Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has a warning for people looking for love online: That soldier who’s been professing devotion via email may actually be a con artist looking for cash.

Local police departments are reporting more complaints about what is being called “The Soldier Scam” in which Internet scammers posing as romantically minded members of the U.S. military are conning people out of millions of dollars, including a Hillsboro woman who recently lost more than $750,000, said Jeff Manning, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Justice.

Attorney General Rosenblum advises Oregonians to always maintain a healthy skepticism. The anonymity of the Internet means that you cannot be sure of the real name, age, marital status, nationality or even gender of your new “heartthrob.”

The con artists are often from foreign countries using untraceable email addresses. Once these “soldiers” make a connection, they begin asking for money for transportation, medical bills, cell phone and Internet charges — even the cost of a wedding.

They route accounts through numerous locations and use pay-per-hour Internet cyber cafes, which makes finding the scammer and recovering the money extremely difficult.

To stay safe, keep the following tips in mind:

n Do not wire money to someone you have not met in person. Be wary of warp-speed proclamations of love, particularly if they are accompanied by requests for cash. 

n Be suspicious if you never get to actually speak with the person on the phone or are told he or she will not receive letters in the mail. Legitimate servicemen and women serving overseas will often have an APO or FPO in their mailing address.

n Do not send money or packages to a third party or company, especially to parties or companies in an African country.

If you think you have been scammed by an individual claiming to be a member of the U.S. military, contact the Oregon Department of Justice online at www.oregonconsumer.gov or call 1-877-877-9392.

A man has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for heroin trafficking and illegally entering the country.

Jose Lizarraras-Chacon, 38, of Nayarit, Mexico, on Monday, April 8, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez to 210 months, or about 17-1/2 years, in federal prison. His wife and co-defendant Maria Gonzalez-Torres, 31, has already been sentenced to five years in prison for heroin trafficking and food stamp fraud.

Portland Police in the fall of 2011 began investigating a tip about a husband-wife team selling large quantities of heroin throughout the Portland metro area, said Sue Rutledge, with the Department of Justice.

The couple fielded phoned-in heroin orders that they delivered throughout the Portland-metro area, often accompanied by their baby and two other children, ages 4 and 7. Earlier in 2011, the St. Helens Police Department also investigated the same husband-wife team, and that evidence was charged in the federal indictment as part of the yearlong conspiracy to distribute heroin, said Gerri Badden, with the Department of Justice.

Undercover police arranged to buy heroin from the couple on Nov. 29, 2011. Gonzalez-Torres answered the phone, made the deal and indicated they would deliver the heroin soon. Surveillance officers saw the husband-wife team leave their apartment. She got into a car carrying a baby in a car seat and followed her husband, who was driving another car along with the two older children.

Police pulled over the woman as she was en route to the agreed-upon delivery location. An officer found 5 ounces of heroin hidden in the woman’s bra and more than $300 in her diaper bag.

At their apartment at East Burnside Road and 179th Avenue, officers seized $84,000 stashed all over the home, nearly 1 pound of heroin hidden in a diaper trashcan and a loaded semi-automatic weapon in a hall closet.

Gonzalez-Torres told police she was part of her husband’s heroin business and hadn’t had a legitimate job in four years. She also said they saved the cash that police found to build a home in Mexico.

The drug proceeds were forfeited to the United States government, which provided funds that paid for the $1,100 a month in federal benefits, including food stamps, that the family was receiving.

In 2010, Lizarraras-Chacon was convicted in Clackamas County of unlawful heroin delivery and was deported to Mexico. He then returned to the United States illegally and continued to distribute heroin.

The couple’s four children are now in foster homes, said Gene Evans, communications director for the state’s Department of Human Services.

The Gresham budget committee's first meeting to review the fiscal year 2013-14 budget is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in the Gresham City Hall conference center, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway. Follow-up meetings are at the same time and place Thursday, April 18, and Tuesday, April 23. For details, call Sharron Monohon, budget and financial planning director, at 503-618-2890.

At its General Assembly in 2009, The United Nations was unanimous in its designation of April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.

“Sixty years after adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mother Earth is now, finally, having her rights recognized,” said Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose country helped lead the resolution. “We are strangling the planet — strangling ourselves. We don’t own the planet, we belong to it.”

In 2009, Morales called for the 21st century to be dedicated to protecting and supporting Mother Earth and her ecosystems. 

The proclamation was an acknowledgement that “the Earth’s ecosystems provide inhabitants with life and sustenance,” and also a call to “achieve balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity.”

Across the globe and right here in East County, April 22 is dedicated to celebrating Mother Earth.

According to The Earth Day Network, “Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center.”

Spurred to action by the student anti-war movement and witnessing the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., called for an environmental teach-in for April 22, 1970 — The First Earth Day.

April 22, 1970, is considered the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Today, more than 1 billion people across the world observe Earth Day, which is considered one of the largest secular holidays in the world.

From recycling hard-to-recycle materials through the city of Gresham to cleaning up a community garden, there are a variety of ways to observe Earth Day in your community.

Legacy Mount Hood’s

healing gardens

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at The Healing Garden at Mount Hood Medical Center, 24800 S.E. Stark St., Gresham.

Legacy Mount Hood’s healing gardens are intended to promote health and well-being by offering a place to reduce stress and provide an opportunity to relax and restore. The gardens also highlight the importance of native plant varieties and the value of trees to communities.

