Eddie is a big, energetic cuddly pooch who seems to love people‚ that is, unless you are a fleeing criminal suspect. Learn more about Portland’s four-footed cops‚ and where to meet them, in person, on June 23‚
Portland Police Bureau K9 Officer Shawn Gore tells neighbors how police dogs help apprehend criminals and aid officer safety.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Folks who came to the Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Commander’s Forum in June met two special guests, two officers from neighboring Southeast Precinct.
But, one of the two officers, Eddie, walked on all fours, wagged his brown bushy tail, and licked his partner. Oh yes, Eddie is the partner of K9 Officer Shawn Gore.
“Police dogs save thousands of man-hours,” Gore began. “A dog can ‘clear’ [check to see if anyone is hiding in] a building faster than an entire squad of police officers. Our K9s catch 250 to 300 suspects a year. They are called in, primarily, to sniff out the bad guys; they are not ‘aggressive attack’ dogs.”
On duty 24/7
Currently, the Portland Police Bureau has had ten K9 teams on the job; one additional team is in training. This means an officer and dog is available pretty much around the clock, every day of the week.
Detecting the ‘fear scent’
“Our dogs are trained to detect fresh human scent,” Gore said. “Suspects will drop or discard items; but dogs are trained to find human scent, not articles. You might say they’re ‘hot trailing’ dogs. We have a starting point. Someone runs away from a scene. We’ll try to track the trail. We’re able to track suspects about 20%.”
Asked if the dogs sense the suspect’s fear, Gore replied, “We used to call it ‘fear scent’, but that concept isn’t provable scientifically. But, people do put off enhanced scent when they’re amped-up, running and fearful.”
When hot-trailing a suspect, Gore said he relies on other officers to look out for, and protect him and his K9 partner. “I’m focused on reading my dog’s reactions. And yes, the dog knows the difference between an exercise and a real call. He can tell when we’re about to track a suspect.”
Different dogs for different jobs
The officer said dogs are trained for specific jobs. “The bureau has patrol and hot-tracking dogs; our Drugs and Vice Division have two drug detection dogs, and TriMet and Port of Portland have explosive-sensing dogs.”
In addition to their regular duties, Gore and Eddie are members of the SERT squad, called in for high-risk police work. “Our dogs aren’t much affected by tear gas; a little by pepper spray.”
Gores says Eddie is fast becoming a top-notch tracker.
No kennels for police pooches
“Although we’re headquartered at Southeast Precinct, our dogs are not kenneled. We take the dog home every day. It builds a bond, and trust. It doesn’t make sense for a dog to go into dark scary places‚ they may not want to. But, because they trust their human partners, they will do so.”
Asked about how the dogs are kept healthy, Gore told the group, “They’re on a good diet, we exercise them well, and give them supplements. We keep our dogs on the leaner side. We have to jump a lot of fences.”
Gore complemented the Southeast Precinct Citizen’s Advisory group for their long support ‚Äì both moral and financial ‚Äì of the K9 program. “They bought my first dog, Deny, in 1998. They’ve helped buy other dogs‚ and purchased most of the ballistic dog vests to keep our partners safer.”
Lowering his voice, Gore spoke for a moment about that former partner, Deny. “Together, we caught 415 suspects. Deny got cancer, and we had to put him down last year.”
Eddie, Officer Gore said, loves being petted by everyone. Deny, has last K9 partner, was more aloof.
Introduces his new partner
After a brief break, Gore introduced Eddie, a Belgian Malinois.
Gore said the preference for police dog breeds is shifting from the German Shepherd to the Malinois, a Belgian shepherd dog. “This is a ‘high energy’ dog that does best when it has a definite purpose in life. Police dogs need to be social among citizens, then focus as they hunt and track, and then be assertive when they locate the suspect.”
The officer said the department buys dogs from professional breeders. “Dogs cost from $6,000 to $8,000 each; but they come with health and temperament guarantees. The dog must hold up to the rigors of the job. When they retire, many times they’ll live with the handler. But, these are high-drive dogs; they want to work to the very end.”
After the officer and dog have bonded for a few weeks, the K9 team goes through 400 hours of training. Before they are certified, the pair must K9 Performance Standards tests.
