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Suspect raised suspicions Brissette was raising funds illegally, had police record By ALBERTO ENRIQUEZ and PETER WONG A self-employed charitable fund-raiser arrested Sunday on bank robbery charges may have been short of funds himself and was working without the legally required registration. Edward Charles Brissette, 53, of Central Point, worked for several local charitable organizations, either as an employee or as a paid consultant, sometimes doing business as "E.C.B. & Associates." It was in that capacity that Tom Cole, manager of Kids Unlimited, says he met Brissette last summer. Brissette offered to raise funds for the Medford nonprofit's after-school program in local elementary schools. "We explored it, but what he offered sounded too good to be true," said Cole. Brissette's company has been registered with the state Corporations Division since June 23. Its address is identical to Brissette's home in Central Point, and it is classified as a management and public relations business. The state Department of Justice says it has no listing of the E.C.B.'s registration as an official charitable fund-raising firm. Violation of the requirement is a Class A misdemeanor. In a 1997 interview, Brissette, then development director for the Salvation Army, told the Mail Tribune that he'd worked his way up from warehouse worker after joining the organization as a client seeking treatment for alcoholism. State Rep. Eldon Johnson, a former Salvation Army board member, said Monday that Brissette did have plenty of ideas as a development director, but sometimes pursued them too doggedly, leading to a parting of ways last April. "He had some real skills," Johnson said in a telephone interview. "But he was too pushy. That's why we couldn't continue to employ him. He would go do something whether we approved or not." Brissette was arrested Saturday at his home, where Medford police said they found enough evidence to charge him in connection with Friday's robbery at Western Bank in Gold Hill and regard him as a suspect in other recent robberies. "I have trouble understanding why he did what he did," Johnson said of the robberies. "But he must have known what he was getting into. It's a shame." Brissette also was known to raise funds for the recent expansion of Cascade Christian High School in Jacksonville, and for the St. Anthony Shelter, a haven for homeless families, and the Sacred Heart Conference, a social service agency, both operated by the St. Vincent dePaul Society. Richard Long, principal of Cascade Christian, declined to comment on Brissette or his work. David Moosman, manager of the St. Anthony Shelter, also declined comment. Before his arrest on the first-degree robbery charge, Brissette already was known to local police. He'd been cited four times in the past three years by various local agencies, for charges including driving under the influence, driving while suspended, reckless driving, attempt to elude a police officer and giving false information. Jackson County Court records also indicate that Brissette may have been experiencing financial difficulties. