A hand grenade-shaped dog poop bag caused a stir at an Oregon middle school, forcing students to evacuate inside as a bomb squad investigated.
The McMinnville Police Department said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that officers responded to a local middle school at 10:35 a.m. Monday for a potential hand grenade on school grounds.
Authorities said they found the alleged hand grenade in a grass field near the school’s running track, away from any school buildings.
Arriving officers secured the area and contacted the Oregon State Police Bomb Squad as students were required to wait safely indoors.
The department said that they used a drone to get close-up photos of the apparent hand grenade while keeping a safe distance from the suspected explosive.
“After reviewing the photographs, the item was determined to be a dog waste bag dispenser that is manufactured to resemble a hand grenade,” the post said.
The item was removed from school property and regular school activities resumed, the department said.
Two Oregon skiers watched as their friend was swept over a snow-covered volcano cliff and died as a result of the fall, authorities said.
A search and rescue team with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched at about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday to a report of an avalanche at Paulina Peak in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
The International Emergency Coordination Response Center (IERCC) informed deputies that they had received an SOS alarm from a device and provided GPS coordinates for the location.
A second alert from the device stated there had been an avalanche, and that CPR was in progress on a person who was not breathing.
The person caught in the avalanche was later identified as 33-year-old Erik Hefflefinger of Bend, Oregon.
According to his friends and other skiers on the scene, they witnessed the avalanche from below and saw Hefflefinger being carried over a cliff band by the avalanche debris, authorities said.
Hefflefinger was located by his friends, who were not buried by the avalanche, and immediately started lifesaving efforts.
Snow conditions limited the arrival of some first responders, but successful air rescue operations allowed crews to reach Hefflefinger about 3 hours after the avalanche.
As a result of the investigation, deputies said the victim possibly hit a tree while caught in the avalanche debris.
Hefflefinger’s death was not the first of the year in Deschutes County. Two prior avalanche fatalities have been investigated since January, deputies said. Before these tragedies, it had been 9 years since a fatality was recorded due to an avalanche.
The summit of Paulina Peak with an elevation of 7,984 feet, is the highest point on the Newberry Volcano, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
An accused Oregon murderer fled cops and busted out of a courthouse in a daring escape during his pretrial last month.
Edi Villalobos, 28, who was charged in the 2021 slaying of 33-year-old Artemio Guzman-Olvera, fled the Washington County Courthouse during the jury selection process on February 27.
Security cameras inside Oregon’s Washington County Courthouse caught two officers escorting Villalobos into the courtroom before sitting him down in a chair, removing both his leg shackles and handcuffs.
State law requires all accused persons to be unshackled from their restraints while in front of a jury so the restraints do not taint the jurors’ decision.
“Those were removed because of Oregon law,” said Washington County Sheriff’s Communications Sergeant Danny DiPietro. “When someone’s in a trial, and any of the proceedings that goes along with it, including jury selection, Oregon law requires us to remove those restraints, and we did that, obviously.”
It took a matter of seconds for Villalobos to return to his criminal ways.
He quickly stood up and darted for the door in the back of the room, racing through the first-floor hallways and out a staff-only entrance of the courthouse, as two deputies chased after him.
A two-hour manhunt ensued for Villalobos, forcing a shelter-in-place message to be sent out to the local residents.
Police had caught glimpse of Villalobos twice, each resulting in foot pursuits, but he was able to get away both times, according to NBC affiliate KGW.
Sheriff’s deputies searched for the man with the help of drones, K-9 units, and two local police departments, according to a press release.
Law enforcement was tipped by a resident of an apartment complex about a man attempting to break into a door and found Villalobos hiding under a blanket inside an empty apartment at around 1:45 PM.
Villalobos was scheduled to stand trial in early March for the fatal stabbing Guzman-Olvera on April 10, 2021, and a second stabbing that left another man in critical condition, according to KGW.
He has also been accused of critically stabbing a second, unrelated man later in the day.
Villalobos who was facing several charges including second-degree murder, and unlawful use of a weapon will have several others tacked on for his daring escape from court including escape in the second degree and another burglary charge.
No jurors were in the courtroom at the time of the escape, and Villalobos was returned back to Washington County jail following his arrest and will be awaiting the restart of his trial.
It is unclear if Villalobos will be restrained when the jury reconvenes, as the Oregon law still stands.
“I imagine their going to push for the hearing to allow restraints to be on during his trial when it comes up,” DePietro said. “But that is for the courts, the DA’s office, and court security to go through that process.”
A student was killed and two others were injured at a Portland college when a pillar on campus collapsed while the victims were lounging in hammocks on Monday night — on the first day of classes.
Six people were laying in three hammocks by the pool at Lewis & Clark College around 8:15 p.m. when one of the brick columns supporting the hammocks buckled and fell, witnesses told Portland Fire & Rescue, according to OregonLive.com.
The 19-year-old male victim was pronounced dead at the scene by responding paramedics despite CPR attempts.
Portland Fire spokesperson Terry Foster said that deceased man appeared to have been struck by the toppled column, which was 9-to-10 feet tall, and measuring 20-by-20 inches in width.
An 18-year-old woman suffered injuries to her arm, and another 18-year-old female student sustained abdominal injuries in the accident, according to Portland Fire’s statement. Both survivors were taken to OHSU to be treated.
The students involved in the accident have not been identified as of Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for the private liberal arts college released a statement addressing the deadly incident.
“We are devastated to report that earlier this evening, a tragic accident occurred on the undergraduate campus in which one of our students was killed and two others were injured,” Lois Davis wrote.
“We are deeply saddened by the shocking loss of a member of our community.
Monday was the first day of classes at Lewis & Clark College.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.