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0 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 City survey shows residents largely satisfied 'Rogues' characters come out to play at Paschal Winery City's policy, efforts aim for diversity, but numbers show shortfall Police Reports Matthew T. Mangino: A call for independent investigation of officer-related shootings Education Chickenpox in rear-view mirror? 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Editor's Notes: King event was a true celebration ... 'Rogues' characters come out to play at Paschal Winery ... Our View: ... Editor's Notes: King event was a true celebration ... 'Rogues' characters come out to play at Paschal Winery ... 11-year search nabs a suspect By Bill Choy DailyTidings.com By Bill Choy Posted Feb. 20, 2004 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM By Bill Choy Posted Feb. 20, 2004 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM » Social News After 11 years, Ashland Police Detective Lynn Parlette finally received the call he had been waiting for � a suspect had been apprehended in the Ed Krahel murder, the only unsolved homicide in Ashland. On Feb. 6, the California Highway Patrol informed Parlette they had arrested Walter E. Jaffke, 34, of Hemet, Calif., outside of Bakersfield. He had recently been reported as a missing person by relatives in Southern California. "I just listened to what they had to say," said Parlette, who has been in charge of the case since 1994. "When I heard the information they had, I was excited about this lead." Greg Williams, public information officer for the CHP in Bakersfield, said an officer discovered Jaffke after pulling over a big rig for a traffic violation on Interstate 5. Jaffke was a passenger in the vehicle. "During the traffic stop, this guy just basically identified himself and says 'I'm wanted for a homicide in Oregon and I want to give myself up,'" Williams said. Jaffke was taken to the Kern County jail, where he is still being held. He was arrested on murder and arson charges and held without bond. Parlette and another detective immediately took a flight down to Bakersfield to investigate and serve the arrest warrant. The investigation in Califor-nia proved to be successful. "It did confirm this guy as a suspect," Parlette said. "I have confidence we have the right guy." Currently, Jaffke is waiting to being extradited to Oregon. The investigation has been turned over to the Jackson County District Attorney's office. The district attorney's office said Jaffke will be sent back to Oregon, probably by the end of the month. Chief Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert said this is about the average amount of time an extradition like this takes. On Tuesday, the grand jury in Jackson County charged Jaffke with murder, she said. The previous charge of arson was dropped because the statute of limitations had run out. Because the case is still under investigation, and to ensure a fair trial, there were many questions Parlette and Heckert refused to answer, such as how long Jaffke had been a suspect, his relationship with Krahel, the possible motivation behind the crime, and if others are believed to be involved. "Besides the fact he's been arrested, there's not much more we can release," Heckert said. "There are guidelines we need to follow." But Parlette did say the Jaffke arrest has led to entirely new leads in the case, which he and his fellow detectives are actively pursuing. "This is definitely still under investigation," he said. "There's still a lot of work to do." Town eccentric Krahel, 44 at the time of his death, was a well-known town eccentric notorious for his odd behavior and his love of trains. He kept an authentic full-sized locomotive, passenger car and caboose that he restored on his property. He had several disputes with neighbors about his full-sized train set in his yard. This led to a movement to remove the trains from the property, and a follow-up campaign to save the trains. In 1986, Krahel won the right to keep the railroad memorabilia on his property. He apparently didn't work, lived off a family inheritance and was known to have been involved in several lawsuits. Krahel, an Ashland High School graduate, also ran for mayor in 1980, finishing fourth in a six-person race. Krahel was found dead in his home on Meade Street after a fire early in the morning of Jan. 25, 1993. An autopsy revealed the death was not accidental, and foul play was suspected. It appeared Krahel was killed before the fire started. Fire officials have said it appeared the fire was set to cover the crime. The fire began in the living room, but flames did not spread to the rest of the home. Authorities said the fire involved an electric burner in the kitchen. Krahel lived alone and did not leave a will. His aunt in Oregon City was named executor of the estate and his three nieces and nephews divided the inheritance. In 1995, the railroad cars were removed by a property owner who had purchased the land from Krahel's heirs. The new owner donated the rail cars to the National Railway Historical Society, which moved them to the Railroad Park in Medford. A Cast of Thousands For 11 years, the Ashland Police Department did not let the Krahel case slip under the cracks. Practically every week, Parlette or another detective would follow-up leads or talk to people of interest. "We constantly had leads we kept following up on," he said. "It was a priority case. It was a brutal murder." The major problem with the case was the number of people that could have been involved. "A cast of thousands," Parlette called it. Krahel frequented several local bars and seemed to know almost everyone in town. "He was a very sociable person," Parlette said. "He made friends easy and was trusting." Krahel hung out and socialized with transients, which greatly increased the number of those who could had been involved in his death. Because many of the people of interest were transients, it made it a challenge to track them down and interview them, Parlette said. The detective that estimated he and his co-workers interviewed more than 100 people on the Krahel case. Over the course of the investigation, police gave six people polygraph tests, with few results. They also searched several local homes, taking clothing, fingernail samples and other materials which could be pertinent to the investigation. Again, nothing solid came out of it. A wired undercover cover officer investigated a local suspect five years ago, but came up short. Police also looked into two serial killer cases to see if Krahel's death could be linked, Parlette said. Parlette, who has been an officer in Ashland for 26 years and plans to retire in a little more than a year, said having someone who has been arrested in connection with the murder gives him a sense of completion. "It's a great relief," he said. After so much time had pass, Parlette began to wonder if the case would be cracked before he retired. "I was starting to have my doubts this was going to be solved," he said. "It's a good feeling to know I don't have any unfinished business." By Bill Choy DailyTidings.com By Bill Choy Posted Feb. 20, 2004 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM » 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. 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