See why SE 52nd Avenue was shut down while cops lobbed canisters of tear gas into that house ‚Ķ
SE Rex Drive, west of 52nd Avenue, quickly fills with public safety workers and vehicles, when it becomes obvious that a domestic disturbance is about to escalate.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Neighbors around the house in the 4800 block of secluded SE Rex Drive say the man’s behavior wasn’t typical ‚Äì in fact he was definitely acting abnormally on March 1.
At 3:45 pm, Portland Police Bureau Southeast Precinct officers respond to a reported domestic disturbance at the home.
When we arrive on scene, we learn there is dispute between a man and a woman. The man is holding the woman against her will.
Dramatic second-story rescue
“When officers arrive,” police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz tells us, “they learn the man threatened a female in the house with a knife; and she’s hiding in an upstairs room of the house.”
Officers work quickly to bring the woman to safety by putting a ladder up to the window, and then rescue her by pulling her through a second-story window.
It doesn’t take long from SE 52nd Avenue to turn into a parking lot filled with all kinds of emergency-response vehicles.
Makes threats instead of giving up
We note two fire engines in the area. “The man made statements he was barricading himself in the home, or was going to burn the home,” explains Schmautz.
Officers attempted to contact the troubled man, Schmautz says, but after he made several threats, officers activate the bureau’s Special Emergency Response Team (SERT).
SE 52nd Avenue, between SE Flavel Drive and SE Harney Avenue is shut down. “Public safety is our primary concern,” says a sergeant, in passing.
SE Precinct Commander Derek Foxworth (left) takes charge of the unfolding situation, and briefs Public Information Officer Sgt. Brian Schmautz on the status of the operation.
From all over the city, members of SERT roll on-scene. Soon, SE 52nd Avenue is filled with patrol cars and off-duty SERT member vehicles.
Officers “suit up” as a temporary command center is set up. They dress in Kevlar vests and camouflage jackets; check their weapons; and get ready for deployment.
SERT moves in
Using restraint typical of SERT operations we’ve observed; they don’t rush in shooting.
The heavily-armored SERT vehicle snakes its way south on SE 52nd Ave., turns west on SE Rex Drive, and moves into position near the house in which a man refuses to surrender.
Instead, the heavily armed team members quickly remove neighbors from surrounding homes and seal off the area. Then, they take positions surrounding the house. SERT K-9 teams suit up and take positions.
At the same time, trained SERT negotiators establish communication and endeavor to talk the man into surrendering.
At the Mobile Command Center, a huge RV-looking vehicle, SE Precinct Commander Derek Foxworth and the command staff listen to the negotiators and the SERT team leaders.
“If the negotiators believe that talking is fruitful, they’ll continue to talk as long as it is reasonable,” Schmautz tells us. “But when the suspect starts becoming irrational, or starts making statements leading them to believe he will cause harm to himself to the community by his actions, the commander will direct SERT to deploy gas and enter.”
Negotiations break down
As night falls on this particular rainy evening, the negotiators talk with the man, seen pacing in the house for more than an hour. But, talking doesn’t lead him to come out.
At 6:16 p.m., the sound of shells being fired can be heard ‚Äì it’s the SERT team, shooting tear gas into the house.
A few minutes later, “Pop, pop, pop” ‚Äì more shells are lobbed into the residence. “They’ll use enough tear gas or other less-lethal means to gain compliance as necessary,” Schmautz comments.
As night falls, bystanders’ eyes began to sting, as wafts of tear gas came from the house where a man was holed up.
Still, the troubled man doesn’t exit. For 40 minutes, more and more tear gas floods the residence. The man breaks a window, trying to escape the tear gas.
Finally, surrender
Just before 7:00 p.m., the man, later identified as 50-year-old Gaylon Amen, gives up and comes out.
“Amen apparently sustained some non-life threatening injuries when he broke out a window to escape the gas,” Schmautz tells us. “Amen is being transported for medical attention, and will be charged with one count of Menacing and one count of Assault in the Fourth Degree.”
Schmautz says police has little information about Amen, other than that “we’ve had some prior criminal contact with him. For whatever reason, he was having a severe episode. It could be a medication or a mental health issue.”
The police representative adds that their Domestic Violence Unit will work with the rescued woman to assure her future safety.
The mission accomplished, SERT members disperse.
Many police officers called up for this SERT mission were off duty. They stripped off their gear, got in their vehicles and returned home.