How citizens can help when K9 teams are tracking
Asked what people should do when they seen an officer with a police dog in their area, Gore said, “Stay inside; keep your pets indoors. The more distractions we and our dogs have, the less successful we are. If you see the suspect, tell us through a window or door.”
Officer Gore and his late partner Deny were honored by the Portland Police Bureau at their awards ceremony held on June 20 at the David Douglas Horner Performing Arts Center.
Meet the dogs – and your East Precinct officers on June 23
Plan to attend the Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Open House on Saturday. This really is a lot of fun, and informative, too! It runs from Noon until 4:00 p.m.
Meet your neighborhood officers! Tour your precinct! See PPB Special Units, including their Mounted Unit, Explosives Devices, K-9 & others! Pick up lots of great public safety & crime prevention material. WAIT! There’s more! Get free giveaways, plus food & beverages! It’s all at East Precinct, 737 SE 106th Ave. For more information, call: (503) 823-4800.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
They say the driver had a heart attack and lost consciousness, causing him to veer off Marine Drive. Learn how rescue teams from three agencies worked hand-in-hand to rescue the victim‚ still alive‚
After veering off NE Marine Drive, the pickup truck plunged to a depth of 17 feet under the cold Columbia River’s surface.
By David F. Ashton
A motorist on NE Marine Drive and a cyclist on the bike path tell 911 operators they just saw a black Ford Ranger 4×4 splash into the Columbia River, just west of the Glenn Jackson Bridge, on June 19.
Simultaneously, these witnesses tell emergency operators they see a man struggling to free himself from the vehicle through the rear window‚ but the truck sinks before the driver makes it out.
“Perfect” inter-agency cooperation
To members of three responding rescue agencies, it doesn’t matter why the truck veered off a smooth, straight section of road on a sunny morning.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Dive Rescue Team, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), and Port of Portland Fire & Rescue all race to the site where the truck slipped under the 61-degree, fast-moving river.
“This incident is a textbook example of ‘perfect’ inter-agency cooperation,” says MSCO spokesman, Lt. Jason Gates, as he fills us in on the rescue effort.
Training exercise turns into rescue effort
When the mid-morning call came in, Gates says, the MCSO Dive Rescue Team are training at the 42nd Street boat ramp [on NE Marine Drive]. They grab their gear and arrive on scene six minutes later.
As MCSO divers charge into water, Port of Portland’s crew located the vehicle‚ 17 feet under the river’s surface.
“Fighting against the river’s strong current, MCSO diver Dep. Brent Laizure finds the driver, still stuck, half-way out of the pick-up’s rear window,” reports Gates. “Laizure cuts the driver free from his seat belt, pulls him free, and transfers the seemingly dead driver to Gresham Fire diver Lt. Jay Cross.”
Removed from his truck by a sheriff’s deputy, then being taken to the river’s bank by a Gresham Fire diver, PF&R firefighters carry the accident victim up to waiting paramedics.
Cross swims and guides the patient to shore where PF&R rescue workers bring the victim from the river’s edge, then up the steep embankment to awaiting paramedics.
Paramedics establish a pulse
The rescued driver wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse. Despite the two dozen minutes the man had been under water, paramedics applied CPR and oxygen, and to their astonishment were able to establish a pulse. They transported him to Emanuel Hospital.
Because of the rapid response of three agencies, paramedics were able to reestablish the victim’s pulse.
“From the time the man went into the water to recovery was approximately 26 minutes,” Gates explains. “Although rare, in cold-water drowning, there exists a possibility of resuscitation.”
The driver, identified as 55-year-old Roy Clark, a Gresham resident, is in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center. Clark is said to have suffered a medical condition that caused him to momentarily lose consciousness, thus losing control of his vehicle.
“The teamwork among the agencies was superb,” comments Gates. “They gave the victim a chance to survive.”
Clark’s pickup truck was recovered from the Columbia River after he was rescued.
