A look
City of St. Helens
at the Lions schedule
honors longtime employees Page A2 Classified Ads A9-10 • Legal Notices A10 • Obituaries A6 • Opinions A4
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
TODAY’S WEATHER Clear Highs to 92 Page 11 Lows to 58
Page A13
• Calendar A7 • TV Guide A8 • Sports A12-14 • Weather A11
The Chronicle
$1 Vol. 134, No. 34 14 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
Marine patrol works to keep the water safe BY JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Education and enforcement are key on the waterways this summer for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol officers. “We have a mixture of boating activities, including fishing, recreation, boats for water skiing and wake boarding, as well as non motorized boats like kayaks,” Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Sgt. and Program Coordinator Phil Edwards said. “We are mixing all those together in hopes that they will all abide by the rules and be safe. Our primary function is boating safety.” Edwards said many people believe the marine patrol is only an enforcement agency, but the three full time and four part time officers have to conduct a fine balance between enforcement and education. “Obviously, we have total enforcement authority, but through that process we hope to educate people to be more mindful so we don’t have to spend time to enforce those rules,” Edwards said. The numbers of boating conflicts, including crashes and safety issues, have been steady all summer long in Columbia County. “We are seeing a number of them that could be avoided,” he said. Marine Patrol uses three full size boats, including one 29-foot vessel, a 23-foot jet boat, a 24-foot Safe Boat and two personal watercrafts to cover a wide area, including the Columbia River. “We have well over 100 miles of water to patrol and we have people that come from all over and other states to recreate here, especially during the fishing season,” Edwards said. “We contact those folks at the boat ramps and on the water to make sure they are safe.” Edwards said many boaters are looking for fun on the water and when they get into trouble it
Courtesy photo
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol conducts thousands of boating safety and certification contacts with boaters annually.
is because they have not properly prepared. “The Columbia is a treacherous river,” he said. “If you don’t prepare for the ever-changing environment, you will have problems.” According to Edwards, boaters need to be as defensive on the water as they are behind the wheel of their automobile. “People think differently when
they get out on the water,” he said. They think fun. They aren’t necessarily thinking safety, so as they get out in the open water it’s a different environment for them.” Edwards said that’s where the marine patrol emphasis on education comes in. The patrol conducts thousands of boat safety checks annually. “We are the number one agency
in the state for the number of contacts that we make,” Edwards said. “We conduct thousands of contacts to determine that boat operators have proper safety equipment on board and we certify the boats.” Of particular challenge, according to Edwards, is easy online access to boating registration. “Just about anyone can go online and take the test and get a boating
license,” he said. “So you hope that anyone that does go on the water does so with safety in mind.” Marine patrol will be at full strength over the Labor Day holiday, stepping up enforcement of the waterway rules and regulations. Officers will be looking for impaired boat operators, speeding, and equip
See POLICE, Page A6
Advocates for 2nd Amendment St. Helens woman propose preservation ordinance still missing BY CODY MANN cmann@countrymedia.net
County commissioners met before a full audience and heard comments from proponents and opponents of an ordinance that supporters said would act as a localized layer of protection for the 2nd Amendment. The ordinance would counter the state’s recently passed private gun purchase background check law, ultimately allowing the county sheriff to determine which state and federal gun laws should be enforced. Language in the proposed ordinance states that the government shall not authorize or appropriate funds for the purpose of enforcing laws that infringe on the right to bear arms.
CODY MANN/The Chronicle
Commissioner Earl Fisher disagreed with the constitutionality of the proposed 2nd Amendment Preservation Ordinance.
Members of several pro-2nd Amendment groups gathered at the regular meeting of the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 17 to present a 2nd Amendment Preservation Ordinance, which they said was already passed in other counties. Representatives from wellknown patriot movement groups Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters spoke to the commission. Chris Brumbles, Columbia County Coordinator of Oath Keepers, led those in favor of the ordinance, commenting first to the commission.
He criticized Gov. Kate Brown for her favorable stance on gun control policies. “Salem is out of control and it has to stop,” Brumbles said. “They’re not representing the people… our rights are not negotiable.” He asked the commission to consider passing the ordinance as presented or to place it on the fall ballot. Rob Taylor, a member of Coos County Watchdogs, traveled from Bandon, Ore. to address the county
See ORDINANCE, Page A6
Courtesy photo
A St. Helens woman, Cheryl Elizabeth Hart, 35 years old, remains missing and the investigation into her disappearance has intensified. Hart disappeared Aug. 4 or 5 from the Eugene area. Detectives from the Eugene Police Violent Crimes Unit are asking for the public’s help to locate her. In the days since Hart was reported missing, detectives learned she was last seen in Eugene on the evening of Thursday,
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Aug. 4, with her longtime boyfriend, 36-year-old Jeremy Kent Milutin. At that time, the couple was at a west Eugene residence. Detectives learned Milutin was alone in a Eugene store at approximately 7 a.m., Friday, Aug. 5. He arrived and departed in a vehicle that was stolen in Columbia County on July 26. The car was a blue, 4-door, 1994 Buick Century, with Oregon license plate 635-ADX. Detectives have not been able
See MISSING, Page A11
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