For more information, email Pat Lydon at plydon@lhs.or or Teresia Hazen at thazen@lhs.org.

ASERT Neighborhood and Thom Park Community Garden Clean-Up Party

8:30-11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at Dexter McCarty Middle School, 1400 S.E. Fifth St., Gresham.

The ASERT Neighborhood Association is working with the East Gresham Elementary S.U.N. program to clean up several garden plots in the Thom Park Community Garden, which is next to East Gresham Elementary School, to prepare them for student use in growing and learning about vegetables.

Community volunteers will weed, remove debris and till garden plots so that the students will be able to use them this growing season.

Additional community volunteers will clean neighborhood streets, including Roberts, Hogan and several streets bordering East Gresham Elementary School and Dexter McCarty Middle School.

Bring gloves, boots and any favorite tools to help clean-up the community garden.

For more information, email asert.neighborhood.assoc@gmail.com.

Ready to Recycle:

Gresham’s Earth Day Collection

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, city of Gresham, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway.

The city of Gresham is hosting its 12th annual Earth Day Collection Event, offering Gresham and Wood Village residents the opportunity to recycle common yet difficult to recycle items, such as Block Styrofoam, non-curbside plastics, rigid plastics, fluorescent tube lights, batteries and cell phones.

“Every year, we see more than 1,000 residents who have been diligently recycling what they can in their blue roll carts and saving the things they cannot put in there for this event,” said Recycling and Solid Waste Manager Dan Blue. “We are providing a much needed service to the city and keeping a lot of material from going to the landfill.”

The cell phone collection will benefit Oregon Green Schools while Girl Scout Troop 4004 is helping to fill compost buckets as part of their work toward the Bronze Award.

Collection Items

n Rigid plastics/clean plastic bags (not accepted in curbside recycling)

n Styrofoam

n Paper shredding (two boxes per household)

n Fluorescent tubes and lights

n Cell phones

n Batteries (3-pound limit per household)

The city does not accept electronics or hazardous waste at the Earth Day recycling event.

This year, the city is offering a free, limited amount of compost made from vegetables and food waste to residents, who may collect five gallons of compost in their own buckets.

The city also is offering free paper shredding on site through Gresham Sanitary’s AccuShred NW division, with a limit of two grocery bags per household.

The city is in need of 30-40 volunteers to work one of two shifts: 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tasks may include directing traffic, passing out fliers, unloading materials from cars and sorting materials. Tasks involve walking, standing, bending or lifting up to 30 pounds.

For more information, call Shaunna Sutcliffe at 503-618-2694 or visit GreshamOregon.gov/EarthDay.

Gresham police are looking for a 6-year-old girl who has been missing since Saturday afternoon.

Police said Carmen Alexandria Welch was last seen at 2:15 p.m. after was supposed to meet a friend who lives in the same apartment complex at 1072 S.E. Highway 26. The girl’s mother reported her missing when the girl did not show up at the other apartment.

About 30 searchers and four dogs from Multnomah County Search and Rescue have been searching the area and the area around an adjacent complex at 2831 S.E. Palmquist St.

Carmen is a 4-foot-tall African-American girl who weighs 50 pounds. She had played in a baseball game at North Gresham Grade School at about 1:15 p.m. At about 2:15 p.m., she arrived at her apartment complex with her mother, who made arrangements for her to play with a friend in the complex.

After Carmen did not meet the friend as expected, the friend contacted the mother to inquire as to Carmen's whereabouts, alerting the mother that she was missing. Police were called at 3:15 p.m. and began a search.

Carmen was last seen wearing a navy blue baseball jersey with the number "4" and "Gresham Little League" in writing and a long-sleeve black shirt underneath, dark baseball pants and blue ties in her hair.

A pair of first-half interception returns set the tone for the Majestics 34-0 win over Portland

MILWAUKIE — The Portland Fighting Fillies missed numerous chances in the first half and never recovered during a 34-0 home loss to the Seattle Majestics in a Women’s Football Alliance game Saturday night.

Seattle took the opening kickoff and immediately moved the ball downfield with QB Rachel Gore completing a pair of long third-down passes. So the Majestics were perfectly comfortable facing 3rd-and-15 deep in Portland territory.

Gore came through once more looping a perfect pass over the top to Adrienne Wilson, who sprinted for the pylon before reaching for the goal line and losing her grip on the ball. It popped loose and Portland’s Nikki Ferchland scooped it off the turf at the 1-yard line. Both players stood frozen for a moment, unsure if Wilson had crossed into the end zone. No whistle sounded, and Ferchland started the other way getting about 10 yards before being pulled down.

Crisis averted — for a moment.

Portland’s first play from scrimmage saw QB Rebekah Chee drop back and fire a quick pass toward the sideline. Majestics cornerback Kalena Firstrider saw the play coming, stepped in front of the receiver and raced in with a 12-yard interception return.

The Fillies first three possessions ended in turnovers and it quickly became clear that going through the air was a risky endeavor.

Seattle wasn’t having much better luck holding onto the ball and a series of fumbles kept Portland within striking distance.

The Fillies were driving for the go-ahead touchdown early in the second quarter after Ashley Kondziela went straight ahead to convert a 4th-and-1 that pushed the ball inside the 10-yard line. But a false start penalty stalled the drive, and a 31-yard field goal try missed the mark.