Photos: MSCO
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
It wasn’t a burglary. The driver claims mechanical problems; cops don’t buy his story. You won’t believe the damage that was done — even after you see our exclusive photos‚
The driver tries to explain to Portland Police officers how making a right-hand turn caused his pickup truck to end up parked half-way inside the Woodstock RadioShack store.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Everyone‚ including the driver‚ agrees on what happened late in the evening on June 17. But why a full-sized Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck ended up halfway through the Woodstock RadioShack store front window is still unclear.
Eyewitnesses, watching from Mickey Finn’s across the street, agree on what they saw: The truck was northbound on SE 44th Ave.; it accelerated and fishtailed as it turned right, heading eastbound on SE Woodstock Blvd. It kept turning and drove up the curb, across the sidewalk, popped up the four-brick-high facing, and through the plate glass window storefront.
“A guy and girl got out and started running,” said one patron. “I recognized him, I know his family. But, he walked back to the scene of the accident before the police arrived.”
Although the incident caused extensive damage to the store‚ and shook up other tenants in the building‚ no one was hurt in this crash.
Crash shakes building
When we arrive on scene, we meet Robin, owner of the Bubble Tea restaurant directly east of the RadioShack store.
“I was working late, doing paperwork in the office,” he tells us. “I heard a loud, big sound. I think ‘Something is wrong; really wrong.’ I felt the building shake. Then, I heard the next door alarm going off.”
Driver tries to explain
The driver of the truck, who police later identified as 26-year-old Andrew Rubin Garcia, has no qualms about speaking with us.
“When you drop the truck into four-wheel drive,” Garcia explains, “all of a sudden, all the front and back tires start moving at the same time. As you turn, you fishtail, because the back tires are moving. It is the only way I can explain it. I just turned right, and it fishtailed right into the building.”
The RadioShack store manager arrives to find his storefront demolished, and calls his regional manager, the insurance company, and a board-up service.
Because the truck had dropped into four-wheel drive, Garcia adds, it was easily able to climb over the bricks below the plate glass windows and drive into the store.
Sobriety checked
Portland Police Bureau SE Precinct officers can’t help but smile as passers-by use their cell phones to take photos of the wreck‚ with themselves included in the picture.
Despite claims of a mechanical malfunction, the results of a Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division officer’s Field Sobriety Evaluation sends this driver to the Justice Center.
A Traffic Division officer pulls up on his motorcycle. We see Garcia led through a Field Sobriety Evaluation. This officer isn’t smiling as he concludes the tests. Garcia is escorted to a patrol car and taken to the Justice Center.
As of this writing, officials have not released what charges are pending, if any, against Garcia.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
The cops didn’t catch the armed robber they were tracking down‚ but wait until you see the BIG pistol they took from a fellow they call a felon‚
Even if this isn’t the weapon used in the tavern robbery, neighbors say they feel safer knowing this big-barreled blaster‚ toted by a felon‚ is off the streets.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A gun-toting robber holds up Cheers Tavern on SE 122nd Ave at Holgate St.; the bandit makes off with a with the watering-hole’s cash drawer on Monday afternoon, June 11.
One of Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct police officers catches sight of a vehicle roughly matching the description used by the robber at SE 92nd Ave. and Flavel St. The car careens north on SE 52nd Ave. in inner SE Portland.
Neighbors report this Acura didn’t make the corner, climbed the utility pole guy wire, and slid back down before the driver fled on foot.
“I was standing in my driveway and saw this white Acura coming [north on SE 52nd Ave.], heading right for me [westbound on SE Henderson St.],” the resident tells us. “He was going too fast to make the turn, and he drove right up the guy wire for this [utility] pole. The car slid back down, and he took off on foot.”
The driver, a male, takes off running, leaving a woman in the car. He heads west on SE Henderson St., and starts to jump the fence of a home protected by a very large, growling dog. Three houses west of SE 52nd Ave., he heads north, jumping fences, cutting through yards.
An officer, with his K-9 partner, search the area looking (and sniffing) for any evidence the fleet-footed suspect may have discarded during the chase.
The fence-hopping suspect pops out at SE 52nd and Knapp St., apparently hoping to circle back around and get to his car‚ but runs into a homeowner armed with a shovel. “I encouraged him to leave my yard,” he tells us.
