Document text
2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... MISSING ASHLAND TEEN MISSING ASHLAND TEEN: 'Why?' still unknown in Thomas-Garner case Dad describes initial conversation 'a blur' Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM » RELATED CONTENT • The rest of the story • Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community... » Social News Jeff Garner picked up his phone Saturday morning and was dumbstruck by what came across the line. It was a voice he had not heard in more than three months, frantically apologizing: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for putting you and everybody through all this.” “And then,” Garner said, “she said, ‘I’m ready to come home.’” And just like that, Hannah Thomas-Garner, the Ashland High School senior who had been missing since Nov. 30 — a disappearance which set off a police investigation, a separate volunteer-led investigation, the hiring of a private investigator and inspired scores of social media posts and a BringHannahHome Facebook page — came out of hiding. “I was like, ‘OK, just calm down, let’s talk about this, it’s OK’” Garner said of the short conversation. “She said, ‘I’m ready to come home,’ and she kept crying and said a word, and I don’t remember what the word was. The whole thing was a blur. And I looked at my wife, who was on the phone as well, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s her.’ And she said, ‘I know.’ “It was so exciting,” he said. “I can’t even think of the word. It was shocking, actually. I was in disbelief because I didn’t think it would be possible. I was just elated.” A few hours after he hung up the phone Garner was on a plane that took off from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. That night, he was driving through a quiet neighborhood in Santa Cruz, Calif., following directions, when he saw Thomas-Garner standing on the sidewalk, waiting. “I don’t even know if I pushed the brake, but the car stopped,” Garner said. “So the car’s in the middle of the road and I went over to her and gave her a big old hug, and we started crying, of course. I just said, ‘We’ll get over this, it’s OK.’” It was the first time he had seen her since last summer, and Garner said she looked tired and appeared to have lost some weight, but otherwise fine. “She did not look like she was in distress,” he said. Garner phoned the Ashalnd Police Department that night to report that the search was over and provided a photograph to prove it, then arranged to take Thomas-Garner back with him to his home in Texas. As far as disclosing why Thomas-Garner decided to run away and where she was staying, Garner said as of Monday afternoon those topics had not been discussed yet. Thomas-Garner, through Garner, turned down an interview request. “Her and I haven’t talked about what happened,” Garner said, “because I’m trying to give her time to realize that it’s OK to open up to us. … We don’t’ know why (she ran away). We have no idea. Only she knows and I don’t want to start bombarding her with questions and then we’ll never know the real reason.” Both Garner and Thomas-Garner were interviewed by Newswatch 12 on Sunday. During the 10-minute segment, Thomas-Garner said that she was in California the entire time she was gone, knew about the public’s interest in the case and broke her own car window after accidentally locking her supplies inside — the broken window led to speculation among volunteers that she had been kidnapped. When she was asked with whom she stayed with, she declined to answer. “I don’t really want to talk about, too specifically, where I was because I do have people I’m protecting,” she said, before quickly correcting herself. “Not 'protecting.' Sorry, wrong words. Yeah, I’ve been safe. I’ve been helped by a lot of people.” Later, when asked about the response to her disappearance by the Ashland community, she said, “After a little bit I did see them, but I still had things that I needed to figure out for myself before I felt comfortable coming home.” That was about as in-depth as Thomas-Garner was willing to go, as a follow-up question asking for some elaboration on why she stayed away for so long and another asking her to explain why she left in the first place were both answered the same way: “I don’t really want to talk about that.” Garner said that Thomas-Garner has no plans to return to Ashland High School to complete her diploma. Ashland High principal Michelle Zundel sent out an all-staff email on Saturday announcing that Thomas-Garner had been found after the BringHannahHome Facebook page made it official. The AHS staff then met Monday morning and was brought up to speed. Later, Zundel made an announcement to the student body over the PA system. “I would say that the Ashland High community has breathed a huge sigh of relief today,” Zundel said. “We have been consumed with worry and concern for (Thomas-Garner’s) welfare and our hearts are a little lighter today. A lot lighter today. “One of the things that I would like to emphasize is that we know that not all runaway stories have a happy ending, and that there are teenagers that are really vulnerable when they run away. There are so many other ways that this scenario could have ended.” There are still some loose ends Thomas-Garner must tie up with the Ashland Police Department. Ashland police chief Terry Holderness said that the department will interview her soon, but whether or not that meeting will be handled in person or through Skype he could not say. The interview, he said, will be used in part to narrow down her motive for running away and may be conducted by a “local agency” which has experience dealing with distressed teens. “It’s just a standard thing we do,” Holderness said. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501