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Oregon Cop Sexually Abuses Minor, Gets 10 Years

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Sexual Assault, Assault by Police, Police Misconduct, Criminal Prosecution

Oregon Cop Sexually Abuses Minor, Gets 10 Years by On August 16, 2011, a former Oregon police officer was sentenced to nearly ten years in prison on thirteen sex crimes. Mark Benton Ashcraft, 38, was a police officer in the small northeastern Oregon town of Athena. That ended, however, when …

Oregon Exotic Dancer Sues Police for Excessive Force

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Police, Excessive Force (Police)

Oregon Exotic Dancer Sues Police for Excessive Force by An Oregon woman is suing Portland Police in federal court, for excessive force. On August 21, 2009, police were called to a Portland homeless camp, where they found two men bleeding from knife wounds, and exotic dancer Dawn Rae Johnson, delirious, …

Oregon Jail Guard Stabbed in the Face with Pencil

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution, Assaults on Staff

Oregon Jail Guard Stabbed in the Face with Pencil by On August 7, 2011, two prisoners stabbed a guard in the face with a pencil at the Washington County Jail (WCJ) in Hillsboro, Oregon. Deputy Adam Slater, 27, was working at a desk at about 4 p.m., on Sunday, August …

Oregon Off-Duty Police Dog Bite Claim Nets $82,500

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Police Misconduct, Excessive Force, Dogs, Excessive Force (Police)

Oregon Off-Duty Police Dog Bite Claim Nets $82,500 by The Washington County Sheriff's Department, in Hillsboro, Oregon, paid a family $82,500 after an off-duty police dog attacked their child. In November 2004, the mother of Tyler Cox, off-duty Washington County sheriff's deputy Kelly McLeod and off-duty K-9 handler, Deputy Charles …

Oregon Suicide Death Suit Settled for $59,422

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Mental Health, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides

Oregon Suicide Death Suit Settled for $59,422 by Multnomah County, Oregon, officials paid $59,422 to settle a lawsuit brought by the estate of a woman who committed suicide in jail. Berta Ray Lee, 27, was the mother of three young children, ages 5, 7, and 9 years of age when …

Presidential Death Threat Nets Four More Years; Mentally Ill Oregon Prisoner Continues Murder Plots

Article • May 15, 2012

Filed under: Criminal Prosecution, Mental Health

Presidential Death Threat Nets Four More Years; Mentally Ill Oregon Prisoner Continues Murder Plots by On August 3, 2011, a mentally ill Oregon prisoner who pleaded guilty to sending letters threatening to kill President Barack Obama was sentenced to four more years in prison. David Earl Anderson, Jr., 28, suffers …

BOP Contract with Lane County OR 2012

Publication • May 9, 2012

BOP Contract with Lane County OR 2012 INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT J:GA 834-12 between the Federal Bureau of Prisons Department of Justice 320 First Street, NW Washington, D.C. u.s. and Lane County Sheriff's Office 125 East Eighth Avenue Eugene, Oregon Pursuant to relevant authority contained in federal and state laws, including authority …

Rehabilitation Finding Eliminates 30-Year Minimum Sentence for Aggravated Murder, but Oregon Parole Board Balks

Article • April 15, 2012 • from PLN April, 2012

Filed under: Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Sentencing, Parole

Rehabilitation Finding Eliminates 30-Year Minimum Sentence for Aggravated Murder, but Oregon Parole Board Balks by Mark Wilson In Oregon, a rehabilitation finding under ORS 163.105(3) eliminates the 30-year mandatory minimum sentence for state prisoners convicted of aggravated murder and requires the Board of Parole (Board) to immediately set a parole …

Martin v. DOC, OR, Judgment, attorney fees, 2011

Brief • March 30, 2012

Filed under: Attorney Fee Awards, Attorney Fees (PLRA)

Martin v. DOC, OR, Judgment, attorney fees, 2011 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA GERALD KEEHN, Plaintiff, vs. CIO LUCAS, ELSTNER, CIO CHIPIKITIS, CIO Defendants. } } } } No. 09-16 } } Magistrate Judge Kelly } } } } } } Electronically Filed. …

Federal Halfway House Director Embezzles $213,787

Article • March 15, 2012 • from PLN March, 2012

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Government Misconduct, Criminal Prosecution

Federal Halfway House Director Embezzles $213,787 by Mark Wilson A former Oregon halfway house director who embezzled more than $213,000 from the federally-funded facility was arrested in Rhode Island after failing to appear, fleeing and attempting suicide. She later pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. As previously reported in PLN, Laura …

Former Oregon Prison Nurse Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

Article • March 15, 2012 • from PLN March, 2012

Filed under: Medical Misconduct, Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution

Former Oregon Prison Nurse Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges by On May 3, 2011, a registered nurse formerly employed by the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) was arrested on misconduct and drug-related charges, according to the Oregon State Police (OSP). The previous month, a Washington County grand jury returned an …

Prison Legal News v. Columbia Co Sheriff Office, OR, Amicus Brief, 2012

Brief • March 7, 2012

Filed under: Mail, PLN Litigation, Censorship, PLN related

Prison Legal News v. Columbia Co Sheriff Office, OR, Amicus Brief, 2012 Case 3:12-cv-00071-SI Document 47 Filed 03/07/12 Page 1 of 14 Page ID#: 1507 Lynn S. Walsh, OSB #924955 email: walsh@europa.com 209 SW Oak Street, Suite 400 Portland, Oregon 97204 Telephone: 503-790-2772 Facsimile: 503-227-6840 Attorney for Amicus Curiae Partnership …

Federal Probation Officer Sexually Abused Clients, Sentenced to Ten Years

Article • February 15, 2012 • from PLN February, 2012

Filed under: Staff-Prisoner Assault, Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution

Federal Probation Officer Sexually Abused Clients, Sentenced to Ten Years by Mark Wilson U.S. probation officer Mark John Walker, 52, supervised federal prisoners on parole, probation and other forms of supervised release in Eugene, Oregon from May 1987 until July 2009. Now, however, it will be Walker who is on …

Oregon’s Attorney General Accused of Botched, Abusive Prosecutions

Article • February 15, 2012 • from PLN February, 2012

Filed under: Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Disciplinary Hearings, Malicious Prosecution, Attorneys General, Prosecutors

Oregon’s Attorney General Accused of Botched, Abusive Prosecutions by Mark Wilson As previously reported in PLN, the Oregon Department of Justice (ODOJ) recently turned its prosecutorial power against a hotshot small-town district attorney. [See: PLN, Oct. 2011, p.39]. By the time it was over the DA had resigned, but the …

Former Oregon Prison Official Faces Ethics Probe

Article • February 15, 2012 • from PLN February, 2012

Filed under: Misconduct/Corruption, Contractor Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Private Contractors

Former Oregon Prison Official Faces Ethics Probe by In March 2011, Michael Taaffe, 56, retired from his $91,000-a-year job as an assistant administrator for the Health Services Division of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC). Three days earlier he had been hired by Correctional Health Partners (CHP), a private medical …

Oregon Man Sues Jailers at “$17 Million Torture Chamber”

Article • February 15, 2012

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings, Immunity/Liability, Failure to Train/Supervise

Oregon Man Sues Jailers at “$17 Million Torture Chamber” by “My face [was] hit so hard that it busted my nose, shattered my teeth and broke my jaw,” said Chadwick J. Yancey, 31, as he described why he sued various Oregon jail guards for excessive force. “It briefly left me …

Oregon Discontinues Failed Prisoner Deportation Program

Article • February 15, 2012 • from PLN February, 2012

Filed under: Classification, Transfers, Pardons/Clemency, Immigration

Oregon Discontinues Failed Prisoner Deportation Program by Oregon’s expedited deportation program, touted as saving $2.1 million by transferring about 200 illegal immigrant prisoners to federal custody for early deportation, came up $1.9 million short, causing state officials to kill the program. According to the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC), 1,289 …

Budget Crisis Closes Oregon Prison for First Time in 159 Years

Article • January 15, 2012 • from PLN January, 2012

Filed under: Overcrowding, News

Budget Crisis Closes Oregon Prison for First Time in 159 Years by Oregon prison officials recently proved that desperate times truly do call for desperate measures, as the state closed a prison for the first time since opening its first correctional facility in 1851 – nine years before Oregon became …

Oregon Prisoner Property Claims Cost State $60,000 Annually

Article • January 15, 2012 • from PLN January, 2012

Filed under: Prisoner Property, News, State Legislation

Oregon Prisoner Property Claims Cost State $60,000 Annually by On average, Oregon prison officials pay about $60,000 a year due to prisoner property claims, according to an internal audit of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC). The state spends far more than that amount defending against such claims in court. …

Aramark Loses Laundry Contract to Oregon Prisoners

Article • January 15, 2012 • from PLN January, 2012

Filed under: Work, Prison Industries

Aramark Loses Laundry Contract to Oregon Prisoners by Effective June 2011, prisoners at the Oregon State Penitentiary took over the job of cleaning microfiber mop heads for the Salem Hospital. The hospital previously contracted with Aramark Uniform Services to clean its mops, but on March 10, 2011 the hospital gave …