Neighbors make sure this suspect doesn’t get away. They point out his direction of travel to cops who swarm the area.
The suspect continues east, crossing SE 52nd Ave., hopping yet another fence, and cuts north to SE Ogden St. where cops take him down.
While they now say it’s unlikely that 27-year-old Don Ray Livingston was the Cheers Tavern bandit‚ they did arrest him for being a “Felon in Possession of a Firearm”.
Still, a good collar
“Officers took 27-year-old Don Ray Livingston into custody,” reports Portland Police Bureau spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz. “There was some [police] radio chatter that indicated he might have had some connection to the robbery, but that proved false.”
Nonetheless, Schmautz says, Livingston is charged with “Felon in Possession of a Firearm” and “Attempt to Elude”.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Not since the Division/Clinton Street Parade and Fair have we seen such a crowd in this inner SE Portland neighborhood. See exclusive photos and learn what fire investigators have to say about this blaze‚
The commercial building fire at SE 20th Ave. and Clinton St. burns so fast and hot, a second alarm is called just eleven minutes after the first.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Not often do we arrive on-scene at a fire and see flames leaping high out of a structure. Typically, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) firefighters have already gotten the blaze out before we get there.
On June 11, Jim Farris, the owner of Red’s Electric, closed his business as usual. But an hour later, at 6:00 p.m., people were gathering on the sidewalks nearby to watch, as firefighters raced to his warehouse‚ now belching smoke‚ on SE Clinton St., just west of SE 20th Avenue.
“There was a lot of smoke coming out of it,” area resident Sarah Hendrickson tells us. “Then, flames started shooting up the side of the building. The wind was blowing and I thought the fire might damage other buildings.”
When PF&R Engine Company 23 pulls up, three minutes after receiving the call, they see thick, heavy smoke billowing from the eaves of the residential electrical contractor’s warehouse.
Firefighters enter the company’s office and cover equipment and records to minimize damage.
“Firefighters are making an aggressive interior attack on the fire,” reports the bureau’s Lt. Allen Oswalt, “but heavy smoke and intense heat from the burning plastic coating on wire coils, and other electrical supplies, are giving off extremely dense smoke and high heat.”
While many firefighters concentrate on the fire in the warehouse, other crewmembers race to reduce smoke and water damage to in the building’s office. They crawl in a broken window, and quickly wrap file cabinets and computers in plastic to help protect them from debris and water.
As fire and smoke build, the Battalion Chief orders firefighters out of the building.
The fire continues to escalate. Battalion Chief Chris Babcock orders the firefighters out of the building, and calls for a second alarm at 6:11 p.m., bringing more firefighters and equipment to the scene.
“Every time they’d bust open a hole, flames shot everywhere,” says neighbor Ruthie Berry. “My friend owns a music studio in the building next door. I’m concerned that the fire will spread to the other buildings.”
Firefighters douse flames from the outside for 15 minutes, then snug up their breathing gear and head back inside and extinguish the main body of the fire.
Dousing the building with water from the outside, firefighters quell the blazing inferno fueled by plastic-covered wire inside the warehouse.
We see Ferris pull up on scene, look at his building on fire, and walk over to the Battalion Chief’s vehicle.
By 6:44 p.m., the fire is out; but firefighters remain scene for several hours. “It will take a while for firefighters to ‘overhaul’‚ dig through the rubble‚ to make sure no hidden hot spots might flare up later,” says Oswalt.
Myra walks up and tells us she’s lived in the neighborhood for thirty years. “I’ve used Red’s Electric in the past,” she says. “It is a good, responsible business. But I think they sold the place; the timing of this fire seems odd.”
Ferris later tells reporters that, while the building hasn’t yet been sold, a contract of sale is pending on the property. He says they were planning to move into a new location in about six months.
To keep the adjoining structure‚ just inches away‚ from catching on fire, firefighters shoot streams of water between the buildings.
“Investigators have listed the cause of the fire as undetermined. The cause is not suspicious,” Oswalt tells us, “but the investigation is continuing. Damage to the building and contents is estimated to be $300,000.”