“A good mission,” a SERT officer commented to us, in passing. “Everyone’s going home safely, and perhaps this individual will get the help he needs.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
See how serious home blazes caused at least one fire crew to race from one East Portland residence to another …
It took firefighters 30 minutes to put out this fire on SE 153rd Avenue. [Dick Harris, PF&R, photo]
When duty calls, crews from Portland Fire & Rescue respond – sometimes going from one fire directly to another. Such was the case on February 23.
Outer Southeast fire
Four minutes after the call came in at 6:22 p.m., the crews from Engines 9, 45, and 73 arrive on-scene, in the 400 block of SE 153rd Avenue.
“The garage is fully involved in fire,” reports PF&R spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt.
He says the blaze started in the attached garage of a residence. “Hot coals from a fireplace ‘cleanout’, inside the garage, ignited cardboard boxes stored too close to the fireplace chimney. Embers from the fire got up into the exposed attic of the home.”
We learn from the neighbors that the family had occupied the residence for less than two months. The dollar loss from this fire has been set at $60,000.
“The family got out OK, there were no injuries,” says Oswalt. “But, there is a lot of damage to the home.”
Firefighters use an infrared detector to seek hidden flames in the walls of a home on NE 74th Ave.
Northeast blaze injures resident
Later the same evening, the fact that his burning home was a block away from Fire Station 19 may have saved the resident’s life.
Neighbors across the street say they didn’t see flames. “There was a lot of thick, dark gray and black smoke coming out of the house,” she adds. “It seemed like the fire trucks were here, instantly.”
“We’ve got a fire in a one-story wood frame house,” Battalion Chief Chris Babcock tells us on scene. “Engine 19, just a block away, was first in. Immediately, they entered the building to attack the fire. Once inside, firefighters encountered heat and heavy smoke conditions.”
Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman, Lt Doug Jones continues the story: “At the same time firefighting efforts were taking place, members of Engine 19 began to search the inside of the house for any occupants that may have been inside.”
Had it not been for the fast-acting crew of Engine 19, the resident of the burning house probably would have died in the fire. [Dick Harris, PF&R, photo]
Within moments, Jones adds, they found an unconscious 55-year-old man on a bed in a back corner bedroom of the house. “They quickly carried him outside, where firefighters & paramedics began resuscitation efforts. He’s [the resident] being transported to Emanuel Hospital; he’s reported to have a pulse and to be breathing.”
The fire victim is later reported to be in critical, but stable condition.
“We had help from Engine 9,” reports Babcock. “They had just come from the fire on 153rd.”
A small dog found outside the residence was rescued and sent to Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital.
This fire was extinguished very soon after fire crews arrived, officials say.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and is still under investigation by Portland Fire & Rescue Fire Investigators.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
If he hadn’t been whipping in and out of traffic on SE 82nd Ave., this wanted probationer wouldn’t have been caught with bindles of pills ‚Äì enough to be a “walking pharmacy”. You’ll only see his story RIGHT HERE ‚Ķ
Officers search this black Acura they say was driven by a man who tried to ditch them in the neighborhood. When he finally stopped here, he tried to escape on foot. He didn’t get far ‚Ķ
Story and Photos by David F. Ashton
What makes a man speed off from a traffic stop, careen through southeast Portland neighborhoods, screech his car to a stop in front of a “troubled” house, and run until cops took him down?
Perhaps he was taking a “dose of his own medicine” ‚Äì police say he was holding enough pills to stock a pain clinic pharmacy.
A not-so-merry chase
It all starts, Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz tells us, when a cop on patrol tries to talk with the driver of a black Acura at SE 82nd Ave. of Roses and SE Bush St. on February 22. No major infraction, we’re told–just an illegal lane change.
But, the Acura takes off, circles through the neighborhood, gets back on 82nd Ave., blows through a red light at SE Holgate Blvd., and weaves between cars, driving in the center lane, near SE Foster Rd., and then heads west. From there, the driver cuts through a parking lot, and zigzags until he ends up westbound on SE Woodstock Blvd.
“We were set up to spike-strip his tires at SE 52nd Ave.,” Sgt. Craig Mendenhall tells us on scene. “But, he cuts across the street, comes to a sudden stop, facing the traffic–here in the 6100 block of SE Woodstock Blvd.”
Ordering the suspect to stop running didn’t work. Neither did a dose of pepper spray. A Taser shot encouraged him to comply. Paramedics from Portland Fire and Rescue Truck 25 are called to check him over in the back seat of the police car.