Late in the first half, Gore went for a big play down the right sideline but her pass overshot the receiver by 10 yards. Portland safety Cassie Dunsire didn’t give up on the ball and made a sliding interception, getting both feet down before tumbling out of bounds.

Portland had the ball near midfield with 3:52 on the clock to find the end zone and take a lead into the locker room.

It would take one play. But it was the Majestics who would find the end zone.

Seattle’s Karen Lawton picked off a pass on the midfield logo, spun out of a crowd and broke free 45 yards for a touchdown.

The Majestics defense had given their team a 13-0 halftime lead.

The offense would catch up when the teams returned to the field.

After stopping Portland cold to open the third quarter, Seattle quickly moved into scoring range when Jackie McCall pulled down a 29-yard grab breaking free from a pair of tackles for the big gain. One play later, Firstrider ran through a wide hole in the middle and sprinted 17 yards to the end zone.

McCall ended Portland’s next drive with an interception, and the Majestics put the game away 27-0 when Gore hit Lawton with a 13-yard scoring strike on 4th-and-9.

The Fillies (1-1) take on crosstown rival the Portland Shockwave (1-0) at Hillsboro Stadium next Saturday, while Seattle (2-0) travels to Tacoma (0-2).

View a photo gallery from the game at ...

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/april13_fillies-majestics_football

Mt. Hood hosts Linn-Benton on Thursday with first place on the line

Mt. Hood CC first baseman Jake Thran just wanted to make contact when he dug in with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning against Lane Community College. He made contact – and sent the ball halfway to Washington.

Thran’s base-clearing grand slam blew open an already lopsided game and led the Saints to 13-0 victory on Thursday. The game was scheduled to go nine innings, but the mercy rule turned it into a seven-inning affair.

“Our approach in that situation is it won’t take much to score a run. We are just trying to put a quality swing on a pitch,” Mt. Hood coach Bryan Donohue said. “When that’s your approach that is when something big can happen.”

The four-run blow delivered by Thran, which landed 25 or 30 feet beyond the outfield fence, was part of an eight-run inning for the Saints. Mt. Hood had worked five singles, a walk and a sacrifice bunt before Thran came up. After Thran’s bomb, a single by Shea Coates and a few Lane errors led to another Saints’ run to make it an 11-0 game.

The Saints overcame a 3-0 deficit in the second game to collect an 11-3 win and earn the sweep.

Saturday's doubleheader with Linn-Benton was rained out and rescheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at Oslund Field.

Look for extended game coverage in the Tuesday, April 16, print edition.

Kali VanCleave completes a Game 2 comeback with a three-run double

The Mt. Hood CC softball team kept its season rolling along Saturday with a doubleheader sweep over rival Clackamas.

The Saints opened with a 4-1 win, taking an early lead when Teauna Hughes sent a two-run shot off the scoreboard in center field. She drew intentional walks both times she stepped into the batter’s box later in the game.

The Cougars loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but a ground ball to Kali VanCleave at second base ended the game.

The Saints fell behind 4-1 in the second game before exploding for six runs in the sixth inning to complete the sweep with a 7-4 win.

McCarthy tied the score with a three-run homer, while Van Cleave added the winning punch with a three-run double.

Mt. Hood (22-3) retains its spot atop the South Region standings, going into Tuesday’s home doubleheader against Lower Columbia (15-8).

Look for extended game coverage in the Tuesday, April 16, print edition.

View a photo gallery from the game at ...

http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/april13_mhcc-ccc_softball

Massive search ends in police finding girl at hotel with her mother who reported her missing

After a nearly 12-hour search for a missing 6-year-old Gresham girl, police found her safe in a hotel. Now, her mother who reported the girl missing faces charges ranging from filing a false report to chid neglect and mistreatment.

Sara Lea Edmond, 30, of Gresham is being held on $13,500 bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center on allegations of first-degree criminal mistreatment, child neglect, custodial interference, disorderly conduct and filing a false police report, said Det. John Rasmussen, Gresham police spokesman.

She will be arraigned on Monday, April 15.

Edmond reported her daughter, Carmen Alexandria Welch, missing from their Gresham apartment complex in the in the 1072 S.E. Highway 26 at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, April 13. She told police that they'd gone to the girl's baseball game at North Gresham Grade School, 1001 S.E. 217th Ave. at around 1:15 p.m. When they returned home at about 2:15 p.m., the girl walked over to a playdate at the home of a friend who lives in the same apartment complex. The girl never arrived.

Gresham police officers and members of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office search and rescue team immediately searched the complex and nearby areas. Unable to find her, they widened the search area

The East County Major Crimes Team – including detectives from Fairview Police, Troutdale Police, Oregon State Police, Multnomah County Sheriff Office and Gresham Police – was activated. The county's Special Investigations Unit, Portland Police K9 and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations also responded.

Investigators followed leads to the Howard Johnson Hotel, at 572 N.E. Burnside Road in Gresham. There, inside room 139, they found the girl and her mother at 2:48 a.m. Sunday, April 14.

The girl is safe, physically unharmed and appears to be in good health, Rasmussen said. She's been reunited with her father, Marc Welch, 31, of Gresham.

“The investigation into exactly why Edmond secreted her daughter and initiated the false report, activating dozens of officers and investigators and alarming the public, is ongoing but appears to be related to a custody dispute Edmond is having with Welch's father,” Rasmussen said.

