Since last Friday, both local TV news outlets have been carrying the story of Bend Police Capt. Kevin Sawyer being put on administrative leave while he and his wife, a well-known local realtor, are under investigation by the FBI. But, curiously, there’s been nary a word about it yet in Bend’s Only Daily Newspaper.
“I’m aware of an investigation or inquiry that is currently under way by the FBI, into the finances of a business or businesses that Captain Sawyer is associated with,” Bend PD Chief Sandi Baxter told KOHD and KTVZ.
Kevin and Tami Sawyer own the Sawyer Five, a real estate agency; Genesis Futures LLC, a property management company, and Starboard LLC, a real estate investing company.
According to KOHD, “alleged victims are claiming possible investment fraud. … There have been several civil cases filed against both Captain Sawyer and Tami, as well as her investment company Starboard LLC. One case filed last May against Starboard LLC lists a complaint of failure to make payments due under three different promissory notes. The plaintiff argues Starboard owes over $800,000.
“Another case filed last month against Captain Sawyer, Tami and Starboard involving money loaned to the Sawyers list complaints of money due and owing. The plaintiffs in that case want $95,000 in damages plus interest.”
KOHD reported that a probate trust petition also has been filed against the Sawyers involving the late Thomas Middleton, who lived at the Sawyer home and changed his will shortly before he died last July and whose relatives are fighting over the estate.
KTVZ quoted an anonymous tenant living in one of the Genesis Futures properties as saying that she had received a notice of default because Genesis hadn’t made payments on the property in more than six months, although the tenant has been steadily making rent payments for the past eight months.
“According to a court affidavit, Genesis Futures LLC has a negative worth of more than $300,000,” KTVZ reported.
KTVZ updates the story today with Steven Wilson, principal broker for The Sawyer Five, denying the real estate agency is under investigation. “The issues with Kevin and Tami Sawyer are their personal issues, and they really don’t have anything to do with the real estate operations of this real estate company,” he said.
Of course, that doesn’t mean one or both of the Sawyers’ two other businesses are not under investigation.
KTVZ also uncovered the fact that in 2004 the Oregon Real Estate Agency received a complaint “alleging that [Tami] Sawyer failed to perform reasonable care and diligence in a transaction,” according to Dean Owens, deputy commissioner of the agency.
“The state agency says that complaint quickly turned into several investigations of short sale transactions involving Sawyer,” KTVZ says. “The outcome: Sawyer’s real estate license was reissued and limited in 2006, for a year.”
None of this has made the pages of The Bulletin. A search of the paper’s on-line archives turned up no stories about Tami and/or Kevin Sawyer in the past several years. However, a “News of Record” item on Feb. 2 stated that Michael Hibbs and Ondi Hibbs had sued Tami and Kevin Sawyer and Starboard LLC for $95,677.88.
Let’s hope the paper has turned its crack investigative reporters loose on this story and soon will bring us a complete, detailed account.
UPDATE: The Bulletin finally published a brief (less than 300-word) story about the case today on the front page of its local section. It contains little new information other than the facts that Genesis Futures owns and manages Casa de Querencia, a luxury vacation villa in the spendy Pedregal gated community in Cabo San Lucas, and that property tax records show the Sawyers own more than a dozen properties in Bend and Redmond. Those properties had a total market value as of January 2008 of somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million, according to the assessor’s estimates.
Also, Tami’s gushing description of herself has been removed from the Sawyer Five website. It used to say: “Tami
Sawyer is not easily defined. Tami is energy. Tami is creativity. Tami
is about combining energy, creativity, experience and gut instinct,
along with friends, family and investors to reach and exceed financial
goals and expectations. Big or small, every project Tami touches is
handled with the utmost care and attention.”
Now it says: “Oops! The page you are looking for is unavailable.” “Oops” indeed.
The Eye has no way of knowing for sure, of course, but it looks as if the Sawyers — like so many others — might have gotten in over their heads during the real estate bubble.
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
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I would be willing to bet that the majority of the people that are aware of this case are not surprised that the The Bulletin is not covering it.
