THE LINCOLN CITY SWIM CLUB HOSTED PUMPKIN SPRINT SWIM MEET
LIGHTED BOAT PARADE SATURDAY ON YAQUINA BAY
SHOPPING BLACK FRIDAY SALES
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Wednesday, December 4, 2024
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Lincoln County, Oregon
One person dead, one arrested in murder investigation Claire Hall JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Investigators are asking anyone who may have any information regarding the murder in Newport to contact the Newport Police Department at 541-574-3348. (Photo by Metro Creative Connection)
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Nov. 27, Newport Police Department (NPD) officers responded to 207 NW 15th St. in Newport regarding a disturbance. Newport officers arrived on scene and contacted the persons present. Officers spoke with a tenant, Jeffrey Sutton, who said that 68-year-old Mark Rodgers was at his house, and
Sutton described him as intoxicated and belligerent. Sutton told officers that he ordered Rodgers to leave his residence, and Rodgers began repeatedly punching Sutton in the head and body. “While Sutton spoke with officers, he began to have a hard time breathing and showed signs of respiratory distress,” according to a media release from NPD. “Officers See MURDER, page A8
Free Thanksgiving dinner provided in Newport STEVE CARD Lincoln County Leader
Hundreds of people gathered at the Newport National Guard Armory on Wednesday, Nov. 20, to enjoy good food and the companionship of others during the annual free Thanksgiving dinner provided by South Beach Church. “For 13 years, we’ve been doing our best to provide a Thanksgiving meal for people,” said Luke Frechette, lead pastor at South Beach Church. “In the first couple of years, we would provide boxes of Thanksgiving supplies to houses.” That evolved into providing the entire meal. “We did a couple of events on Thanksgiving Day, and then one year we decided to do it the day before Thanksgiving.” Providing the meal on the day before Thanksgiving has been the tradition for about the last 10 years. “We realized that everything we did on Thanksgiving Day didn’t fit as many people because a lot of people already had plans,” Frechette said. “So as an experiment, we tried the day before Thanksgiving meal and three See DINNER, page A6
The annual free Thanksgiving dinner provided by South Beach Church was held at the Newport National Guard Armory this year, drawing in hundreds of people of all ages. (Photos by Steve Card) Patrick Clarke, right, is the culinary director for Siletz Valley High School. He is pictured with several of his students in front of the school’s food trailer, which was used to help prepare this year’s free community Thanksgiving dinner in Newport.
declared winner STEVE CARD Lincoln County Leader
Claire Hall has been declared the official winner in the race for position 2 on the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners. Hall, who has held that commission seat for the past 20 years, defeated challenger Rick Beasley by just 115 votes, the closest county commission race in recent history. Of the total 26,169 votes cast in this race, Hall received 13,142 (50.22 percent) compared to Beasley’s 13,027 (49.78 percent). According to Lincoln County Clerk Amy Southwell, who declared the election results official this Monday, the margin between the two candidates was not close enough to trigger an automatic recount. “Claire won by 115 votes. It would have had to be within 52 votes or less for an automatic recount,” Southwell said. At one point during the ballot-counting process, the gap between the two candidates was close enough to require a recount. “On the second count we did, they were within 49 votes,” she said. “That report was on Nov. 6, and then it just kept getting further apart after that.” The total number of people voting in Lincoln County for the Nov. 5 General Election was 30,035, or 75 percent of registered voters, “which is a bummer because the last time we had a presidential election, I think it was closer to 80,” said Southwell. “We did have over 200 See WINNER, page A9
Officer involved fatal shooting Newport police acquire patrol K9 ruled ‘justified and lawful’ STEVE CARD Lincoln County Leader
JEREMY C. RUARK Lincoln County Leader
Lincoln County District Attorney Jenna Wallace has issued the results of a Lincoln County Grand Jury conclusion following an officer involved fatal shooting at the Lincoln City Motel 6 on Oct. 19, 2024. “On Nov. 19, 2024, a Lincoln County Grand Jury found that Lincoln City Police Officers Cody Snidow, Jaylan King and Joshua Lane were each justified in their use of deadly physical force against Francisco Campos, 36, on Oct. 19, 2024,” Wallace stated in a media release issued Nov. 26. The Lincoln County Grand Jury convened to
hear testimony from nine witnesses, including the Oregon State Police, who led the investigation following the shooting. The grand jury also reviewed photographs and video exhibits. The following information provided by Wallace is a factual summary of evidence found by the grand jury: On Oct. 19 at 12:22 p.m., an employee of the Motel 6, Lincoln City, called 911 to report a domestic disturbance between two guests. It was reported that a male, identified as Francisco Campos, had checked in with a young female and the two had been involved in a verbal
dispute. Motel employees recalled hearing the male speak in an aggressive tone towards the female, using derogatory and demeaning language, which escalated when staff heard a loud slap, followed by a female voice yelling out. Four Lincoln City Police officers responded to the motel. Given the conduct, staff made the decision to evict Campos and the female guest. Motel staff contacted Campos and told him he was being evicted from the room. He was given 10 to 15 minutes to pack up and leave the property. Officers learned
An energetic member of the Newport Police Department’s patrol division started work recently. He differs a bit from the others in the department in that he has four legs instead of two, but his co-workers are excited to have him on board. This newest member is a purebred German Shepherd by the name of Sly, who is just over two years old. Sly’s handler is officer Jerimiah Mangum, who has now been working with his new partner since September. “There were rumors about us getting a dog
See SHOOTING, page A8
See K9, page A7
Officer Jerimiah Mangum is pictured with Sly, a purebred German Shepherd who is the Newport Police Department’s first ever patrol K9. (Photo by Steve Card)
1422 N Coast Hwy 101 • Newport • 541-265-7731
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