Suspected crook won’t quit
Instead of giving up, Mendenhall says, the suspect ‚Äì clad in a red-and-green plaid woolen jacket ‚Äì takes off on foot. A patrol car “pits” [a controlled crash, using the heavy bumper on police cars] the passenger side, to keep it closed.
“The driver got ‘Tazed’ and pepper-sprayed as he attempted to flee,” Mendenhall relates. “Bottom line is he really didn’t want to get caught.”
Officers put the items taken from the suspect on the roof of this police car. They believed some of what they found was illegal, “street” drugs.
A “walking pharmacy”
As officers pat down the uncooperative suspect, they find why he was running from them. “Officers recovered what looks like street drugs and a big wad of cash,” Mendenhall says.
“We don’t know what kind of drugs they are, without testing. It could be meth ‚Äì they’ve been putting meth into pill form. We now suspect he is a street-level dealer. He had multiple bindles of, what look like, different kinds of pills. It looks as if there are about 20 pills in a bindle.”
Portland Fire & Rescue’s Truck 25 pulls up, and medic/firefighters hop out with their kits. Police policy requires that anyone who was shocked with a Tazer be medically checked out. The suspected drug-running driver is checked while in the back of a cop car.
Attention turns to “troubled house”
“We suspect the driver or passenger knows someone who lives at the house where we’re stopped,” says Mendenhall.
As officers searched the Acura, neighbors walk up and watch the unfolding situation.
A woman, who asks not to be identified, gestures to the house, in front if which the suspect stopped. “This house has a real history,” she says, raising her eyebrows.
She was joined by a neighbor who lives across the street, on the north side of Woodstock. “If I’m not mistaken, this car was parked in front of my house this morning,” he comments. “I’ve seen it here more than once, lately.”
Both neighbors agree that the house in question has had a sordid history. “Not long ago, someone died of a drug overdose in the garage,” the woman recalls.
The man said, “Lots of people come and go from this house. Sometimes, there will be several cars parked both in the driveway and up on the lawn.” He shook his head as he walked off and remarked, “Maybe I’ve lived here too long.”
Cops say this suspect, Dylan Pardue, has three outstanding warrants, is on probation, and his driver’s license is suspended.
Shouldn’t even been driving
Sgt. Schmautz verifies the suspect is 27-year-old Dylan Pardue. “He’s a local resident.”
Pardue is known to local law enforcement and justice community; Schmautz says he has three outstanding warrants, is on probation for identity theft, and was driving on a suspended driver’s license.
Now, added to this list, Pardue is charged with Attempt to Elude; Attempt to Elude on foot; Reckless driving; Reckless Endangering; Resist Arrest; Possession of Methamphetamine; Possession of Methadone; Possession of OxyContin; Distribution of Methadone; and, Manufacture and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Pardue’s passenger is released, after being questioned by police. “We didn’t have probable cause to take him into custody,” Mendenhall says.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
See why firefighters rushed “Code Three” to this outer East Portland home. And, learn how its 93-year-old occupant escaped ‚Ķ
Even though firefighters arrived on scene promptly, the fire that ripped through this home did substantial damage ‚Äì nearly taking the owner’s life. Dick Harris, PF&R photo
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
Before dawn, on February 19, the home of an elderly outer East Portland man went up in flames.
At 5:19 a.m., crews from Portland Fire & Rescue and Gresham Fire raced, “Code 3” — with lights and sirens — to a fire in a residence reported in the 13700 block of SE Center Street.
“I was up, getting ready to go to work,” a neighbor told us, “and saw an orange, flickering light outside. Really heavy smoke was pouring out of the roof.”
Four minutes after they got the call, firefighters pulled up to the wood-frame house.
“There was heavy fire involvement on the rear of the residence,” reported PF&R spokesman John Hill. The fire was so intense, it took [a longer-than-usual] 20 minutes until the fire incident was recalled [put out].”
Neighbors told us the man’s son lives in a small cottage behind the home. “I’m pretty sure he saved his father’s life,” a neighbor told us. “I saw him and his dad coming out of the front door. They were both coughing; they didn’t look very good.”
Looking at the charred remains of the home and singed, personal property sitting out front, most would agree with the neighbors who said they were amazed the owner survived the blaze.
Officials told us that the elderly man was transported to Portland Adventist Medical Center with smoke inhalation; the son, apparently recovered from the rescue of his father, refused transport to a medical facility.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
But, the suspected crook ends up collared by a dog!
Not often do you see an East Precinct patrol car ripped up like this one was, as an officer was pursuing a crook on February 13.