Like plenty of Oregon’s lawmakers, we’ve adopted a wait-and-see posture on a bill that would erase some mandatory minimum prison sentences required under the umbrella of Measure 11.

Oregonians overwhelmingly approved the measure in 1994, agreeing with the argument that judges were being too soft on convicted criminals. At the time of its passage, proponents also argued that longer, mandatory sentences would hold lawbreakers accountable for their crimes and serve as a deterrent to crime.

At the same time of its passage, Oregonians gave the Legislature the right to change Measure 11, but only if they achieved a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate.

If for no other reason, at least the conversation taking place in the Joint Committee on Public Safety is giving lawmakers a chance to review how well Measure 11 serves Oregonians almost 20 years after its passage. And a lot has happened.

One thing that is inescapable is the fact that Oregonians pay far more to operate prisons as a consequence of Measure 11. Ten years after the measure passed, the state’s prison population had grown by more than 40 percent, at a time when crime rates had been dropping, mirroring the national trend.

Also in that timeline, terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, the political climate shifted, wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq, and of course Americans were forced to come to terms with a devastating economic meltdown. In the aftermath, Oregon has been crippled in its ability to fund state government — caught between adequately funding public schools or paying for the mandatory warehousing of criminals.

In the balance of this debate is the notion that nobody wants to appear soft on crime by letting criminals off with a slap on the wrist. On the other hand, the legislation now before the lawmakers suggests that money spent to feed and house some Measure 11 prisoners might be better spent on community policing in an effort to stop crime before it begins.

Somewhere in the debate between those equally reasonable points of view is a compromise. Lawmakers haven’t gotten that far. At least not yet. And from what it sounds like, this legislation faces an uphill climb at reaching a compromise that the two-thirds majority can agree upon.

We hope Oregon’s lawmakers from both major political parties take the wait-and-see approach to this legislation, to see what comes out of committee. We hope they wait to hear from crime victims, judges, police officers and other experts before deciding how to vote on this package of Measure 11 revisions.

It would be wrong to oppose changes to Measure 11 simply because it’s unpopular with voters. If it’s the right thing to do — according to criminal justice experts — then Oregon’s lawmakers should have the guts to make these changes.

A 19-year-old Oregon City man has been identified as the person who died Saturday, April 13, after being shot in Boring during a hunting accident.

Nicholas Anderson, 19, died at the scene on Southeast Bartell Road just south of Highway 212 in Boring at about 7:45 p.m., said Sgt. Robert Wurpes, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

Anderson and Joseph Danna, 19, of Happy Valley were reportedly hunting coyotes when Danna shot the other man. Danna is cooperating with investigators and said the shooting was an accident.

The investigation is ongoing and will be referred to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office for possible charges, Wurpes said.

Investigators responded to a report on Saturday night of a person being shot while in a steep ravine on private property on a large heavily wooded parcel. The victim was about 100 feet down the ravine, where people were rendering aid to him.

Initially, deputies and firefighters from the Boring Rural Fire District considered attempting a high-angle rope rescue.

Instead, “because time was a factor, rescuers conducted a hasty rescue,” said Deputy Marcus Mendoza. The victim died at the scene before he could be transported by LifeFlight helicopter.

She left 6-year-old girl alone in a motel room for eight hours while police scoured the area for her

After a nearly 12-hour search for a missing 6-year-old Gresham girl, police found Carman Alexandria Welch scared and crying in room 319 at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Gresham at 2:48 a.m. Sunday, April 14, said Det. John Rasmussen, Gresham Police spokesman,

She was hiding under the bed as her mother had instructed her, Rasmussen said.

The girl's mother, who reported the girl missing, now faces criminal charges ranging from child neglect to filing a false police report.

Sara Lea Edmond, 30, of Gresham is being held on $13,500 bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center on allegations of first-degree criminal mistreatment, child neglect, custodial interference, disorderly conduct and filing a false police report.

She allegedly left the girl alone in the hotel room for eight hours, from 3 p.m. shortly before Edmond reported her missing until 11 p.m. when her mother returned to the room, Rasmussen said.

Edmond reported her daughter missing from their Gresham apartment complex in the in the 1072 S.E. Highway 26 at about 3:15 p.m. Saturday, April 13. She told police that they'd gone to the girl's baseball game at North Gresham Grade School, 1001 S.E. 217th Ave. at around 1:15 p.m. When they returned home at about 2:15 p.m., the girl walked over to a playdate at the home of a friend who lives in the same apartment complex. The girl never arrived.

Gresham police officers and members of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office search and rescue team immediately searched the complex and nearby areas.

Unable to find her, they widened the search area.

The East County Major Crimes Team — including detectives from Fairview Police, Troutdale Police, Oregon State Police, Multnomah County Sheriff Office and Gresham Police — was activated. The county's Special Investigations Unit, Portland Police K9 and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations also responded.

By about 5 p.m. Edmond “stopped cooperating” with the police, Rasmussen said, adding that she didn't want to let police search her property.

Armed with search warrants, police found a receipt for the room at the Howard Johnson, 1572 N.E. Burnside Road, where they found her safe. The girl, who attends Powell Valley Elementary School, was crying and scared, she was relieved to be reunited with her father, Marc Welch, 31, of Gresham, Rasmussen said.

