Document text
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 Morning Jolt: Dad guilty of killing daughter by throwing her off cliff Today in the News: Amtrak train was traveling 106 mph at time of crash, officials say Morning Jolt: BuzzFeed, NY Times to publish directly to Facebook Today in the News: No charges to be filed against Wisconsin officer Today in the News: George Zimmerman involved in Florida shooting Education Environment Business Politics and elections State News Nation - World Philippine factory fire traps, kills 72; lapses investigated O'Malley to announce presidential plans on May 30 'American Idol' crowns 14th season champion: Nick Fradiani House approves GOP bill banning most late-term abortions AP estimates train in deadly crash was traveling 107 mph Obituaries Shareable 18-year-old Adrienne Lewis' crazy 4-inch tongue might be longest in the world Adam Sandler the latest to pay tribute, performs ode to David Letterman The 5 worst 'American Idol' auditions in the show's history Watch these two crazy daredevils do aerial acrobatics over Dubai using jetpacks US ranked 4th among the world's 10 most tourism-friendly countries Sports Latest Stories 4 things Tom Brady can inflate during his suspension Tom Brady suspended 4 games for Deflategate Rickie Fowler delivers major performance to win Players Floyd Mayweather Jr. wins decision in richest fight ever Kentucky Derby: American Pharoah wins 141st Run for the Roses High school Southern Oregon University Voices Latest Stories Editorial Letters Guest opinions Columns Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Theater Music Visual Art Movies Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories 4 ways to help your husband express how he really feels The 5 worst 'American Idol' auditions in the show's history These countries have the best maternity benefits (hint: U.S. isn’t on the list) Our 5 favorite TV mothers Why we hate Keurigs Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Elected or appointed? ... Ashland by the numbers ... Ticket availability ... Our View: Elected or appointed? ... Ashland by the numbers ... Ticket availability ... ASHLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT Evidence supports runaway theory, officer tells crowd Deputy chief answers questions from dozens concerned about missing teens' welfare; they're urging more aggressive investigation Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 29, 2014 at 6:29 PM Updated Dec 29, 2014 at 11:57 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 29, 2014 at 6:29 PM Updated Dec 29, 2014 at 11:57 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Missing teen clue search fruitless • Group continues to press search for missing Ashland girl • Posters about missing teen will be distributed • Missing girl's family, friends, want more info from police • Friends and family renew push to find missing Ashland teen • Friends hope for teen's safe return • Vigil planned for Ashland girl who's been missing since Nov. 29... • One of two missing Ashland girls found in Northern California... • Two missing Ashland teens planned to run away, police say • Help sought finding missing juvenile » Social News In a seemingly unprecedented mass grilling of an Ashland Police Department officer by 40 members of the community, Deputy Chief Tighe O’Meara on Monday said investigators have phone records, comments of credible witnesses and other evidence they can’t reveal, all of which strongly indicate that the missing teen Hannah Thomas-Garner planned to run away from a Nov. 30 party and head down into California — and did just that. The group of citizens behind the loosely organized Bring Hannah Home group called for a meeting on the police department steps, posing five written questions about the case — which O’Meara answered — then opened the questioning to an impatient public, who demanded police investigate the disappearance as a crime and work more aggressively on it. The citizen group had to cancel a Sunday search of hilly country on Dead Indian Memorial Road because of snow, but when they demanded Ashland Police search the area with dogs, O’Meara said he’d just talked to Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies and they planned to do exactly that within hours. The search would include “cadaver dogs,” he said. No results were reported by 5 p.m. Monday. Asked by Bring Hannah Home organizer Amy Couture if police had any evidence indicating Thomas-Garner is still alive, O’Meara responded, “I understand your concern. It’s very touching ... but we still feel very strongly, based on evidence ... that she did make it to Northern California” and hitchhiked from Mt. Shasta to Dunsmuir. Thomas-Garner planned to run away with classmate Sylvia Davis, but changed her mind, said O’Meara. Davis was found as a runaway in Humboldt County, with two adult males. These men know Thomas-Garner, he said, adding that Thomas-Garner had asked to run away with Davis and one of the men, Andrew Thibert, 19, in his vehicle, but he said no. O’Meara said Ashland Police did classify Thomas-Garner as an “endangered missing person” based on “alarm” raised by her bashed-in car and the possible “jeopardy” she could be in because of the “type of crowd she’s likely to mingle with.” Couture privately gave O’Meara a Facebook page indicating one of the men Davis was found with worked at a pizza joint at the Mt. Shasta freeway interchange where the girl’s car was found. O’Meara said that was “curious, but I don’t know if that suggests anything. I’ll look into it.” Police did a “cursory search” of the party area, interviewed many of the high schoolers at the party, scanned their cell phone evidence, processed Thomas-Garner’s bashed-up car for DNA and hair samples, but will not send the samples to Oregon State Police labs for processing unless the event is considered a crime. He stressed it’s a myth from TV that such samples can be analyzed in 45 minutes. The reality, based on past experience, is that it can take more than a year, he said. If the evidence is from California, it goes to their labs and takes even longer.  Another citizen group organizer, Susanne Severeid, whose son is a classmate of the girl, asked, “You’ve collected evidence but you don’t know what it says?” O’Meara replied that was the case. She asked if the FBI had helped on the case. He replied that they’d called but won’t be involved unless evidence points to a crime.  Police don’t credit “emotionally charged” third-party information from uninvolved witnesses, O’Meara said, adding they base their judgements mainly on information “that could only have come from Hannah’s mouth.” He said Thomas-Garner’s credit cards were left at home, so they’ve left no tracks. About the SIM card missing from her cell phone (the phone was found in her car), O’Meara said he believes Thomas-Garner took it. If so, this would support the runaway situation. O’Meara said a SIM card can be popped in a different cell phone, bringing up the original phone number for the new phone to run, but that police don’t believe she did that, as it would be easy to track. O’Meara repeatedly said police must “protect investigative integrity” and don’t reveal information that, if made public, would hamper their ability to “see if a witness knows anything.” After Severeid began a question with, “Can you sit back comfortably in your chair ...,” O’Meara answered her question, then added, “We’re all concerned and all we can do is being done ... way above and beyond,” in large part because of the big community response — and, he noted, “that was an unnecessarily antagonistic way of phrasing that question.”  After 45 minutes in a light, near-freezing drizzle, in shirtsleeves, O’Meara, who had worked all night, said concerned citizens can find all new information posted on the APD website ( http://bit.ly/apdmedia ).  — Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Dec. 29, 2014 at 6:29 PM Updated Dec 29, 2014 at 11:57 PM » 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 Propel Marketing 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