No one was in the building at the time of the fire, Oswalt adds; all workers had gone home by the time the fire was discovered. “There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.”
PF&R’s Public Information Officer, Lt. Allen Oswalt, confers with fire crews.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Did leaves really keep this truck driver from seeing the stop sign? See for yourself‚ and the damage this NE Portland accident caused‚
Portland Fire & Rescue firefighters from Truck 2 help paramedics prepare a driver injured in this collision.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
As foliage grows out, we notice more and more stop signs being hidden by the leaves.
“The driver of a van, heading west on NE Wygant Street, says she didn’t see the stop sign at NE 112th Avenue,” reported Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Officer Michael Leisure.
By looking at the damage, it appeared as if the van’s driver was traveling at a good clip when she collided with a sedan.
Regardless who was at fault, two vehicles were wrecked, and two people went to the hospital because of the accident.
The driver of the van appeared shaken, but said she was OK. Two of the occupants of the auto were transported to the hospital by ambulance; their condition remains undisclosed.
“The driver has the responsibility to look for traffic control signs‚ and to make sure the intersection is clear‚ even if they have the right-of-way,” Leisure told us at the scene.
What do you think? It looks as if leaves from the tree’s overhanging branches do partially block the view of the sign.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
We were touched by this service, at which the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department memorializes those who have given their lives to protect the citizens of the county. Take a look‚
The flag that flies in front of the County Sheriff’s Department is lowered, and made ready for presentation, at the department’s memorial ceremony.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A Color Guard unit marches to the front of the Hansen Building, home of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department, and takes their place. An Honor Guard, with ceremonial rifles in hand, performs an arms drill.
In addition to Sheriff’s Deputies, Gresham Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Sheriff’s offices from Clackamas and Clark County are also present for this solemn program held at on the late morning of May 16.
Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto speaks with us as the memorial service is about to begin.
The flag, about to be ceremonially folded, is displayed.
“The nation started this recognition and memorial service 16 years ago. It is to remind us, not only of the sacrifice of the people in law enforcement who have lost their lives, but also what it means to protect the nation, our state, and our community.
“It’s important to remember that sacrifice. It is also important to remember that these men and women protect the freedoms we enjoy in our country, in our state, and here in our county.”
The Honor Guard stands at attention before their black-powder salute.
After a brief invocation, the National Anthem plays.
Deputies slowly lower the flag in front of the Hansen Building. This flag is presented – held out in the noonday sun. As a new flag is raised, then lowered to half staff, the retired flag is ceremonially folded and presented to Sheriff Giusto.
Sheriff Bernie Giusto receives the flag, taken down in honor of fallen deputies.
“Taps” is bugled; the Honor Guard fires their rifles into the springtime sky.
Sheriff Giusto addresses the group, saying in part, “Behind each [fallen member’s name] is a story of service to others. Of risks taken, so that others might be safe; of running toward danger, not away from it. We celebrate the legacy they left behind: A safer and more secure nation.”
The “Roll of Fallen Deputies” is read aloud, naming those who fell in service from 1917 to 2003.
A Portland Police Bureau bagpiper plays “Amazing Grace”.
Sheriff Giusto salutes the carefully-folded United States flag, after he places it before the Deputies’ Memorial.
Speaking to us after the memorial ceremony, regarding the law enforcement professionals with whom he works, Giusto adds, “As we move forward, it is an amazing dynamic that people are willing to come into our profession. They are willing to ‘give it all’.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
The barricade-smashing granny wasn’t the only problem driver threatening the Portland Rose Festival Children’s Parade this week. You’ll be amazed to read what this guy did‚ and what he had in his car, and at his East County home‚
Story by David F. Ashton
Just as the annual Portland Rose Festival Children’s Parade was getting underway at 12:30 p.m. on June 5, the 9-1-1 Call Center started getting calls about a Ford Focus automobile that had crashed through a barricade near the intersection of NE 56th Avenue and Sacramento Street.
Once through the barricades, police say the driver ended up in the parade’s staging area. There, they say, the errant driver hit a parked car and kept going. The Ford bumped into a participant, who hopped up on the hood of the car to avoid being hurt.