“The investigation into exactly why Edmond secreted her daughter and initiated the false report, activating dozens of officers and investigators and alarming the public, is ongoing but appears to be related to a custody dispute Edmond is having with Welch's father,” Rasmussen said.

It is unclear what Edmond planned to do with the girl. “Whether it was to get her out of the state, out of the country or to harm her, we don't know,” Rasmussen said, adding that mental health issues may also be a factor in the case. “There were just so many poor decisions on her part.”

The police could request that the court order Edmond to reimburse the various police agencies involved in the search for the cost of it. But that total is likely to be in the tens of thousands of dollars and it's unlikely Edmond has the means to pay such restitution, Rasmussen said.

Last week’s incident at the Oregon Zoo in which someone intervened after witnessing a woman abusing a child had many of us asking what is the correct way to respond if someone witnesses child abuse.

On Tuesday, April 9, a woman reported seeing another woman yelling profanities at a girl who appeared to be about 3 years old and then kick her in the side, knocking her down.

When the child got up crying and walked away, the assailant followed her and smacked her on the side of the head, knocking her down again.

The witness confronted the abuser, who responded with a verbal assault and walked away.

But the abuser wasn’t done with the little girl. She shoved her into a cement wall before leaving the zoo. Portland police and zoo security responded, but by then the suspect was gone.

After media reports on the case, including surveillance video of the woman and child, police identified the mother and child on Thursday, April 11. The state’s Department of Human Services is now handling the case.

Officer Malaka Kerbs, Gresham Police spokeswoman, said the public may hesitate to get involved in some instances of child abuse because they don’t want to interfere with someone else’s parenting decisions.

And while hurtful words can sting — and take longer to heal than physical injuries — there is no statute against yelling or swearing at a child, she said.

But when a child is clearly being assaulted, witnesses need to take action but might not know how.

Should you yell, stand between the attacker and child, or whip out your cell phone and tell the abuser to say cheese?

The traditional response of calling 9-1-1 won’t do any good initially because the suspect and victim will be gone by the time police arrive.

“People need to do what’s comfortable for them,” Kerbs said, adding that they also need to be ready for a powerful reaction from the assailant. “The potential for a confrontation, whether it’s verbal or physical, is pretty high.”

A witness could begin with a verbal reaction, like calling out, “Hey, that’s not OK!” This would divert attention away from the child being abused, which is good, but the abuser could take great offense to his or her parenting being called into question.

Another option is for the witness to create a physical barrier between the abuser and victim, which can be especially effective if more than one witness bands together.

The abuser could respond by yelling or assaulting the witness. If the latter takes place, assault victims are within their rights to defend themselves, so they shouldn’t worry about facing criminal charges for fighting back if they are attacked, Kerbs said.

But there’s no telling whether an abuser is armed with something potentially lethal, such as a gun, so use caution, she said.

“You don’t necessarily have to get physically involved,” Kerbs said.

If trying to intervene fails, or if that’s just not in your comfort zone, Kerbs recommended lurking in the background to get suspect information — license plate number, vehicle make and model, physical description of the victim and suspect. That way, the police can track them down.

Most likely, the suspect will deny everything and the victim will lie, too, out of fear and self-preservation. So without compelling physical evidence, even police contact could result in little more than a police report and a referral to state child-welfare officials.

But, Kerbs said, it at least gets state officials involved and starts a paper trail.

Witnesses also can use technology by snapping a photo or video with a cell phone.

“That’s going to stop someone,” Kerbs said.

It also could incite instant rage, either because the attacker is being recorded or the attacker’s child is. “Ultimately, the evidence will speak for itself,” Kerbs said. “You’re documenting a potential crime and that’s gold. You just have to be aware of the backlash.”

- Experts offer tips to help prevent child abuse

Gresham grandfather Jim Kaufer is a man on a mission.

His YouTube video — “Want to stop your baby from crying?” — posted three months ago has more than 11,500 views and puts a powerful personal perspective on shaken baby syndrome, a brain injury resulting from violently shaking or slamming a baby’s head against something.

Five years ago, his daughter’s husband shook their baby, Rockell DiNucci. As a result, she can’t sit or stand on her own, and for all intents and purposes she can’t move. She’s also blind.

Her grandfather knows too much about child abuse, brain damage and how it can derail lives to not do the utmost to prevent it.

He understands that parents and caregivers get frustrated and overwhelmed.

And he has a simple remedy.

Earplugs.

“This right here will take the edge off,” he says, holding up a $1 pair of earplugs.

Experts have many suggestions for calming parents and babies. Here are a few.

How to calm a frazzled parent

• Take a deep breath and count to 10.

• Leave the baby in a safe place, like a crib, and walk away. Leave the room and take a break.

• Call a trusted friend or relative to take over for a while. Then get away, get some rest; in short, take care of your needs, too.

• Contact a local parenting support group, mom’s club or dad’s club.

How to calm a crying baby

• Make sure basic needs are met. Feed, burp, change the diaper. Is the baby wearing comfortable clothes? Is she or he too warm or too cold?

• Take baby for a walk outside in a stroller or for a car ride.

• Hold baby against your chest and gently massage. Also, breathe slowly and calmly. Some babies respond to a parent’s calmness and quiet down.

• Rock, walk or dance with baby.

• Offer a pacifier, rattle or toy.

• Lower any surrounding noise or lights. Or turn on some white noise, like a vacuum, hair dryer or a similar recording. Singing or talking in soothing tones also might help.

