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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 14, 2005 Greenway cleared out By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Operation Green Sweep was launched this morning as 80 police officers from all over the Rogue Valley began to comb the Bear Creek Greenway - by foot, car and helicopter - in an attempt to restore law and order to the publicly owned corridor. Law enforcement members walk along the Bear Creek Greenway, questioning transients and clearing trash today. Photo by Orville Hector Ashland Daily Tidings "We're going to take the Greenway back," Sheriff Mike Winters said. His office organized the "sweep" that included county deputies, Oregon State Police and municipal officers from Ashland, Talent and Phoenix. He said helicopters, "dozens" of squad cars and volumes of officers on foot were deployed early this morning to institute "Greensweep." "Taxpayers paid a lot of money for this Greenway and they should not be afraid to use it," he said. Winters said a growing transient population, as well as a recent allegation of rape on the Greenway, convinced his department that the bike and walking path that follows Bear Creek through the Rogue Valley needed to investigated. "There has been as lot of stuff happening out here that we are not going to allow to continue," Winters said, referring to the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl on the Greenway last week. "It happened on the Greenway and the sheriff's department is not going to allow that to happen here." The "mobile response team" started the sweep in Central Point early this morning and have been working their way towards Ashland. Winters said the team will investigate, by foot and helicopter, the entire Greenway today. "We'll go until dark if we have to," he said. "We are going to contact everybody on [the Greenway]." He said the police forces are being followed by community groups who will be picking up the litter and trash that accumulates along the corridor. Winters said all transients on the bike and walking path will be questioned today. If any have outstanding warrants or are behaving outside the parameters of the law, they will be arrested. The others, he said, "will be given the option of finding a different spot. They will be able to take their possessions." On Sunday, M. Kim Lewis, who lives on the Billings property that abuts the Bear Creek and the Greenway at the north end of Ashland, said he brought sheriffs and Ashland police officers to an encampment on his land on Sunday. Lewis, a son-in-law to John Billings, said the camp consisted of two tents. One had several sleeping bags in it that he thought were in good condition. There was also several condiments inside the tent, making possible "a breakfast like you or I would have." The other tent, he said, was set up like "his garage. This was not a guy that needed any help getting by," he said. Lewis said a fire two years ago and the recent rape allegations at Bear Creek Greenway have convinced his family to crack down on people squatting on their land. As of press time, only "one or two arrests have been made" according to Winters. Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Fasa Student Loans Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams