Category PUBLIC SAFETY
A Salem deputy police chief quietly retired under an agreement. City leaders aren’t saying why
A longtime Salem Police Department official left his job in February with no public fanfare and under a separation agreement that has since triggered a state investigation. Secrecy surrounds the circumstances of the retirement of Deputy Chief Steven Bellshaw after 32 years. City officials have…
Woman found dead in car Thursday morning was killed by gunfire, Salem police say
Salem police say a deceased woman found “slumped over” in a vehicle on Northeast Portland Road Thursday morning was killed by gun violence. (Salem Police Department) A woman found dead in a vehicle Thursday morning was killed by gunfire, according to Salem police. Around 6:45…
Plane climbed sharply, nosedived to ground in fatal Salem crash
The small plane that crashed at Salem Municipal Airport on Jan. 29 veered sharply and climbed suddenly before diving to the ground as the pilot was attempting to land, according to a preliminary accident report. The report from the National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t have…
Federal authorities move to seize Silverton, Independence homes to break up sprawling illegal marijuana operation
Federal authorities say they found this large indoor marijuana operation in September 2021 in a home outside of Independence on Rickreall Road. (U.S. Attorney’s Office Portland) Federal authorities say a Texas man organized a sophisticated illegal trafficking operation that turned homes in Oregon into indoor…
State appeals court orders reversal of Salem man’s 2004 aggravated murder conviction, death sentence
The Oregon State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered that a Salem man’s 2004 aggravated murder conviction and death sentence be reversed and sent back to the trial court after finding that defense attorneys…