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
Westbound NE Glisan St. is shut down for hours on February 13. A police patrol car tangles with civilian cars, in the midst nabbing an individual suspected of being a prolific thief.
The commotion has eastbound early-evening traffic backed up to nearly NE 102nd Avenue, while cops investigate the incident, and search for the alleged perpetrator.
“They [police] were chasing a Range Rover or Bronco,” Melinda Jacobs tells us. She says she was coming out McDonald’s [on the NW corner of NE 122nd and Glisan St.]. “It was like he was trying to get away; this guy was driving crazy, going down Glisan really fast.”
While police and rescue units investigate, and secure the scene of the crash, other officers are chasing down a suspected thief.
Witness recounts the accident
Tim Lawrence, an off-duty TriMet driver, tells us what he saw.
“I just pulled into McDonald’s. I saw something out of the corner of my eye that was unusual. It was a cop car going sideways on Glisan,heading west. The cop car hit a minivan, but not very hard.”
Lawrence says the cops were chasing a vehicle going south on SE 122nd Ave. and turned west, around the clipped civilian car. “The cop car got clipped by a coupe, looked like it went out of control, and into the van.”
Police say this car “zigged when it should have zagged”; after the first patrol car passed, it clipped the second police car as it rounded the corner from NE 122nd Ave. on to Glisan St.
The official word
We get in touch with Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Sgt. Brian Schmautz. He fills us in on the details.
“Officers were chasing an individual wanted in connection with a series of property crimes.
“The suspect made it through the intersection; as did the first patrol car. The second patrol car was hit by a citizen who was trying to get out of the way, but turned into the second police car.”
Police allege that this man, 35-year-old Tom Lepesh, is suspected of numerous property crimes – in addition to leading cops on the Tuesday evening pursuit.
Collared by a canine
The suspect, identified by police as 35-year-old Tom Lepesh, speeds west on NE Glisan Street. He bails out of his vehicle just east of SE 102nd Avenue, and heads east into the apartment complex near NE Marx Street. He’s then seen walking south on NE 102nd Avenue. Police fear he’ll hop on MAX and be gone.
But, a Portland Police K-9 officer arrives on scene and gets the scent. It doesn’t take long for the four-legged officer to sniff out Lepesh; he’s then taken into custody.
Back at the accident site, two ambulances are called to the scene. “The officer and one citizen received some medical attention, but there were no serious injuries,” reports Schmautz.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
See which police dog was chosen for the “K-9 of the Year” award by members of SE Precinct Citizen’s Advisory Council. And, you may be surprised to learn how many bad guys these four-legged cops take down ‚Ķ
Portland Police Bureau’s Dave Benson presents K-9 Unit Officer Shawn Gore with the “K-9 of the Year Award” for his work with his departed partner, Deny.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A group of citizens gathered to honor a fallen officer at Portland Police Bureau’s SE Precinct on February 1. In nine years on the force, this cop helped his partner capture 415 suspects, conduct 1,878 searches, and took down a criminal who was shooting at his partner.
By the way, this police officer wasn’t human. He was a K-9 Police dog named Deny [pronounced “Denny“].
Working with his human counterpart, Officer Shawn Gore, the pair received 26 separate commendations and two Police Bureau medals, trained with the Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team ‚Äì and gave 43 demonstrations to youth groups across the city.
Deny developed an inoperable brain tumor, was put to sleep in October of 2006.
Accepting the award, Gore said simply, “Thank you very much. There are a lot of good people doing good work. I’m honored to be here.”
K-9 Unit Officer Shawn Gore introduces his new K-9 partner, Eddie.
Gets new partner
Even though Deny is gone, Gore won’t be on patrol alone. At the awards ceremony–presented as part of the SE Precinct Citizen’s Advisory Council meeting–the officer introduced his new partner, Eddie.
“He’s a pure-bred Belgian Malinois,” Gore told us. “We’ve been together for nine weeks; and, we’re in our fourth week of class. Eddie is going to be a great partner.”
Telling why the SE Precinct Citizen’s Advisory Council has long supported the Portland Police K-9 Unit is Eric Bosler.
SE citizens “adopt” police dogs
Speaking for the Advisory Council, Eric Bosler told us, “our group has been the council to East Precinct originally, and now to SE Precinct, for almost 30 years. We adopted the K-9’s as one of our programs.”
