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75 CENTS | VOL. 85 | NO. 40 | 2 SECTIONS YOUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1927

Never-ending story

Last week’s article headlined “Couple settles in after messy move” omitted the end of the final quote from Judy Whittle. The quote should have read: “It’s a fact that they need to be responsible people,” Judy said. “You need them to be trustable people when you put your trust in them.” The News Guard regrets the error.

Do you remember Bobby Jack Fowler? He worked construction on the Oregon coast in the 1990s. He did roofing. He frequented bars. He might have been a serial killer. If you knew or ever even met Bobby Jack Fowler, the Lincoln County DA’s office would like to talk to you. You may be able to help them fill in the timeline that they are constructing of Fowler’s whereabouts, in

LINCOLN CITY, OREGON

PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard

PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS High Low Prec.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Weekly Rainfall: 0 inches Yearly Rainfall: 56.41 inches

WEEKLY OUTLOOK The sun should dominate the skies all week long. Expect sand-blowing winds on the beach — bring your jacket. The pattern should continue through the weekend.

named Bobby Jack Fowler, who died in an Oregon prison in 2006, as the lead suspect in the 1995 murders of Jennifer Esson, 15, and Kara Leas, 16. Esson and Leas were last seen alive in Newport on January 28, 1995. Their bodies were found two weeks later in an area of dense brush north of town. Circumstantial evidence links Fowler to Esson and Leas’ deaths. Fowler was in the area both before and after the girls went missing. He is also considered

a person of interest in the 1992 murders of Sheila Swanson, 19, and Melissa Sanders, 17, both of Sweet Home. They disappeared May 3, 1992, after leaving a Beverly Beach campground in Lincoln County. Their bodies were discovered five months later, in thick brush off of a logging road near Eddyville. There was one victim who escaped from Fowler and testified against him, which led to his imprisonment from 1996 to 2006, when he died of lung

cancer in prison. In June of 1995, five months after the murders of Esson and Leas, Bobby Jack Fowler lured a woman to his motel room at the Tides Inn, in Newport. There he punched her and slapped her and told her he was going to rape her and ‘put her in the ocean,’ according to court documents. He told her that he believed that women wanted to be raped. See KILLER, Page A5

Surveyor barred from courthouse PATRICK ALEXANDER The News Guard

Beach glass promotion sends visitors home with a treasure and a story

Chinook Winds; Safeway; Les Schwab; Walgreens; Frito Lay; Rite Aid; Sears; Mills Ace Hardware; Price ‘N Pride; Pro-Build; Grocery Outlet; Roby’s Furniture;

WEATHER GUIDE

relation to unsolved murders. DNA evidence in a Canadian murder case might have posthumously Bobby Jack exposed a serial killer Fowler who abducted and murdered teenage girls along Highway 101 in Oregon in the 1990s. On Sept. 24, the Lincoln County DA Rob Bovett

Making memories

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Weather data provided by Roads End Weather Watcher Sheridan Jones

OCTOBER 3, 2012 | WEDNESDAY

www.TheNewsGuard.com

MARY FAITH BELL for The News Guard

See Page A12

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comedian

DA seeks tips on deceased serial killer suspect

Joey Arce-Torres was taken aback the day he met local soccer coach Ray Santos when he approached him with some rather peculiar inquiries about his then-6-year-old son. Gabe.

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snort

Searching for the missing pieces

A step ahead of the pack

Tues., Sept. 25 Wed., Sept 26 Thurs., Sept. 27 Fri., Sept. 28 Sat., Sept. 29 Sun., Sept. 30 Mon., Sept. 31

Eventuary

jest chortle

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Amuse your funny bone Catch a wave of laughter

With fall bringing its crisp mornings and stunning sunsets to the Oregon Coast, volunteers have been hard at work making sure the area’s beaches are ready to receive visitors. September 22 saw volunteers removing almost 3,000 pounds of trash from local beaches during the SOLVE beach clean, while, throughout the month, ‘float fairies’ have been scattering the sands with glass keepsakes for visitors to find. The keepsakes — glass sand dollars, crabs and starfish — are in addition to the glass floats that the fairies distribute throughout the winter as part of the Finders Keepers program run by the Lincoln City Visitor & Convention Bureau. The added items are designed to give people an extra incentive to visit Lincoln City as the summer winds down. To prevent instances of “fairystalking,” the identities of the program volunteers are a closely guarded secret, with fairies told to keep their duties hidden even from friends and family. The News Guard caught up with two fairies — codenamed Merriweather and Ralphie — as they carried out their covert mission on the sands of Taft. Merriweather said she has been

The man in charge of maintaining Lincoln County’s web of property lines has been barred from returning to his office after an investigation into “inappropriate behavior,” according to County officials. County Commissioner Bill Hall said the County told Surveyor Thomas Hamilton on Sept. 10 not to return to his courthouse office for the remainder of his elected term, which Thomas expires at Hamilton the start of 2013. Until then, Hamilton, who has been elected to his office seven times by Lincoln county voters, is working from home. Speaking from his home, Hamilton disputed the County’s version of events, saying the move was not prompted by reports of “inappropriate behavior.” “I don’t see it like that,” he said, adding: “I’ve been working on an exit strategy for some time.” Hamilton, 65, said the decision to work from home was the result of an “understanding” between him and the County, saying commissioners do not have the power to bar him from his office. “I’m an elected official the same as they are,” he said. “The commissioners can’t issue me directives.” But Hall said commissioners did exactly that, working through County Counsel Wayne Belmont. Hall said Belmont told commissioners in July that he and County Personnel Director Sheahan Griffitts were investigating complaints against Hamilton, who had been told not to come into the office while the investigation was ongoing. When the investigation was complete, Hall said, Belmont told Hamilton not to return to his office for the remainder of his term.

a float fairy for five or six years, having been persuaded to volunteer by a friend after years of searching unsuccessfully for a float since the Finders Keepers program began in 2000. “She said ‘maybe it’s not your knack, did you ever think about being a volunteer,’” Merriweather said. “It’s the most rewarding volunteer work I’ve ever done in my life.” “It’s just so fun putting these out and knowing the joy it brings to people,” Ralphie said. “They really are like a rare treasure on the Oregon Coast.” Merriweather said she and Ralphie walk on different beaches throughout town at different times, working as a team to place the treasures without being detected. “Sometimes we are close by and actually get to see people retrieving what we leave behind,” she said. “We see people jumping up and down and shouting: ‘I’ve found one!’” Merriweather said she is inspired at the joy that finding beach glass can bring to visitors from all over the world, who will then take their treasure – and their story — back home. “Probably a lot of people don’t realize how this program can See MEMORIES, Page A2

Taking on a hell of a run Coastal runners tackle harsh Eastern Oregon course

GAIL KIMBERLING For The News Guard

The Siletz Runners was one of 33 teams that took part in the event, sponsored by Smith Rock Race Group LLC. “Awesome and awesome,” Lincoln City runner Jason Zacher said. Zacher said there were some first-year glitches but they “were minor considering the grand scale and distance of the event.” One of those glitches

A group of local runners got a taste of the Wild West during the Inaugural Hells Canyon Relay, Sept. 21-22 in Northeast Oregon. The 210-mile relay course traversed the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway from Baker City to La Grande and featured everything from heat, hills and wildfire haze to cattle drives and cow pie L20562 Power Ford 6x2 100312:Layout 1 10/1/12 6:05 PM bingo.

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COURTESY PHOTO

Laura Kenney of Neotsu was among the group of coastal runners who braved the tough terrain and harsh climate of eastern Oregon to tackle the Hells Canyon Relay.

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