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Defendant takes plea deal in February murder case BY GEORGE ARTSITAS The World
By Alysha Beck, The World
Michael Gertson, left, seen here in March, took a plea bargain on Monday. Gertson plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter charges.
COQUILLE — The resolution of Michael Gertson’s murder charges came six months early, agreeing to a plea bargain more than six months before his trial was set to start. Gertson, 32, agreed Monday to plead guilty to second-degree manslaughter for the killing of Jesse Hayes in February. Gertson was expected to stand trial starting Feb. 6 but chose instead to
Triple killing trial set for 2014
take a plea that stipulated he’ll most likely serve a 10-year prison sentence. “Quite frankly,” District Attorney Paul Frasier said, “when he said ‘I’ll do it,’ we got him into court before he could change his mind.” Along with Gertson, George Ivanoff and Jesse Longhenry are also charged with murder for Hayes’ death. While it was not a direct bargaining chip during the plea bargain, Gertson cannot plead the fifth and may be used as a witness against the two other suspects.
At this point, Frasier isn’t sure how he’ll be able to use Gertson’s testimony, if at all. “I don’t know what he’s going to say,” Frasier said. “Sometimes it makes people more resolute.” Gertson is set to be sentenced on Aug. 26. Frasier knows his work on the death of Hayes is not over and can’t be positive that Gertson will be the gamechanging witness that he could be. “We’ll just have to wait and see,” Frasier said. “I got two more people I got to worry about.”
Taking the field
Edward Nelson is accused of killing his wife and neighbors in Bridge ■
BY GEORGE ARTSITAS The World
Former DA sues Coquille over DUII
he lived in Roseburg and worked for Umpqua Community College as the vice president of instruction. He was instructional dean at Central Oregon Community College. He was dean for the center of science, industry and natural
EUGENE (AP) — The former district attorney of Coos County has sued the city of Coquille, its police chief and an officer over a disputed drunken driving arrest two years ago. Paul Burgett, who retired in 2007, was arrested in 2011, but the attorney general’s office recommended not going through with the case, The Register-Guard reported Monday. After he was taken to the police station, Burgett took a breath test that put his blood alcohol level at .04 percent. Drivers can be convicted even if they test below the .08 percent threshold, but officers have to prove impairment. The lawsuit says Police Chief Janis Blue told reporters Burgett failed the sobriety tests and was impaired. It accuses her of making a deliberately false statement to justify the traffic stop and arrest. The suit says Burgett told the officer that sobriety tests would not be effective because of his age, then 63, and physical limitations, which included a torn Achilles tendon and a pinched neck nerve. It says the officer, Sean Sanborn, insisted on them, and then
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By Alysha Beck, The World
Ross Tomlin sits in his corner office at the top of Tioga Hall on the SWOCC campus.Tomlin is the new vice president of instruction at the college.
New VP at SWOCC BY EMILY THORNTON The World
COOS BAY — Southwestern Oregon Community College has a new vice president of instruction and student services. Ross Tomlin joins the staff from Quinebaugh Valley
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Community College in Connecticut, where he was president for three years. He replaces Phillip Anderson, who retired after 35 years at SWOCC. Tomlin has spent more than 30 years at community colleges in teaching and administration. Before Connecticut,
Janice Rucker, Coos Bay Norman Schroeder, Coquille Arthur Ellingson, Coquille Rose Duvall, North Bend
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By Alysha Beck, The World
Sophomore Janey Suppes leads the Marshfield High School marching band as co-drum major during its first practice on the football field Monday afternoon.
DEATHS
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COQUILLE — The suspect in the June triple homicide and arson in Bridge has a trial date set for nearly a year from now. Edward Lawrence Nelson, is charged with killing his wife, Kathleen, and next door neighbors, Renae and Lola Cottam, as well as burning down their two houses and a woodworking shop on June 15. His trial will begin July 1, 2014. Nelson, 65, is charged with six counts of aggravated murder and three counts of first-degree arson. Aggravated murder is punishable by the death penalty in Oregon. Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier will have until New Year’s Eve to decide if he will pursue that penalty in this case. When Frasier requested four weeks for the trial, Duane McCabe and Geoffrey Gokey didn’t agree it would be long enough. “That’s probably short,” the defense opined. The defense initially requested six to eight weeks, but Judge Richard L. Barron agreed to schedule the entire month of July as a tentative schedule, with more time allowed if needed. This murder trial could potentially be Frasier’s longest, with no other in his career going more than around three weeks. Frasier’s last two murder trials — one for aggravated murder — have lasted a total of seven days combined. In court, Nelson didn’t sulk as he had in hearings past, but actually appeared comfortable on the bench, even allowing himself a few smiles while talking to his attorneys. His omnibus hearing, in which the defense will argue the constitutionality of the First Amendment for the death penalty, will be held for two days starting Jan 16.
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