• If all else fails, make sure the baby is in a safe place, like a crib, and walk away. Take a break.

Sources: The Shaken Baby Alliance, aboutshakenbaby.com

–  Gresham's Jim Kaufer speaks out to prevent fate met by his granddaughter Rockell DiNucci

It’s been five years — six as of this coming Sept. 9 — since a young father’s reckless act forever changed the course of his infant daughter’s life.

In the seconds it took for Brandon DiNucci to shake his 6-week-old daughter, he injured her brain so severely she can’t sit or stand on her own.

That act of frustration, anger and abuse not only altered Rockell DiNucci’s life, it altered those of everyone around her.

Her father, now 26, was released from prison last summer on June. 29. He pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted assault and received a five-year sentence. With time off for good behavior, he served about four years and can’t have any contact with his daughter for three years.

Rockell’s mother, Ashley Ashford, with help from Ashley’s parents Jim and Lisa Kaufer, care for the girl around the clock.

For years, Jim tried to process the growing anger inside him. Three months ago, he finally did something about it.

Jim filmed a video, showing in shocking detail, what happens to the brain of a baby who is violently shaken. It’s stomach-churning, heart-stopping, tear-jerking stuff — and it’s gotten 11,737 hits on YouTube. (To see it, search the site for Jim Kaufer or for “Want to stop your baby from crying?”)

Since then, he’s received emails from all over the globe.

“Full House,” a magazine in the United Kingdom is featuring an article about Rockell in its May 9 issue.

Next Monday, April 22, he and Rockell will join others in Portland at the Multnomah County Courthouse as part of the first Million March Against Child Abuse, a national effort to bring attention to child abuse prevention and to fight for tougher penalties for child abusers.

When they’re done there, they’ll go to a hospital, where Rockell’s mom is scheduled to give birth to a baby boy, Cruz.

Because, despite how drastically all of their lives changed on Sept. 9, 2007, life does go on.

Life changes in an instant

While Rockell, then just an infant, was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, she stopped breathing a block from the family’s Gresham home.

Doctors told Ashley her baby was not viable. She’d never be able to breathe, eat, talk or walk without assistance.

Extreme swelling of her brain and bleeding had turned most of the baby’s brain to spinal fluid, leaving just the brain stem in the back of her brain intact.

Rockell stunned doctors by breathing and eating on her own. She’s had five brain surgeries. Her right eye is a prosthetic. She can detect light in her left eye, but is legally blind.

Her limited physical abilities also are deteriorating. A few years ago, Rockell could roll from her belly onto her back, but otherwise couldn’t move on her own. Now she can’t even do that.

She used to be able to stand for a few hours in a device called a stander, which helps prevent hip displacement. Now, she can stand for about 20 minutes - partly because her right hip is displaced, which makes it painful to place weight on her leg.

Her deterioration is due to a number of factors. She’s getting older, growing bigger and her brain can’t keep up with the changes, Jim said.

Not being able to afford all the physical therapy she needs is another issue. Rockell needs two to three sessions a week, with each session lasting two to three hours, in order to keep her muscles from atrophying and to stay limber.

Instead, she gets one hour once a week.

The state pays for 24 sessions a year, so the family is paying out-of-pocket for the other 28 sessions she gets each year.

In July when Rockell turns 6, the state will cut the number of covered sessions in half to 12.

With the girl’s father negligent on his child-support payments — as of April 2, he owed $3,256 — the family has no way to pay for the uncovered physical therapy sessions.

Brandon DiNucci did not return a phone call asking for comment on this article.

There is no fix

DiNucci was still in prison when Ashley divorced him. She got remarried last November. Her new husband, Chris Ashford, graduated from Sam Barlow High School’s class of 2005 along with Ashley and her ex-husband.

Chris and Ashley have a daughter, Rahya, who turns 2 in May.

The family lives in a house right across the street from her parent’s home in Southeast Gresham.

This allows Rockell’s grandparents to take care of her as much as they possibly can. In fact, while Ashley is pregnant with baby No. 3, and chasing after a toddler, Rockell is living with her grandparents.

“It’s the best thing for Rockell for now, and we love having her here,” Jim said.

Jim is active with several online support groups for those dealing with the affects of shaken baby syndrome, lending advice and perspective. He also fields invitations to speak at events and has become deeply involved in shaken baby awareness efforts.

With his YouTube video being so well received, he plans to make a series of them showing everything from Rockell’s physical therapy to what it takes to prepare her food and feed her. She must be spoon fed pureed food, much like you’d feed a baby. She also will wear diapers for the rest of her life.

“Her injuries are permanent,” he said. “When you shake a baby, and you ruin their brain, they’re done. It is truly like Humpty Dumpty. You can’t put it together again.”

So Rockell will never walk.

Or stand unassisted.

Or do so many of the things most people take for granted.

As Jim speaks, Rockell’s mother nods her head in agreement.

“There’s no hope,” Ashley said.

But that doesn’t diminish their love for Rockell.

“We have to make the best of her life and give her love,” Lisa said.

And that’s just what they’re doing.

“She smiles, she knows when people are around,” Lisa said. “If they’re laughing and playing with her she smiles. She knows happiness.”

