NAIL GUN ATTACK
Man who shot 9 nails into woman’s head sentenced to prison
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A former firefighter who shot nine 3-inch nails into the back of a woman’s head in a botched suicide pact has been sentenced to two years in state prison.
The Register Guard reports Wednesday that Troy Thompson pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree manslaughter after accepting a plea deal that allowed him to avoid a possible maximum sentence of more than seven years.
The 31-year-old woman suffered permanent brain damage from the nails.
Thompson has previously said he met the woman the day before he hurt her when she approached him and asked for his help to kill herself.
The Register Guard says the woman had bipolar disorder and had stopped her medication three weeks earlier.
COUNTY EMPLOYEE-THEFT
Ex-sheriff’s office employee gets probation for jail thefts
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A former Lane County Sheriff’s Office accounting clerk who admitted to stealing more than $61,000 in public funds has been sentenced to two years of probation.
The Register-Guard reports that Patricia Trocki, of Springfield, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to aggravated first-degree theft.
The 64-year-old woman had worked for the sheriff’s office for 17 years before the stolen funds were discovered in September.
Prosecutors say Trocki stole jail booking fees and money that families intended to contribute to inmates’ trust accounts. She was accused of using the money to pay off her partner’s medical bills and to feed a gambling addiction.
The alleged theft took place between June and September.
Trocki has since repaid the money she stole.
She apologized for her actions in court Wednesday.
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARREST
Klamath Falls pair arrested on human trafficking charge
(Information from: Herald and News, http://www.heraldandnews.com)
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — Two Klamath Falls residents are facing prostitution charges related to what police say could be a widespread human trafficking ring.
The Herald and News reports that a 28-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were arrested last week. According to an indictment, the pair is believed to have forced at least one female victim into prostitution on three separate occasions between Oct. 8 and Nov. 6 in Medford.
Medford Police Department spokesman Lt. Kevin Walruff says the investigation is ongoing. He says the Klamath Falls pair is believed to be part a human trafficking ring with roots in Medford and Bend and connections to Washington and Wyoming.
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MARIJUANA-PESTICIDES
State agencies warn marijuana growers of pesticide use
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — State agencies are reminding marijuana producers to limit their use of pesticides in the wake of two recent public health alerts.
The Bend Bulletin reports that a letter from three state agencies wars that cannabis producers whose products test below “action levels” for permitted pesticides may still be violating state regulations if they use pesticides banned by the state Pesticide Control Act.
An action level is a low pesticide measure that the authority requires of testing laboratories as a measure of accuracy. Action levels do not indicate a safe level.
The letter, co-signed Monday by the heads of the Health Authority, Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Oregon Department of Agriculture, says growers that failed test results are referred to the Agriculture Department for futhher investigation.
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COIN FLIP-COUNCIL SEAT
West Jordan Council seat contest settled by coin toss
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials have settled a deadlocked race for a spot on the West Jordan City Council by drawing names from a hat and flipping a coin — a decision-by-chance that Utah and other states allow to settle tied elections or appointments.
Elections Director Mark Thomas said Wednesday that elections are settled by chance every few years in Utah, mostly in small races.
Six members of the West Jordan City Council last week were choosing a seventh council member from 10 candidates. After several rounds of voting, council members were divided 3-3 on Alan R. Anderson and David Pack.
Both men’s names were written on pieces of paper that were placed in a hat. The police chief pulled them out one at a time, designating Anderson as heads and Pack as tails.
Another city employee flipped a coin, giving Anderson the seat.
DUNGENESS CRAB-TOXIN
California’s Dungeness season facing 2nd year of troubles
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Health officials are recommending delays for the commercial Dungeness crab season along a more than 200-mile stretch of Northern California.
Wednesday’s warning signals a second year of supply disruption along the West Coast for Dungeness because of toxic algae blooms. The crab is a staple on holiday tables for many.
Commercial crabbing for Dungeness was supposed to start Dec. 1. State health officials are recommending now that commercial crabbing from Humboldt Bay to Point Reyes be delayed indefinitely.
As many as half of Dungeness sampled in those areas tested over the limits for domoic acid. The toxin stems from algae blooms and can sicken and even kill consumers.
California health officials say Dungeness caught along another area north of the Oregon border test safe.
PORTLAND PROTEST-THE LATEST
The Latest: Portland mayor cancels march he was to lead
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has called off an anti-hate march he was planning to lead after hearing that a counter-protest was planned.
Hales had planned to lead what he called a March of Hope Tuesday afternoon.
But he canceled it after hearing about counter protests planned by leaders of demonstrations that have broken out in Portland since the election of Donald Trump.
Those leaders have accused Hales of hypocrisy, saying he had previously declared that the time for protests was over and that he had sent police after them.
More than 100 people have been arrested in Portland during or after anti-Trump protests, including three arrested on Monday on a charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
AQUATIC ATLAS
Scientists go big with first aquatic species map for US West
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — It sounds like a big fish story: a plan to create a biodiversity map identifying thousands of aquatic species in every river and stream in the western U.S.
But scientists say the first Aquatic Environmental DNA Atlas will be available to the public by next summer.
Dan Isaak, with the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho, says the map could help with land management decisions, such as where to spend limited money and resources.
The map eventually will include everything from insects to fish to river otters. It is possible because of a new technology that can identify stream inhabitants by analyzing water samples containing DNA.
Isaak says the immense scale of the sample collecting likely will require help from many entities, including citizen scientists.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
