Good morning…..

There was a stunning development in the case of a DEA agent charged in the death of Marganne Allen, a Salem cyclist and state executive.

The federal drug agent, Sam Landis says he did drive through the stop sign and collided with her last March, according to new court records.

Landis contends that since he was on duty at the time Allen was killed, he shouldn’t be facing any criminal charge.

In court filings, he said he was in a hurry to catch up with a surveillance team trying to find a suspected fentanyl dealer. A federal judge last week agreed to take the case away from Marion County Circuit Court and move it to federal court.

That move allows Landis to claim immunity from prosecution, something he couldn’t do in state court.

This is the latest twist in a case that Salem Reporter has followed and investigated for months.

Getting the facts hasn’t been easy.

The DEA has kept mum for months about whether Landis still works as an agent.

HIs attorneys revealed in court filings that Landis, now an accused felon, still works as a federal law enforcement officer.

Then there is the federal court action.

Landis submitted documents to a judge to justify his effort to be freed of the criminal charge. But he asked that these exhibits be kept from the public, and the judge agreed to seal the records. Even the written plea that Landis made to keep documents secret is itself a secret.

The case has been handled by Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson’s office. There had been no apparent activity in her criminal case in recent weeks. On Nov. 20 and again on Nov. 27, we asked her office: Can you please clarify the status of the Samuel Landis case?

There was no response. But Landis had made his move a month earlier and Clarkson’s prosecutors just days before our request filed court documents opposing the shift to federal court.

There was no secret about any of that. Clarkson did, however, put out a press release last week after the federal judge ruled.

We earlier reported on other curious circumstances about this case. The story by reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian on the federal court action includes links to those previous stories.

Our team is going to stay on top of this despite obstacles to reporting at every step.

And we appreciate the support and encouragement from readers like you who have urged us to keep pursuing the truth.

One reader wrote last week: “I wanted to say thank you for your investigative reporting on this subject. This is the reason we decided to subscribe to your paper…. If not for your reporting most of these facts that you reported on would not have come out. Keep up the good work!”

Clearly, people in Salem care about justice.

On other topics, money was a big issue in Salem in recent days.

Managing Editor Rachel Alexander provided an easy-to-read digest to the budget work of the Salem-Keizer School District. Her report distills where millions in cuts are likely coming.

Over at Marion County, the Board of Commissioners agreed to take state money to help parents accused of crimes stay out of prison. They get intense supervision and addiction help as needed while remaining free to raise their families.

And homeless families in the Salem area will get more help. A local nonprofit has a grant to put up families in motels while the hunt for a home continues.

One of our prime duties to readers is to be a watchdog over government. A year ago, a Salem man died while in jail custody. We doubled back to report on the slow investigation – and questions about drug trafficking in the Marion County Jail.

But we’re not all gloom and doom at Salem Reporter.

We dropped in on the Salem Police Department as officers spent time with local children in a wonderful holiday event. You’ll love the photos.

And we were getting questions about what was going on with Clyde’s Lock and Safe, a community institution. A new owner is taking over.

ABOUT OUR WORK….

At Salem Reporter, we work continually to refine our reporting to deliver news and information that truly matters to the community.

Not everything is a big story or big headline. But we’re delivering the sort of information that helps you know your town better, to be aware of where you can plug in.

Each week, for instance, we give you highlights about local entertainment. We share details on music concerts, community festivals, local plays and more – times, places, cost.

Every month, we put out a guide to local art galleries, a universe well worth exploring. We tell you what’s being exhibited and where. In most instances, these are family-friendly shows that open a new world for children.

And then we share what’s happening in neighborhood associations. This is truly grassroots government, where neighbors sit together to chew over local issues. Every association in Salem is invited to submit a report for this special production. Associations that want to get in can reach out to Rachel Alexander ([email protected])

None of this is going to win us a Pulitzer Prize, but this is the type of day-to-day information so hard to come by anymore. We feel a deep obligation to you to round it up and deliver.

YOU CAN HELP.

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As always, thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to me anytime at [email protected] with ideas, questions or concerns.

–Les Zaitz, CEO and editor