“From there,” reported Portland Police Bureau spokesman, Sgt. Brian Schmautz, “The driver found himself stuck behind a large group of junior high students lining up to march in the parade. Taking the path of least resistance, he began to drive through the crowd of students at a very slow speed. Officers on the other side of the parade line quickly converged on the car, and took the driver into custody.”
Police find four ounces of pot
Police identified the parade-crashing driver as 35-year-old Joshua Cohen, an East County resident, and placed him under arrest.
Police charged Joshua Cohen Possession, Delivery, and Manufacture of Marijuana, after they found a growing operation in his Montavilla home.
“Hand prints on the windshield of Cohen’s car helped officers determine that this may have been the same car just reported as being involved in the hit and run,” Schmautz added. “Officers ordered a tow for Cohen’s car, and conducted an inventory search. Officers located approximately one-quarter pound of marijuana.”
East County suspect’s problems grow
As cops continued to question Cohen, he indicated that he had a marijuana grow operation at his Montavilla residence, in the 8400 block of Southeast Alder Street.
Schmautz told us Drugs and Vice Division officers searched Cohen’s home, and, with his consent, removed about 20 growing marijuana plants from his residence.
“Cohen was cited and released, and charged with one count each of Possession, Delivery, and Manufacture of Marijuana, and the two counts of “Failing to Perform the Duties of a Driver [Hit and Run],” commented Schmautz.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
Take quick look: You can learn a lesson from what officials say was a critical mistake made by members of this household‚
Portland Fire and Rescue’s Station 7 arrived on-scene at this house fire within minutes‚ yet, still too late to prevent substantial damage.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Neighbors and passers by call 9-1-1 Emergency and report smoke billowing smoke and flames as a home in the 12600 block of SE Stark St. is ravaged by fire.
Finds home fully involved in fire
“We had heavy fire and smoke showing at this two-story frame house when we got here,” reports Portland Fire & Rescue’s Battalion 3 Chief, Chris Babcock the morning of May 27.
The Babcock says the home looks “lived in”. He says the dwelling is furnished and points out the brand new trampoline in the side yard, and fresh food in outdoor pet dishes.
“We did a very through search of all rooms didn’t find any occupants. The good news is there wasn’t anyone at home, no one is injured” Babcock tells us. “Unfortunately, someone will come home to find their house pretty badly damaged.”
While officials didn’t release the family’s name, they did tell us the family who occupied this house came home from church to find their home ravaged by fire.
This home was destroyed, investigators believe, because a clothes iron was left plugged in, turned on, and overheated.
Unattended clothes iron suspected as cause
While the investigation hasn’t been completed, indications are, Portland Fire & Rescue’s spokesman Lt. Allen Oswalt later tells us, the fire appears to have started in the laundry room‚ most likely by an electric iron left plugged in.
“Please, take a moment to make sure your coffee maker, electric clothes iron, or even curling iron is unplugged before you leave your house,” implores Oswalt. “It saddens all firefighters to see a home devastated by an appliance left plugged in‚ and by one forgetful moment.”
Firefighters from Station 7 roll up their hoses after putting out the house fire‚ one that might have been avoided, authorities say.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
She told cops she was still in SE Portland‚ when in fact the alleged gunwoman was heading toward Bend at speeds of up to 100 mph. Learn what happened‚ and see our exclusive photos‚ right here‚
Investigators examine the murder scene for evidence on SE Boise St., just east of SE 104th Avenue.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
As dawn breaks on May 30, 36-year-old Michael Kellerman lies on the sidewalk on SE Boise Street, shot dead.
“At 5:36 a.m., Portland Police Bureau responded to a ‘report of a man down’ here, just east of SE 104th Avenue,” reports Sergeant Brian Schmautz, Portland Police Bureau’s Public Information Officer.
Police swarm the scene, and tape off streets in this typically quiet, working-class neighborhood, located between SE Powell and SE Holgate. Investigators arrive and start gathering evidence.
Suspect quickly identified
It doesn’t take detectives long to identify the individual suspected of this murder. Witnesses tell them a woman shot Kellerman and drove off in her green Chevrolet Malibu with Oregon license plates. This information is immediately dispatched to law enforcement agencies.
