Category Archives: Law

CCPD’s Volunteer K9 Team Brings Eclectic Skill Set To Del Norte; Juno’s Recovery Continues

January 3, 2025 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail: Cain, a member of Crescent City Police Department’s volunteer K9 team, works on his human remains detection skills at the Lake Earl Wildlife Area. Above: The human members of the K9 crew, Cathy Schneider, Jenna Phillips and Gloria Bobertz pose with their canine counterparts. | Photos courtesy of Gloria Bobertz}

Cathy Schneider and Gloria Bobertz began working with canines for different reasons, but they have the same philosophy in mind — a good dog never wants to stop.

They don’t have to instill this maxim in their 16-year-old colleague Jenna Phillips. Her dog, Juno, is still going despite being struck by a car last month.

“She’s starting to get up on her own,” Jenna said. “She can take a bunch of steps and she goes back down. The swelling has gone down a bunch. The bruises are gone. The infection in her belly is gone, and she’s more playful.”

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Alerts, Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Law

CCPD Are Searching For An Alleged Carjacking Suspect

December 25, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{A man whose “possible first name” is Andrew is wanted after allegedly brandishing a firearm and stealing a car at the Safeway parking lot, according to CCPD Chief Richard Griffin. | Photo courtesy CCPD}

Crescent City police are searching for a man they brandished a firearm in the Safeway parking lot before encountering police this morning and then stealing a vehicle with an 18-year-old man inside of it.

The vehicle and 18-year-old was later found at Foursquare Church, according to Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin. He said the incident took place just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect’s possible first name is Andrew, Griffin said. According to the police chief, the suspect had fled west on Macken Avenue after abandoning the stolen vehicle. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Police are urging the public to call dispatch at (707) 464-4191 to report any sightings.

Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

Del Norte Juvenile Offenders Can Be Housed in Mendocino, Supervisors Say

December 11, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday green lit a proposal to house juvenile offenders in Mendocino County. But they urged Chief Probation Officer Lonnie Reyman to use that option as a last resort, with District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short stating that “there’s probably more gang activity prevalent” in Mendocino than in Shasta County.

Del Norte County maintains agreements with Humboldt and Shasta counties to house wards in their juvenile detention facilities. Humboldt is the first option and Shasta is currently the second, though there are times when probation officials there have declined to hold Del Norte youth as well, according to Reyman.

Two Del Norte County youth are being detained, Reyman told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. One is at the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall in Eureka and the other is at the Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility in Redding, he said.

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Articles, Community News, Curry, Law

Curry County Law Enforcement Levy Proponents Say It’ll Free Up General Fund Dollars, Commissioners, Staff Still Have Questions

November 27, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

The spokesperson for a Curry County citizens’ group behind a proposed law enforcement levy broke the numbers down for elected officials on Monday, stating if voters approve the measure, $1.2 million could go back into the general fund.

But commissioners were no closer to supporting a levy than they were at last Thursday’s regular meeting when they said they were uncertain about how many patrol deputies it would fund.

On Monday, commissioners, staff and the few residents who showed up to the workshop had more questions for Georgia Cockerham, who spoke along with Sheriff’s Lt. Jeremy Krohn, in favor of the levy. They asked if they would consider using the levy to fund correctional deputies or if they thought about paying for a detective who could follow up on cases patrol deputies initially respond to.

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Articles, Curry, Law, Local Government

Service District Proposal For Curry County Sheriff Turns Into Pitch For Another Tax Levy

November 25, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Right after the Curry County Board of Commissioners heard a proposal to send another law enforcement tax levy before voters, a North Bank Chetco River Road resident said “unsavory people” frequenting Social Security Bar were destroying his property.

The property owner, whose name is Rob, said those “unsavory people” are known to Oregon State Police and are drug addicts. They have cut down his trees and left their refuse, including needles, behind. He asked commissioners on Thursday if they planned to install gates, recruit hosts or institute “any of that campground stuff” for the gravel bar that’s on the Chetco River four miles from U.S. 101 near Brookings.

“I’m at the point now, when it dries up, I’m going to import some riprap and I’m going to block the lower section of Social Security Bar to vehicle access,” Rob said, adding that the sheriff’s office doesn’t pick up his calls. “I’m at my wits’ end and I was wondering if there’s anything in the works.”

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Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

In Del Norte’s New Teen Court Youth Will Be The Jury; Restorative Justice Program Seeks Volunteers

November 18, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Del Norte County is adding a new wing to its juvenile justice system that will offer first-time nonviolent offenders a chance to be held accountable by a true jury of their peers.

The system’s foundation will still be there. This includes the sheriff’s office, police department, Del Norte Unified School District, county probation, the District Attorney and the court itself, said Paul Dillard, chairman of the Del Norte County Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Commission. But as the John Wilson Teen Court program gains steam, Dillard sees youth serving as prosecutor, defense attorney, even the judge.

“We [will] have legal representation there to help those youth,” he told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. “The DA’s office is going to be there for the prosecution and — not necessarily a public defender, maybe it’ll be a retired attorney or it might even be a retired judge — but they guide them. They set standards on the model that’s been created, including what they can do and what they can’t do.”

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Articles, Community News, Law, Local Government

Del Norte Sheriff Retains Ability to Hire At More Advanced Salary Step

November 14, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Despite what the county staff report said, Del Norte Sheriff Garrett Scott told supervisors that he has used his ability to hire at a more advanced step in the salary schedule four times in the last six months.

Though they agreed that being able to hire at a level higher than Step A but no higher than Step C is a useful tool — one they allowed to continue on Tuesday — the Board was surprised at the sheriff’s news.

“It was less than three weeks ago when we had this conversation, and at the time it wasn’t a useful tool. As a matter of fact, I think you made some statements that it was a morale killer,” District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard said. “Obviously now you’ve corrected us in the sense you believe it has been used. I’m curious what’s changed with your perception in the last several months since the Board adopted this for you.”

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Articles, Community News, Curry, Law, Local Government

Former Commissioner Proposes Creating A Service District To Rebuild The Curry County Sheriff’s Office

November 8, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Former elected official Christopher Paasch appeared before the Curry County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to make a formal pitch to ask voters to create a service district in an effort to rebuild the sheriff’s office.

Paasch, who retired from the Board following the 2022 election, brought Sheriff John Ward with him, and urged commissioners on Wednesday to declare their intention to form a Curry County Law Enforcement Service District and schedule the first of two public hearings Oregon statute requires to place the measure before voters next May.

The proposed service district would be funded through a property tax of $1.12 per $1,000 of assessed valued property and would generate roughly $4.2 million annually, Paasch said. The revenue would pay for eight patrol deputies, a civil deputy, an administrative assistant, two sergeants, one lieutenant and the sheriff.

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Articles, Community News, Law

Del Norte Supervisors Sign Off On DNSO Staffing Plan; Sheriff Says He’s Already Received Interest From Potential Recruits

October 23, 2024 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Experienced officers have already begun inquiring about working for the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News the day after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved his staffing plan.

The Del Norte County sheriff said his proposal to freeze positions that have been vacant for more than a decade in an effort to increase salaries for new and existing employees won’t be the answer to all of his office’s problems, but it will help.

“I [plan] to send five locals to the academy in January,” Scott said Wednesday. “I anticipate several of those being current staff members of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. For example, jail deputies that want to work [as] patrol deputies or bailiffs.”

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