Side Notes 1/11-1/18 | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Side Notes 1/11-1/18

State Attorney General Takes Over Investigation of Police Shooting Case

Oregon State Police have released the names of the two Bend police officers involved in the officer-involved shooting that happened Dec 23 in downtown Bend. OSP say Officer Scott Schaier fired his handgun during the incident, and that one or both of the officers, which also included Officer Marc Tisher, deployed a taser.

Police say they responded to calls of a white minivan driving erratically near 3rd Street around 10:26pm Dec 23, including reports of the vehicle driving into snow banks, driving sideways in the road and nearly hitting a bicyclist. Police say one of the officers stopped a white Dodge Caravan, driven by 31-year-old Michael Tyler Jacques on Franklin Avenue near Bond Street. Meanwhile, a second officer arrived on the scene.

Police say Jacques did not cooperate when officers tried to arrest him. Police say they tried using a taser on Jacques without success. After that, police say at least one officer fired his duty weapon and hit Jacques, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. On Dec. 30, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum assumed the lead prosecutorial review role in the case, at the request of Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel. Several months ago, DA Hummel retained the law firm Brothers, Hawn & Coughlin—now known as Hawn & Coughlin—to represent him in a pending car crash case. That was the same firm retained by the Jacques family in litigation against the City of Bend for Jacques' death.

"These various actions by law enforcement send a disturbing message of cover up and a profound lack of empathy with the victims of police violence which is the opposite of responsible conduct the public expects of law enforcement," stated a release issued Dec. 29 by Hawn & Coughlin.

Said DA Hummel of Rosenblum: "I am confident that her team will conduct a thorough and fair review of the facts of this unfortunate incident."

Police and the City Issue Driving and Snow Removal Guidelines

It's winter and we're all in misery (or heaven?)

On Monday, Oregon State Police reported responding to more than 750 traffic incidents statewide in a matter of 36 hours. Of those, 394 were potentially dangerous crashes. To cut down on crashes, the State is requiring drivers to use traction tires or chains, or risk facing a $160 fine. Meanwhile, stay home if you don't absolutely have to go out, OSP recommends, and if you do go driving anywhere, don't forget the water, food and blankets that can save your life if you get stuck.

Meanwhile, with the massive amounts of snow that have been falling on Central Oregon this month, and with the snow that we have already piling up along sidewalks and driveways, snow removal is more important than ever. To that end, the City of Bend has released a series of recommendations on how best to keep yourself safe— and to help plow drivers while you're at it.

Clear Berms Early

When there is this much snow, plows will often build up berms – large walls of snow on the sides of streets – in front of your driveway. Unfortunately, the City says it doesn't have the resources to clear these for you, so they instead ask for you to do it yourself. To make it easier, the City encourages you to clear three or four feet past the end of your driveway so the plows do not end up making your job any more difficult.

Get Cars Off the Street

To prevent any unwanted collisions, the City recommends residents move their vehicles off the street to keep them safe and to allow plows to clear as much of the road as possible.

- Intern Trevor Helmy contributed to this report.

Nicole Vulcan

Nicole Vulcan has been editor of the Source since 2016. You can mostly find her raising chickens, walking dogs, riding all the bikes and attempting to turn a high desert scrap of land into a permaculture oasis.
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