It didn’t take long for detectives to identify 30-year-old Jacqueline Kay Fielder, reported to be the ex-girlfriend of Kellerman, as a suspect in the shooting.
Just 12 days before the shooting, police and family members say Kellerman filed a restraining order against Fielder. Police add that Fielder then managed to convince Kellerman that she had committed suicide, so that he was reportedly mourning her death, and was caught totally by surprise when she showed up at his house with a gun, which was apparently her plan.
Police say they suspect this woman, Jacqueline Fielder, feigned suicide, broke a restraining order against her, and shot Michael Kellerman before fleeing to Redmond, Oregon.
Tracked to Central Oregon
An East Precinct Lieutenant on scene tells us police contact Fielder by cell phone; she leads them to believe she’s still in the area. But, in fact, Fielder is racing toward Central Oregon‚ at speeds topping 100 mph.
“State, county and city officers attempted to stop the vehicle southbound on Highway 97,” says Schmautz. “Eluding officers‚ and spike strips‚ she sideswiped a commercial truck in Terrebonne.”
An Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper spots Fielder’s Chevrolet Malibu at 7:40 a.m.; keeps the suspect vehicle in sight, and follows her until officers from Jefferson County and Madras Police Department arrive to help stop her.
As the chase to Central Oregon continues, detectives and investigators continue to examine the scene were Kellerman was shot to death.
Puts gun to her head
The officers finally stop Fielder at NW Birch and 6th Ave, in Redmond, Oregon. According to police reports, she slowly gets out of her car armed with a handgun. She runs toward an auto dealership. Officers follow; they find her behind a building on the car lot.
“As officers negotiated with the suspect to surrender,” Schmautz says, “she pointed a handgun at her head. Following several minutes of negotiations, she shot herself.”
While Fielder initially survives the shot from what officials tell us was a large caliber handgun, she dies early the following morning, at 12:15 a.m., in a Bend hospital; an autopsy reveals additional bullet wounds in her stomach.
“What a tragic end to all this,” says one of Kellerman’s neighbors who wishes to remain anonymous, “I still can’t believe that this happened.”
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
There wasn’t much the driver could do, cops say, when a youngster shot out into the street right in front of the car on NE Halsey St. There are lessons about helmets and stop signs to be learned from this tragic story‚
An investigator from the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division uses a GPS measuring device, while determining the facts of this car-versus-bicycle accident that left a boy in very critical condition.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Along outer NE Halsey St., east of Glendoveer, the terrain rises steeply as one travels south‚ and away from the Columbia River basin.
It’s a difficult climb on foot up SE 157th Avenue‚ riding up the hill would be nearly impossible. Yet, neighbors say, the kids love the thrill of approaching this hill from the top, via SE Glisan Street, and “rocketing” down the steep grade of “thrill hill”, where the joy ride can abruptly end at SE Halsey Street.
Thrill ride ends in serious injury
Moments before 5 pm on May 22, Janet Gomez is driving her Kia on NE Halsey Street. Police say the evidence shows she isn’t speeding, nor impaired, as she heads east from the light at NE 142nd Avenue.
“A 14-year-old young man was on his BMX bicycle,” Portland Police Bureau East Precinct Sgt. Dan Costello tells us on-scene. “From what we can tell, he was going lickety-split down the steep hill on SE 157th, didn’t stop at the stop sign at Halsey St., and rode right in front of the Kia.”
Skid marks before the impact indicate the driver was going the speed limit and tried to avoid the accident, police say.
Costello points out the skid marks left when the driver tried to avoid the bicyclist. “Even though she wasn’t speeding, the impact threw the boy about thirty feet through the air, and his bicycle about fifty feet.”
We learn that the injured boy, with ID in his pocket indicating he’s a student at Barlow High School, was rushed Emanuel Hospital in critical condition.
When we follow up, the police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Schmautz, reports the young man remains in very critical condition. “He wasn’t wearing a helmet.”
No citations have been issued.