“Rockell has this super cute little personality percolating just under the surface,” Jim said. “And she’ll smile sometimes as if to say, ‘I hear what you guys are saying. I can’t respond, but I hear you.’ ”

If you go

What: Million March Against Child Abuse

When: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, April 22

Where: Multnomah County Courthouse, 1021 S.W. Fourth Ave.

Details: A nonpartisan, grass roots, nationwide effort to unite all child advocates in solidarity on April 22, 2013, for peaceful demonstrations against child abuse. The event is timed to take place in April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, to raise awareness and ask for tougher sentencing for violent crimes against children in the U.S.

Protests are taking place in Washington, D.C., and in cities across the nation.

A 40-foot high emergency communications tower on Gresham Butte could be replaced with an 180-foot tower under a proposal from the city of Portland’s Bureau of Technology Services.

The tower is in the 1100 block of Southwest Blaine Court on the southeast side of Gresham Butte, but is obscured by trees that are far taller, said Mads Ledet, president of the Gresham Butte Neighborhood Association.

“That’s a big tower,” Ledet said of the proposed replacement. “It will stick up like a pimple. It will certainly be very, very obvious it’s there.”

Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis estimated the top third, or about 60 feet of the proposed tower, would be visible.

No development application for the project has been submitted, but a pre-application conference was held Feb. 27. Portland officials also explained the proposal at a Gresham Butte Neighborhood Association meeting, as well as at another neighborhood meeting.

Once the application is filed, it will be evaluated by a city planner. Property owners within 300 feet of the site will be notified, as will the Gresham Butte Neighborhood Association.

Because it’s a type II process, no public hearing is required for city planners to determine whether to approve the application.

The city of Portland owns the 1.35 acres the tower is on. And the existing tower, which looks like a telephone pole with antennas on it, was built in 1992 when the system changed from VHF radios to the 800 megahertz radios that are still in use.

The site is one of 15 that comprise the Portland Public Safety Radio System, said Abby Coppock, a city of Portland spokeswoman.

“This system is used by first responders throughout Multnomah County for critical public safety dispatch communications, including police, fire and 9-1-1 services,” she said.

Shortly after the system change in 1992, emergency responders noticed a lack of coverage, particularly along the Sandy River and on the south side of area buttes.

“Radio waves travel in a straight line, so if there is a geographical obstruction, those waves don’t go through,” Lewis said.

In short, East Multnomah County has dead zones. To address those dead zones, and to move the public safety system to fully digital communications, the tower needs to be updated, Coppock said.

But Gresham residents have a history of protecting local buttes from development, an effort that Metro regional government and other cities have adopted as they buy up property to preserve open spaces.

Ledet said he’d rather see three 60-foot towers built than one tower that’s more than four times taller than the current one.

But that would cost at least three times more money than the $1 million price-tag for the proposed tower replacement on Gresham Butte, Lewis said.

Decision prompted by safety concerns for pilots, communities

The Federal Aviation Administration has postponed its closure of the Troutdale Airport’s air traffic control tower, and nearly 150 others across the country, until June 15, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Troutdale's air traffic tower was scheduled to close on Sunday, April 21, as the result of $637 million in budget cuts to the FAA.

The closure is one of 149 air traffic control towers at small- and medium-sized airports across the country that were to take effect over a four-week period from April 7 to May 5, according to the FAA’s website.

Closures are the result of automatic budget cuts at government agencies, also known as sequestration.

Oregon will see four such closures at the Troutdale Airport, Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend, Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton and McNary Field in Salem.

“This has been a complex process and we need to get this right,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Safety is out top priority. We will use this additional time to make sure communities and pilots understand the changes at their local airports.”

It remains unclear how the pending closure will affect operations at the Troutdale Airport at 999 N.W. Frontage Road in Troutdale, said Kama Simonds, a spokeswoman for the Port of Portland, which owns and operates the Troutdale Airport. “That (the delay) gives everyone a little more breathing room to figure out what they're going to do and what it looks like,” she said.

Port officials have said even with the sequestration budget cuts, they expect the Troutdale Airport — the state’s third busiest airport — to remain open but with some restrictions.

Private companies or contractors operate all the towers being shut down, not the government, according to Bloomberg.com.

They also are general-aviation airports, which don’t serve major commercial airlines, but instead handle a range of flights, such as corporate jets, recreational fliers, charter planes and military flights. Many general-aviation airports already operate without air traffic control towers.

The Troutdale Airport is used by hobby pilots, instructors conducting flight training and for business class aviation. Last year, 93,000 planes took off from or landed at the airport, making it Oregon’s third busiest airport behind Portland International and Hillsboro airports – all of which the Port of Portland owns.

In addition, the Troutdale Airport complex houses 15 businesses that provide aviation related services such as fuel, repairs and aircraft instruments.

Oregon Community Trees has awarded Gresham a $500 grant that the city used to fund an educational tree planting program at Hogan Cedar Elementary School on Wednesday, April 10, as part of Oregon Arbor Week.

The city also is using the money to purchasing tree tags for significant trees in Gresham and to buy Hogan Cedar trees — a unique form of Thugja plicata, a western red cedar that grows naturally only in the Gresham area — that students helped plant at Hogan Cedar Elementary School, said Tina Osterink, Gresham's natural resources planner. Another 108 Hogan Cedars will be planted at along the Gresham Saddle Butte Trail at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26, capping the city's Arbor Month activities.

It is the first time Oregon Community Trees has offered a grant to cities that have achieved the designation of Tree City USA. The grant was given to five cities, based on their grant applications and their plans for the funding.