It was decided early on, Bosler said, that the group felt they could “make a real difference” by directly supporting the police dog program. “Not only to the K-9 Unit officers work in our precinct, but they also travel to all parts of the city. In talking with officers over the years, they’ve told us, without exception, one of the best tools at their disposal is to be able to call in a dog. This is why our commitment to this program remains strong.”
Equipment costs have gone up, Bosler told the group. A full ballistic vest for a police dog costs about $1,600, he said, by way of example. Then, he held up a check ‚Äì a donation from a citizen ‚Äì to pay for a new K-9 vest. “Thank you, citizens, for all you do.”
Portland Police Bureau K-9 Unit Sgt. Bob McCormick relates the role of police dogs within the bureau.
K-9 Unit moves to SE Precinct
Partly because the SE Precinct Advisory Council supports the program, we learned the K-9 Unit will be moved back to SE Precinct on February 22.
The division has a staff of one sergeant, plus ten officers with canine partners.
“With staffing at this level,” K-9 Unit Sgt. Bob McCormick told us, “we’ll have officers and their dogs available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
We asked the sergeant why officers appreciate having police dogs available.
“The dogs’ unique ability to use their nose allows us to locate suspects more quickly, and safely, than any other method,” McCormick explained.
Without the dogs, he added, they would not find people who are a danger to our community. “Our job, as K-9 teams, is to find people who are highly-motivated to not get caught. They are hiding, running, and fighting. We locate, and help take into custody, those who are the most challenging to capture.”
McCormick said that the 10-week training that officer-handlers go through is the most challenging training program in law enforcement.
Eric Bosler presents Officer Bert Combs with a plaque recognizing his years of service in the K-9 Unit.
New K-9 officers train
At the meeting, Officer Bert Combs, a 22-year veteran of the K-9 Unit was honored as he retires. Combs worked with four canine partners during his career. He’s retiring with his present partner, Brutus.
Portland Police Bureau Assistant Chief Rod Beard, who oversees the K-9 Unit, also recognized the two newest dog handlers. “They have captures already. It tells me the K-9 Unit is in good hands. They are very motivated, and work very hard.”
K-9 Unit Officer Ryan Hilstenteger shows off his new four-legged partner, Justice.
Beard thanked the members of the Advisory Council, saying, “You all have been strong supporters of our K-9 Unit. We thank you.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
If the alleged dope dealer thought he’d hide behind his wife and 2-year-old baby, he was wrong. Look at this, and you’ll see what Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Deputies saw ‚Ķ
These bags of dope won’t be on the street tonight, thanks to a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office bust.
Story by David F. Ashton
While some neighbors might have wondered why Apt. #22 at 17440 E Burnside St. had so many short-staying visitors, others suspected the occupant was selling drugs.
But, law enforcement doesn’t take action based on opinions.
“Before we get a search warrant,” explains Lt. Jason Gates, Public Information Officer, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MSCO), “undercover agents or confidential informants make at least three buys from a location, to demonstrate probable cause for drug distribution.”
7:00 a.m. wake-up call
Early on February 9, the occupants of this apartment are awakened by MSCO Special Investigations Unit Detectives – search warrant in hand.
The occupants also get to meet Nikki, the drug-detecting dog. It doesn’t take long for the team to locate several pre-packaged amounts methamphetamine and cocaine ‚Äì ready for sale. They also find a stash of $20,500 in cash.
This is what $20-grand in drug-tainted cash looks like, Sheriff’s Deputies say.
Baby in the home
Even worse, this alleged dope dealer didn’t live alone. He was found with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, when taken into custody
Sheriff’s Deputies allege that Alejandro Cruz-Hernandez was a low-level drug dealer in East County.
“Alejandro Cruz-Hernandez was taken into custody without incident,” reports Gates. “It is believed the narcotics attributed to Cruz-Hernandez very likely originated from Mexican drug cartels. Cruz-Hernandez is acting as the end-distributor of these narcotics after they were trafficked into the US and Oregon.”
Dealer demographic shift
Gates says that, in the past, Caucasian males were typically the dealers of home-grown meth. “And, we used to make seizures by the ounce; and now we’re seeing seizures by the pound. The flow of drugs into the country is accelerating; we’re now seeing more Hispanic males becoming dealers.”
We asked Lt. Gates why we’re finding that many of the dealers now apprehended have families.
“I’m not attributing it necessarily to this case,” Gates replies, “but some families brought into the United States have a debt to pay by to the coyotes [smugglers] who got them in. They agree to distribute drugs in exchange for coming to the United States.”
