Grand Ronde
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Representative Salinas visits Grand Ronde to celebrate new law See A2
Panthers cheer squad seeks to defend state title See B1
Wednesday February 7, 2024 | Volume 148, Issue 06
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Sheriff, deputy named in wrongful death lawsuit By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer
Three months after a grand jury cleared a Polk County deputy in a fatal officer-involved shooting, the family of the slain man has filed a $28.5 million wrongful death lawsuit. The families of Isaac Ivan Ocegueda, 18, and a 17-year-old female, filed a civil suit in federal court Jan. 19 naming Sheriff Mark Garton and Dept. Michael Smith. Ocegueda was fatally shot, and the female youth shot in the when while they waited in a van picking
up friend Jose Corral-Zavala, 19, who exchanged gunfire with Smith following a pursuit on Highway 22 involving multiple law enforcement agencies Sept. 22. The suit stems from an incident involving Corral-Zavala who fled the Independence Police Department during an attempted traffic stop on Highway 51. According to the Oregon State Patrol report, multiple agencies joined the pursuit. Deployed spike strips, set by Polk County deputies about a mile south Highway 22, failed to stop CorralZavala’s fleeing vehicle. His BMW
later crashed into a driveway about three miles away. A gold minivan appeared on the scene, driven by Ocegueda, who attempted to pick up Corral-Zavala. According to the OSP, Smith, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 2016, spotted Corral-Zavala on the side of the road and ordered him to “show me your hands.” According to the OSP, instead of giving up, Corral-Zavala began firing at officers, striking Smith in the ankle. As Corral-Zavala ducked behind the passenger side of the minivan, Smith returned fire, before
it drove away. The van later crashed into house nearby. The OSP reported Ocegueda was found deceased in the driver’s seat, with a gunshot wound to his chest, and the 17-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the leg. The civil lawsuit tells a different story. The suit alleges that Corral-Zavala ceased shooting as he ran south across Highway 22 and entered the passenger side of the van. Several seconds after the gunfire had stopped, Smith advanced on the van and without warning, fired
Polk County unveils new Community Resource Center By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer
PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES
Polk County Commissioner Craig Pope describes the five-year journey it took to develop a centralized location for many service providers at the new Community Resource Center in Monmouth. four to five different programs of Community Action Agency. In addition, he said the Ella Curran Food Bank will also have a
See DEPUTY, page A6
Dallas man killed in farming accident
Multiple services centralized under one roof
The new structure at 1407 Monmouth Independence Highway is more than an office building. It’s a long-awaited home for overlapping services for Polk County residents. The smell of new paint and carpet was still fresh as the community was invited in to inspect the setting during an open house Jan. 30. Brent DeMoe, Director of Polk County Family & Community Outreach, said not only is his entire department moving into the new space, but several other regional partners will also be joining them, offering services to those in need. He ticked off all the resources now available under one roof, including the Oregon Department of Human Service Self Sufficiency, OHSU School of Nursing, Northwest Senior and Disability Services, Polk Free Clinics, Small Town Pediatrics, Catholic Community Services, West Valley Housing Authority, Polk County Public Health’s WIC program, WorkSource Oregon and about
three shots in the direction of where he guessed Corral-Zavala may be located, according to the suit. One round hit Ocegueda in his back and another the youth in her left leg, the suit details. “Defendant Smith used an aggressive covering fire tactic commonly taught in the military and designed to cause your ‘enemy’ to take cover, while the shooter maneuvers towards the ‘enemy’ aggressively,” the suit read.
stocked food pantry open five days a to have them all right here,” DeMoe week here. said, shouting to be heard by a large “Typically, a family would have to drive to 10 different buildings to See NEW, page A6 get those services and our dream was
A Dallas man was killed in a farming accident south of Corvallis Feb. 1. At 2:45 p.m., the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Corvallis Fire Department, responded to a report of an incident at a dairy farm south of Corvallis, in which a male lost his life. According to the BCSO, deputies arrived and located David Breyman III, 56, of Dallas, who was unconscious, not breathing, and did not have a pulse. Deputies and citizens on scene attempted lifesaving efforts but were unsuccessful. Corvalis Fire Department personnel arrived soon after and were able to assist in getting Breyman unpinned by removing part of the wall. They also attempted life saving measures without success, the BCSO said. According to investigators, the incident involved a truck carrying 27 tons of corn meal feed. Breyman was alone and in the process of unloading the feed by using the trailer’s unloading mechanism. It See DALLAS, page A7
County jail completes security camera system upgrade helping staff monitor the jail, inside and out. Polk County used $1.5 million, It’s been 18 months in the making, mostly from ARPA funds, to pay to but the Polk County Jail completed replace 130 aging cameras that techits first upgrade of its security camnology was passing by. era system since the facility was “All the previous cameras were built in 1999. analog, so we had to run all coaxial Sheriff Mark Garton said the cable,” Garton said. “That’s a lot, so new cameras and security system now everything is done by ethernet. upgrades just about every aspect of That’s a lot easier.”
CCB#200318
By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer
See SYSTEM, page A7
PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES
The new Motorola digital cameras installed at the Polk County Jail offer a clearer, wider field of view.
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