Jefferson County law enforcement struggles amid spike in Madras shootings

Published 3:00 pm Saturday, December 31, 2022

Prosecutors in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office cringe when their phones ring in the night, fearing it could bring news of yet another homicide. Since October, three shootings have rocked Madras, the largest town in this rural Central Oregon county of roughly 25,000.

“Having them back to back to back to back, it’s just crushing,” said district attorney Steve Leriche.

Regional law enforcement officials say they are strapped for resources needed to tackle the surge in high-profile cases.

Prosecutors — there are currently just two in the county — and police say they are so short-staffed that they are now having to prioritize cases. At times, the shortage is forcing them to inform victims’ families that their cases will be delayed, law enforcement officials say. Others say the lack of staff is hindering efforts to investigate crimes and process cases through the courts.

“When you have resources spread thin from local law enforcement agencies … it feels like you’re hurtling toward a trial date and are struggling to get it taken care of,” Leriche said.

In all, the district attorney’s office has opened at least eight criminal investigations this year into shootings — on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and other charges. It’s a rate that far outpaces neighboring Deschutes and Crook counties and is the highest since at least 2017, according to records obtained by The Bulletin.

“It’s unprecedented for Jefferson County,” said Brentley Foster, Jefferson County chief deputy district attorney of the latest spike in shootings.

Fear in community

The shootings have struck fear in community members in Madras, which has at least 7,600 people, local public safety officials say.

Two people came under fire on Oct. 29 while sitting in their car in downtown Madras. Two people and a teen face attempted murder or aggravated murder charges, according to court documents.

Then, three days later, a 24-year-old man was shot and killed in the Strawberry Heights Neighborhood. Police have identified two suspects but have not reported any arrests.

And on Dec. 16, a woman shot and killed her ex-husband in Madras. Law enforcement officials have not yet released any information about a possible motive. She faces a second-degree murder charge and recently pleaded not guilty.

“Even one of those incidents in any small community has an impact,” said Steve Bartol, the director of police services for the Madras Police Department.

“I don’t think folks in small towns are generally used to seeing those types of things. Rightly so, anybody that experiences one of those things, it’s concerning for a small town.”

Foster said that, in her time serving Central Oregon, she’s never seen so many cases in such a short period of time, particularly for a community as small as Madras. The shortage of prosecutors in the office — two positions open and posted since April, with no deputy prosecutor handling misdemeanors — is prompting her to inform people that their cases could be delayed.

That takes a toll on victims, she said.

“It’s heartbreaking to have to tell them that on top of the heartbreak that they’ve already suffered,” Foster said. “That’s not justice for anybody.”

The Madras Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also have open positions that have been difficult to fill. And long wait times for police to get into the state’s only training academy in Salem are further inhibiting police from getting out on the street and working on their own, law enforcement officials say.

The Madras Police Department is currently trying to fill four positions, said Bartol, who joined the department in August. He has been filling in for the department’s lead role for Madras Police Chief Tanner Stanfill, who went on medical leave in July and has since retired, officials said.

But this isn’t solely a Jefferson County problem, according to regional law enforcement and lawyers. Across the state, agencies have struggled to find adequate police, deputies, prosecutors and public defenders. Some experts have taken to calling areas like Jefferson County “legal deserts” due to the lack of legal resources impacting the regional criminal justice system.

“Everyone’s strapped,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock. “It’s not just us.”

Officials are split on what’s causing the uptick in shootings. Jefferson County prosecutors noted that there is no discernible common thread among them.

Pollock — who sparked controversy recently for saying his office wouldn’t enforce Oregon’s newest gun bill — attributed the increase to mental health and drug abuse issues that he claims has worsened since Oregon voters passed a bill that decriminalized drugs.

In an interview, Madras Mayor Richard Ladeby acknowledged that the town has seen a lot of shootings in a short period of time.

However, he said he didn’t believe the shootings have sparked overwhelming concern across town, and suggested more people are concerned about graffiti and drug use.

“There’s more than just shootings that our community is concerned about,” he said. “I’m more concerned about drunk drivers and people driving 45 mph through town.”

Ladeby, a self-identified conservative, attributed the increase to statewide criminal justice reform measures that he sees as being too soft on offenders.

Gun control advocates see Oregon’s newest gun bill, Measure 114 — which bans the sale of firearm magazines with more than 10 rounds and requires safety training and a permit for purchasing a gun — as a promising way to curb gun violence. But Ladeby, whose term ended Saturday, disputes the notion that the bill would keep guns out of the hands of criminals and make his community safer.

“Gang shootings are terrible. School shootings are horrifying,” he said. “But 114 isn’t going to solve it.”