Oregon Community Trees is an organization that promotes healthy urban and community forests through leadership, education, awareness and advocacy.

In addition to receiving the grant, Gresham is celebrating its fifth year as a Tree City USA — a program that is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

The Tree City USA program provides direction, technical assistance and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs nationwide. A total of 57 Oregon cities are being recognized as Tree City USA communities.

This December, the Arbor Day Foundation also honored Gresham with the city's first "Growth Award,” for the city demonstrating significant improvements to its tree program. Last year, the city partnered with the Rotary Club to build out a large portion of the newly created arboretum at the Gradin Community Sports Park.

The City Council approved a resolution recognizing the Hogan Cedar as the official city tree, which is not only rare for cities to do but is remarkable because the tree adopted grows naturally only in Gresham.

The city also has engaged local students in the official city tree designation by working with educators to add it to their curriculum, hosted a Hazard Tree Assessment Seminar for city employees and the larger community, and is adding seven new trees to its significant tree list.

BPA offering $20,000 in education grants

The Bonneville Power Administration is offering $20,000 in science and energy education grants to nonprofit organizations, schools and others in support of work to educate students in kindergarten through 12th grade about the energy systems of the Pacific Northwest.

The goal of the program is to advance student understanding, awareness and interest in the issues and science involved in energy generation and transmission in the region.

A total of $20,000 will be awarded. The BPA anticipates making five to 10 grants ranging from $500 to $5,000.

Applications for project funding are due May 1, and funding will be awarded in June for projects beginning in the 2013-14 school year.

For terms and instructions on completing a science and energy education grant proposal, visit bpa.gov/PublicInvolvement/CommunityEducation/Pages/Education-Grants.aspx.

Skosh Children’s Festival and Fair May 11

Mt. Hood Community College’s (MHCC) Japanese Club and Ebetsu Gresham Sister City Association are presenting “Skosh” (a little) Japanese: Children’s Festival and Cultural Fair 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at 26000 S.E. Stark St. The event is free and open to the public, featuring demonstrations, displays and performances designed to bring a sample of Japanese culture to the community.

Displays will be staged around campus and will include three-dimensional origami, bonsai, pottery, handmade paper, hariko dolls (washi paper mache) and kokeshi dolls (cylinder sculpture).

If interested in volunteering, email SkoshJapaneseFestival@gmail.com.

Gresham High theater sweeps state

The Gresham High School Theatre Arts Department won in several categories at the state competition.

The winning scenes were performed on the Historic Elsinore Stage in front of 1,000 theater students and more than 50 schools around the state. Tech entries were showcased with their entries on a slide show.

The winners are as follows:

First place at state in Group Musical with Jellicle Cats from the Musical Cats — Austin Joseph, Andrew De la Paz, Devin Bailey, Spencer Livermore, Brandon Bailey, Dahlton Mahar, Ryan Leveque, Lily Cichon, Angie Hahn, Lara Horine, Abbie Thompson, Amanda Brainard, Gabi Alfonso, Madison Ryder, Cajsa Strommer and Arianne Melton.

First place at state in Pantomime — Claire Corbett and Riley Olson.

First place at state in Lighting Design — Brooke Schlipf.

Second place and third place in Set Design — Trynity Alvarez and Lara Horine.

Anatole France was a French poet, journalist and novelist; and, apparently, he was also pretty fond of pets.

Here’s what France had to say about pets before his death in October 1924.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

France’s words no doubt resonate with lots of people; with anyone who has rescued a fur ball from an animal shelter, or who has experienced the unconditional admiration of a slobbering mutt.

Animals have always had a way of getting into our lives, of becoming as much a part of our families as our spouses and children.

The Outlook wants to hear about these beloved pets that have made a significant difference to the lives of their people. Perhaps your pet has:

• Summoned help when you faced a medical emergency;

• Found its way home after being lost for days, weeks or months;

• Demonstrated amazing escape skills that would impress Harry Houdini;

• Provided you with comfort at a low point in your life;

• Performed an amazing trick (think David Letterman’s show); or,

• Is trained to provide an unusual service or task.

Here’s your opportunity to tell us the amazing stories about your pets. We’ll share these stories in a special section we’re publishing in mid-May. It’s the same special section that will include the entries in a pet look-alike contest, which offers more than $900 in total prizes.

If you’d like to tell us your amazing pet stories, just write the story using no more than 300 words. We’ll need your name and contact information (phone, cellular phone and email). We’ll also need a photograph of your pet.

Send those stories to Executive Editor Steven Brown at sbrown@theoutlookonline.com. Or you can drop those submissions by at any of our three newspaper offices: The Outlook, 1190 N.E. Division St., Gresham; Sandy Post, 38270 Proctor Blvd. (second floor of the Windermere Building); or Estacada News, 307 S.W. Highway 224 (next to Subway).

There’s still time to submit photos for the pet look-alike contest. Just visit The Outlook’s website at greshamoutlook.com, scroll to the contest button and follow the instructions for submitting the photo.

More than anything, we want to give people the opportunity to boast about their beloved pets. We hope you take us up on the opportunity.

Executive Editor Steven Brown is the owner of Jack, a 90-pound black Lab. He and his family recently adopted Zero — a cocker spaniel — from the Multnomah County Animal Service & Shelter in Troutdale.