© 2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
18 hours after the last truck firebombing, police arrest three suspected arsonists. Was this a terrorist attack? Were radicals making a political statement? Find out right here‚
Arson K-9 Chyenne and handler, PF&R Fire Investigator Rick Aragon, search for clues at the SE Tolman St. firebombing of a Honda Element.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
As the number of vehicles torched and burned beyond repair‚ including a vehicle fire that sets an occupied home ablaze‚ increased to seven during the nights of May 22 and 23, so did the fears of Southeast Portland residents.
Vehicle owners, especially those of Hondas and other compact SUVs, wonder if they were being targeted by eco-terrorists, or perhaps a band of thugs with a brand-specific vendetta.
“My half-ton pickup truck burns a lot more fuel than my neighbor’s Honda Element did,” Jim Cornetta told us as he looked down SE Tolman Street at the charred Honda being examined by fire inspectors on May 23. “I wonder if I should stay up tonight and keep watch.”
This Honda was found alaze on SE Raymond Street. By the time firefighters extinguish the flames, the car is destroyed.
Fiery path of destruction
Until the firebugs were caught, citizens had good reason to worry. In the wee hours of May 22, three Honda CRV sub-SUVs and 1 Ford Ranger were targeted. Three more were burned the following night.
“Looking at the times and locations, it wasn’t difficult to see the arsonists’ path,” Portland Fire & Rescue’s Lt. Allen Oswalt told us. He read from the record: SE 66th at 4:24 am; 75th & Division at 4:42 am; SE 75th‚ firefighters found this Honda CRV fully involved in flames, only five feet from a house at 4:52 am; then, another, at SE 36th and Raymond at 5:24 am.
Early the following morning two vehicles just inside Clackamas County were torched, as was that Honda Element on SE Tolman Street.
Immediate investigation begins
As the sun came up on May 22, the Metro Arson Task Force fanned out across Southeast Portland. Working throughout the day and night, they inspected burned vehicles, took samples and wrote reports at each arson site. “The first fire started in a pickup truck,” said Oswalt, “but went out on its own.”
We saw an official accelerant-sniffing dog, Cheyenne, with PF&R handler, Fire Investigator Rick Aragon, gathering evidence. “The task force is made up of investigators from Portland Fire & Rescue, Portland Police Bureau, the federal ATF, and the FBI,” Oswalt commented.
An arson investigator leaves a burned Honda Element as he goes to file his report. All but one of the vehicles in the SE Portland arson spree were charred beyond repair.
Neighbors provide valuable leads
Investigators pored through clues given them by witnesses of the blazes. Lists of possible getaway vehicle descriptions were created and distributed.
Portland Police Bureau’s Southeast Precinct assigned detectives and undercover officers; uniformed patrol officers were put on alert as the hunt for the arsonists continued.
A little before midnight on May 23, SE Precinct officers Tashia Hager and Nichole Green were dispatched on a vandalism call in the 6100 block of SE Lexington Street. On-scene, they spotted a car suspected of being involved in the fire-bombings. As Hager and Green questioned the car’s occupants, they learned “information” which potentially connected these subjects to the vehicle arsons. The possible firebugs were turned over to arson investigators.
Police say they suspect Dennis Panichello and Lena Thi Son of torching vehicles across SE Portland.
Suspected arsonists arrested
As dawn broke May 24, the Metro Arson Task Force announced three arrests in the case.
Authorities said they are bringing a variety of charges against the three associated with that car: 27-year-old Dennis Panichello, 19-year-old Lena Thi Son, and a 14-year old juvenile, whose name is withheld to due to age.
Apart from the apparent desire to set vehicles on fire, authorities said the trio of suspects had no political or social motive.
Dennis Panichello’s father publicly blamed “the system” for his son’s problems‚ saying his son needed mental health care, but the young man’s probation officer didn’t help him get treatment.
Suspects face multiple charges
The charges leveled at the suspects are substantial. They include one “Measure 11” count of Arson I; that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, if convicted. This charge is being brought, authorities say, because two residents were in the nearby home set ablaze by one of the burning vehicles.
Other charges include seven counts of Arson II, and one count of Criminal Mischief I. Total prison time could total 26 years, and total fines could mount up to over $500,000.
©2007 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News Service