Cruz-Hernandez has been charged with PCS II-Methamphetamine, PCS II-Cocaine, DCS II-Methamphetamine, DCS II-Cocaine, DCS II within 1000 feet of a school, and endangering the welfare of a minor. He is being held on $100,000.00 bail and an INS hold at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
All photos provided by MSCO
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Read how “good, old-fashioned detective work” led East Precinct detectives to a band of I-5 cruising crooks who stole a $100,000 stamp collection ‚Äì and how they recovered the rare and valuable goods ‚Ķ
After his mishap in Portland, the victim of the stamp collection theft was glad to show us his recovered collection, but didn’t want to appear on camera.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
“I didn’t ever think I’d see them again,” exclaims Charles. “Not only for my own benefit, but also for that of the Sioux tribe in central South Dakota, to which this stamp collection belongs. I am surprised and delighted that the police were able to recover this collection.”
An older gentleman, Charles declines to give his last name, and won’t say where he is from, other than he lives in Washington State.
Starts with a “smash-and-grab”
Charles’ story started on February 5, in the parking lot of the CompUSA store in the 11500 Block of N.E. Glenn Widing Drive, near Airport Way.
“We were en route,” Charles tells us, “heading north. The stamps were in the car. I went into the store to buy a new computer. During the time we were in the store, someone smashed the window and grabbed the stamps. They also grabbed other bags, and a brief case.”
Charles says he still feels sick when he remembers returning to the car and seeing the driver’s side rear window of his SUV smashed in, and the bags gone.
“These stamps are not postage stamps”, Charles elucidates. “These are ‘revenue stamps’ that validate a license to hunt waterfowl on a reservation. When you buy a hunting license, the stamp validates it.”
While Charles’ says his “best guess, low end” value for the stamp collection was in the neighborhood of $100,000, he adds that there is a very limited market for the valuables. “Very few people collect these stamps. They are rare, but not widely collected. They couldn’t be immediately dumped on the market.”
The victim says these are only 6 of the revenue stamps he holds; their value has yet to be established.
Detectives on the case
Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Detective Sgt. David Anderson picks up the story.
“This crime fit the profile of several others we’ve had in the area,” Anderson tell us. “We pounded the pavement and burned the midnight oil. We did some good, old-fashioned detective work.”
East Precinct Detective Sgt. David Anderson tells how a little extra investigation helped them build a strong case against the alleged crooks – and recover the stolen stamp collection.
While the put together information for arrest warrants, the detectives didn’t immediately move in for the collar.
“We followed the suspects to Clackamas Town Center,” Anderson says. “We watched them break into a car at the Old Spaghetti Factory. That victim was an off-duty, out of town police officer ‚Äì using an unmarked police car ‚Äì attending a conference. After scouting out the area, it took less than five seconds for them to smash the window and grab his police bag. Fortunately, he had his gun with him.”
The two suspects, arrested, gave up the third suspect – the man accused of actually harboring the allegedly swiped stamps at his house.
“We did a knock-and-talk,” Anderson relates. “He coughed up the stamps.”
By investing a little extra investment in time and legwork, the detective says, they were able to build a rock-solid case against the alleged thieves – and recover the stamps.
The thieves said they knew they’d found something unusual. They moved the stamps to another location. They tried to figure out how much they worth. It isn’t that easy.
They ended up at a house on N.E. Halsey Street, where the police found them on Monday night.
Cops say Tuan Ho, Rong Li and Quan Vo, accused of smash-and-grab car prowl hits, told them they plied their trade in Tigard and Portland, and as far north as Kirkland and Bellevue in the Seattle area.
Busted!
On February 6, East Precinct Detectives arrested 44-year-old Tuan Ho, 29-year-old Rong Li and 28-year-old Quan Vo each on One Count of Aggravated Theft in the First Degree.
Anderson describes their operation, saying “they specialized in SUVs and vehicles that look like corporate fleet or rental cars. They target cars they think might contain a laptop computer. It takes about five seconds to grab a computer and they’re gone. They sell them for about $300 bucks.”
Don’t be a victim
We asked Charles if he learned anything from his ordeal.
“No, nothing I didn’t know,” he replied. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Anderson turns to us and says privately, “Sometimes it’s unavoidable; sometimes you must leave valuables in plain view in your vehicle. But, this is the second set of suspects in a year that are doing this. They prowl restaurant lots during lunch hour or happy hour, and parking lots in malls. Save yourself a lot of trouble: Take your computer bag with you into the restaurant, or put it in the trunk.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
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