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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 14, 2005 Puckett quits in aftermath of crash controversy Sheriff’s department captain was involved in deadly February Thatcher-Stephens chase By Mark Freeman For the Tidings Capt. Joe Puckett resigned Monday from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department after being disciplined for violating department policies during a Feb. 11 police pursuit and ensuing crash that killed an Ashland teenager and an Eagle Point man in Medford. In his written statement, Sheriff Mike Winters declined to explain the resignation, saying only that Puckett “accepted the discipline and subsequently submitted his resignation.” Winters, Puckett and sheriff’s Capt. Rod Countryman did not return repeated telephone calls seeking comment. Puckett’s resignation will be effective July 7, according to the statement. He had been on paid administrative leave since Feb. 13. The unspecified discipline and resignation culminates a sheriff’s department internal investigation into Puckett’s role in the Feb. 11 high-speed crash at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street. Kevan Thatcher-Stephens, 17, of Ashland, was driving a Jeep Cherokee that sped north on Riverside Avenue away from Puckett and Talent police officer Jeff Price, who were in pursuit inside separate patrol cars a few blocks behind. Police estimate that the Jeep was traveling at 102 mph when it crashed into a Chevrolet Blazer driven by Charles Bench, 26, of Eagle Point. Both drivers died at the scene and one passenger in each vehicle was severely injured. Police said Thatcher-Stephens’ blood-alcohol level was .13 percent at the time of the crash. A Jackson County Grand Jury declined in April to indict Puckett or Price on any criminal charges relating to their role in the pursuit and crash. During the pursuit, Puckett was escorting Michelle Gideon, a 31-year-old Talent Police reserve officer who was not on duty at the time. The sheriff’s department’s records division at the time had no application on file for Gideon to participate in the “ride-along” program with Puckett that night. Having an unauthorized passenger is against Sheriff’s Department policy, but it was unclear Monday whether Gideon’s apparently unauthorized presence was part of Puckett’s discipline. Puckett, 39, catapulted from a marine deputy to captain after managing Winters’ successful 2002 campaign for the sheriff’s seat. He joined the sheriff’s department in 1985 as a part-time marine cadet, and he became a full-time deputy in 1991. Puckett also runs a non-profit law-enforcement training business called the Code-4 Public Safety Education Association based out of his Medford home. 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 Free Music Downloads Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks Heloc Calenders 2005 Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress tcg student loan consolidation Home Equity Loans teleconferencing W2 Forms cortisol; weight loss Diamonds Futures Broker Bad Credit Loans Auto & Personal Loans Mesothelioma Search Engine Optimization Free Home-Loan Referrals Sports Betting Website Design & Marketing Student Loans African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems Helzberg Diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Student Loans Bonus Casino Poker Games Homeschooling Auto Insurance Mortgage Calculator Mailing Lists Mystery Shopping Jobs Debt Consolidation Loans Payday Loans Air Purifiers Click Here .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams