Peter Madsen

“Did you call the sheriff’s office on me?”  The public had just been let into the Alfalfa Fire District special meeting on May 22 when Justin Alderman, the co-founder and managing editor of the Prineville Review, fired off questions. They came rat-a-tat-style at AFD board member Mark Laucks.  “Mr. Laucks, is it true you contacted the sheriff?”  Laucks shuffled freshly printed meeting agendas to pass out to the […]

James “Mac” McLaughlin outed himself as one of three Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office employees Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert placed on paid administrative on June 5, stemming from allegations of misconduct. He calls it “political theatre.” A DCSO Lieutenant and the SWAT commander, McLaughlin published a social media post on the subsequent evening of June 6, […]

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has placed three employees on paid administrative, stemming from allegations of misconduct, as of June 5. According to a press release similar to the email Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert sent to DCSO staffers earlier in the day, the allegations stem from two formal citizen complaints related to the same incident. […]

Deschutes County commissioners unanimously granted the Sheriff’s Office a $2.4-million, five-year contract with Axon, a surveillance technology company, on June 3. The inventory will include 100 in-vehicle cameras, 105 body cameras and 90 smart tasers. But not included in the department’s wish list for surveillance tech is automated license plate reader capabilities, owing to public […]

The trademark dispute between drag queen Pattie Gonia and outdoor brand Patagonia has reached a boiling point in recent days, with the clothing giant’s CEO and Pattie swapping video statements since the most-recent reporting by the Source on May 28. In a widely shared video last week, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert said the company has […]

Pattie Gonia ain’t goin’ nowhere. A nationally touring drag artist, entrepreneur, LGBTQ activist and environmentalist, Bend-based Pattie Gonia broke her silence May 27 about the federal lawsuit Patagonia, the clothing company, filed against her for trademark infringement in January. The outdoor brand is suing for $1 in damages, along with demanding that Wyn Wiley, a […]

Because of pronounced “public interest,” Bend City Manager Eric King will bring the decision to install stationary automated license plate readers to a City Council vote, allowing the public to offer input beforehand.  During the May 20 City Council business meeting, Mayor Melanie Kebler, in response to a public comment made by a privacy advocate who mentioned the Source’s reporting on the matter, said the public would be able to give […]

When the Bend City Council voted to turn off its four Flock Safety stationary Automated License Plate Readers on Jan. 7, Bend Police Capt. Brian Beekman said the department would look for an alternate vendor that could provide similar technology in fighting crime. Several months later, the department is eyeing cameras from Axon, the same […]