Around the state

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Shooting victim discharged — The youngest victim wounded in the Umpqua Community College mass shooting has been discharged from a hospital. Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg said Tuesday that 16-year-old Cheyeanne Fitzgerald, who was shot once in the back, has gone home. Because the bullet lodged in Fitzgerald’s kidney, doctors had to remove the organ. One other victim, 19-year-old Julie Woodworth, remains hospitalized. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield said Tuesday that Woodworth was upgraded from critical to serious condition. Woodworth was shot multiple times, including in the head, knees and arms. Hospital officials said she has undergone multiple surgeries and can now breathe on her own, but she cannot talk or walk.

Bomb threat at lab — The National Energy Technology Laboratory in Albany was evacuated because of a bomb threat, but no explosives were found. U.S. Department of Energy spokeswoman Shelley Martin said the threat was received Tuesday morning. The Albany Police Department said a bomb squad searched the location as a precaution. There were no injuries.

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Child sex trafficking arrests — The FBI in Portland said it rescued three child sex-trafficking victims and arrested eight alleged pimps last week as part of a national operation cracking down on child exploitation. Authorities said Tuesday that underage trafficking victims were found in Portland and Beaverton, as well as Vancouver, Washington. Seven people ranging in age from 31 through 48 were arrested on charges of promoting prostitution. A 25-year-old woman was charged with promoting commercial sex abuse of a minor. The arrests took place in Portland, Eugene, Salem and Vancouver. The operation was part of a national sting conducted in 135 cities. Altogether, authorities found 149 minors and arrested more than 150 people.

Halt on pesticide spraying — The Oregon Department of Agriculture has received a temporary restraining order to stop a company from conducting aerial pesticide spraying on private timberlands. The order was issued by Washington County Circuit Court on Monday. It comes after the state last month suspended Applebee Aviation’s pesticide operator license over worker-protection violations. Despite the suspension, Applebee Aviation performed aerial applications. According to court documents, owner Mike Applebee told regulators his company continued spraying without a license because he had a $3 million contract with the Bureau of Land Management and “felt pressure to get the job done.” The restraining order means Applebee must cease all pesticide applications until its operator’s license is reinstated. The company must also pay a $1,100 fine and implement new worker-safety procedures and training.

Rest area death — Oregon State Police have made an arrest in the death of a man at an Interstate 5 rest area. Sgt. Kyle Hove says 37-year-old Michael-Daniel Stepina of Albany has been booked into the Clackamas County Jail on a murder charge. Police and paramedics were dispatched to the rest area 14 miles south of Portland on Monday night to help a man suffering from traumatic injuries. The man died at the scene.

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