Found puppies leads to animal cruelty charge
SPRINGFIELD – On Dec. 5, a Springfield resident used a shipping box with his name and address on it to dump six puppies at a local bus stop.
A community member discovered a large box near a bus stop on 54th Street that contained half a dozen weeks-old puppies.
Police said the box had been taped closed without any ventilation, food, water, or attempt to keep the puppies warm.
The box was marked with a shipping label indicating the address of one “Jeff Dugger.”
During the investigation, it was discovered that Dugger, 72, of Springfield, had also called Greenhill Humane Society roughly 24 hours before the puppies were found and threatened to dispose of them if GHS did not take them “immediately.”
Springfield Animal Control took possession of the puppies and they were transported to Greenhill Humane Society. Dugger was charged with six counts of Animal Abandonment – Cruelty.
Eugene police still seeking
Good Samaritan after crash
EUGENE – The Eugene Police Department is seeking help in identifying a Good Samaritan known only as “Mikayla,” an ER nurse, who assisted at a serious traffic crash on Highway 18 near Willamina Junction around 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Deputy Chief Shawn Adams was first on the scene and began providing emergency aid to one of the drivers when Mikayla arrived to help. D.C. Adams remarked on her skill and compassion, stating that her efforts may have saved the driver’s life during the critical moments before firefighters arrived. Unfortunately, Mikayla left the scene before being identified.
Anyone with information is asked to email Deputy Chief Adams at [email protected].
Cottage Grove resident scammed
COTTAGE GROVE – On Dec. 11, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Cottage Grove-area resident who was scammed out of $14,000 over the phone.
A relative of the victim received a phone call from a person claiming to be a sergeant with our office. The scammer informed the relative he failed to appear for court and was held in contempt.
To “avoid arrest,” the relative was instructed to pay $7,000 for two separate criminal charges, or go to jail. Having no way to pay, the relative reached out to the victim, who pulled cash from savings and followed the scammer’s instructions for payment: in Bitcoin, through a CoinFlip ATM machine.
Due to the use of Bitcoin and VPN phone numbers, this case is likely unsolvable.
This type of scam is common, and police receive reports of similar scam callers almost every day (thankfully with no money lost in most cases). Scammers often have official-sounding voicemail inboxes, have victims’ personal information, and attempt to be intimidating over the phone. Their numbers on caller ID may even appear to be ours.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office will never ask for money by phone, text, or email. It will never call about missed jury duty.
If you are contacted by someone claiming to be a Lane County Sheriff’s Office employee and you think you are being scammed, please hang up and contact the LCSO dispatch center at 541-682-4141.
If you are a victim of a phone or internet scam, report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov
Oregon overdoses increased in 2023
PORTLAND – Overdose fatalities continued to rise in 2023, with more than half of the unintentional overdose deaths involving an opioid or a stimulant, according to a new and updated data dashboard launched by the Oregon Health Authority. State health officials are still gathering data for 2024.
OHA launched the update of its Oregon Overdose Prevention Dashboard to provide more timely data, highlight emerging trends, and give users the ability to download the data. The dashboard is an interactive tool for tracking state, county and demographic trends related to fatal and non-fatal overdoses.
The updated dashboard shows the extent to which polysubstance use is contributing to fatal overdoses and disparities in overdose deaths:
Overdose fatalities continued to rise, from 1,383 deaths in 2022 to 1,833 in ’23.
53% of unintentional overdose deaths in 2023 involved both an opioid and a stimulant.
Fatal overdose rates remain high in non-Hispanic, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native communities.
Oregon is working to stem the rise in overdoses with a plan intended to reduce substance use and get life-saving treatment to people faster and more efficiently. This includes:
• Expanding naloxone distribution and other harm reduction efforts to better align with community needs, including through our Save Lives Oregon project.
• Increasing access to medically assisted treatments for substance use.
• Scaling up peer support and intervention programs across the state.
• Stabilizing and supporting the substance use treatment workforce.
• Continuing education and prevention campaigns.
■ The Legislature last year approved more funding for education for school-aged youth on the risks of substance use.
■ More funding directed toward supplying schools with naloxone. Every middle and high school in the state is eligible to receive up to three opioid response kits, each with eight doses of naloxone.
Since July 2021, Oregon has reached agreements in national lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies, resulting in nearly $600 million to be awarded over 18 years to support substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery. Gov. Tina Kotek’s 2025-27 budget proposes significant funding, including $90 million for mental health services and substance use disorder treatment, $40 million for deflection coordinators and counselors to help individuals seek treatment, and $25 million for expanding behavioral health services and youth suicide prevention efforts. Liz McCarthy, an overdose epidemiologist at OHA, emphasized the widespread impact of the overdose crisis and the importance of data for informed decision-making. The OHA has updated its Overdose Prevention dashboard to provide better access to critical data for public health officials and community organizations. The 2023 death certificate data has just been released, with 2024 data coming soon. The update allows users to explore trends in overdose deaths and related hospital visits.
The dashboard covers a range of drug categories including fentanyl, heroin, opioids and stimulants, with data on overdose fatalities, emergency department discharges and hospital discharges.
A new page focuses on Oregon’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) data. The new page offers additional information on unintentional overdose deaths in Oregon. One highlight is the “Drug of Interest” section for information on emerging substances, such as xylazine.
