Corvallis split on logging lawsuit

Residents of Corvallis have sharply divided opinions about whether their county should be involved in a lawsuit against the state.

More than 100 people gathered for a town hall meeting at Corvallis High School on Tuesday night to decide whether the county should stay in or opt out of a lawsuit seeking compensation for allegedly low state logging revenue. The Benton County Board of Commissioners organized the meeting to gauge public sentiment on the issue. The lawsuit was filed by Linn County on behalf of 15 counties that receive revenue from timber harvests on 650,000 acres of forest trust lands. It seeks $1.4 billion from Oregon for failing to maximize logging revenues, citing a 1939 law that says the state is supposed to manage the land for “the greatest permanent value to the state.”

The suit argues that counties have lost out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue sharing since the Department of Forestry began to emphasize environmental protection, recreation and other values in 1998.

Benton County commissioners are expected to make their decision next week.

Man pleads to 
in-flight sex abuse

PORTLAND — An Oregon man admitted to groping a 13-year-old girl on a flight from Dallas to Portland.

Chad Camp pleaded guilty Thursday to assault and making an indecent sexual proposal to a minor.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman scheduled sentencing for May 3.

FBI agents arrested Camp after his June flight landed at Portland International Airport. Authorities said an American Airlines flight attendant was delivering snacks early in the flight when she noticed Camp’s hand in the victim’s crotch area.

Camp was returning to Oregon after completing a residential treatment for alcohol dependency in Florida. A witness told police Camp had at least four mixed drinks during a layover in Dallas.

In court Thursday, Camp said he touched the girl inappropriately and spoke to her with language that would be considered indecent. He said what he did was wrong in all respects.

Officer cleared in Portland shooting

A grand jury found Thursday that a Portland police officer was justified in using deadly force in a shooting in December.

Investigators say Steven Wayne Leffel fired shots at officers from inside a residence Dec. 6 before coming outside with a rifle.

Portland Police Bureau officer Lawrence Keller shot and killed the 52-year-old man and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Keller has been with the bureau for 22 years.

The medical examiner determined Leffel died of a single gunshot wound.

Investigators said at the time it was unknown what caused him to fire at officers and confront them with a rifle.

— From wire reports