I think we all sense that The Bulletin’s empire and the people they have supported is slowly crumbling around them.For them to report on this case would show their perfect “Utopia” Bend,OR is not as perfect as they would have their readers believe.
They have created an illusion that is imploding and the Sawyer’s are only the tip of the iceberg. The Bulletin will hold fast to their position of protecting that illusion even if it means innocent people being taken advantage of.
The Bulletin made a choice a long time ago which side they were on,and it was not to inform their readers of the corruption that has been a part of Bend since the first building boom in the 1970’s.
I myself have not bought a paper or placed an ad for many years. I refuse to support The Bulletin because of their lack of integrity and their failure to report the truth no matter how ugly it may be.
In conclusion it is refreshing that our local tv stations are not afraid to report the news as it happens. I’m expecting The Source will do the same.
This shows that the Bulletin doesn’t have the interest of the public anymore. The Bulletin has never really to be a real good source of information. All the sources of information now filtered before they reach the public to uptain certain views. I don’t know what these could be but they should report all the local cases with honesty and quickness what else is local newpaper for? By the way I really like your newspaper.
The Bulletin decided to make a feeble attempt at writing an article about the Sawyer case today. I think the pressure finely got to them. I’m guessing they finely figured out their subscribers were wondering why the only daily newspaper decided to ignore this news tidbit.
Tami has decided to take out her glowing report of herself on her website. It will be interesting to read what she writes next,I’m sure it will be “handled with the utmost care and attention”.
csante: You’re right, I think The Bulletin finally got embarrassed. It will be interesting to see if they pursue the story further. My bet is they won’t, unless criminal charges are filed.
Notice the Bulletin said they reached Captain Sawyer on his CELL phone. I am sure all reporters have his cell phone # right? The Source needs to look into their dealings in Greensburg Indiana.
To the best of my knowledge their courts and cops reporter is still on maternity leave. There’s really nobody watching the shop right now. So it’s up to editors there to pull some other, presumably unqualified, reporter off another beat to cover the story. As one former reporter said to me a while back, “They just don’t have the horses.”
It probably doesn’t help that Costa has zero interest in crime stories. They almost never appear on the front page.
Casa de Querencia rents for $1,200 A NIGHT. Sheesh.
BTW “querencia” is a bullfighting term meaning the place in the ring where the bull feels most at ease and strongest. The bull will try to remain in his querencia and the matador tries to lure him out of it. “Power spot” or “comfort zone” are approximate translations.
No surprise that The B didn’t cover such a story about a local realestater. A few months ago stories came out in the Portland Oregonian about a local developer(don’t recall the name) who was paying his employees with undeveloped lots and promises of building homes for them. Didn’t happen. The developer went south on a big indooor motorcycle recing facility near the fairgrounds that sits unfinished. In the Bulletin? Not that I ever read.
JC: I can’t remember the name of that developer either, but I believe The Bulletin did run one or more stories about him.
Hey folks, lighten up on the Bulletin!!
I mean they report more than I need to know about dog parks.
But if you want to know what is really happening in the small business capital of Oregon, forget it.
Why does the Source writer care about what the Bulletin writes? They do not seem to care about what you write. At least they do not write about it. I am not a defender of the Bulletin but come on?? Does the Portland Oregonian keep writing articles about what the Seattle newspapers have not written about when it comes to a seemingly important event. All of this seems so really small in the scheme of things. Kind of strange. Why don’t you all worry about what is important which is most of our population of this country, this state, this county and this city have women and children that need a hand up. Food, cost of utilities, housing, help with transportation and maybe a job. This small town is gossipy enough. Why don’t you quit being negative and complaining and get up everyday and go help someone and report on these blogs what you did to help a person or family. This problem is national and local and it is dire. Get up everyday and help someone and quit bitching about stupid stuff like what happened to someone that may have a problem. What is happening today is serious stuff and it has happened to the entire country and lots of people, mostly children, are in real need. If you have two cans of chili in your pantry and you can give one away, do it!!! Get up from your computer and go help people. You may report back some incredible stories instead of being focused on this small town nonsense. And it just make you happy too. You don’t have to be rich to help, just help. Thanks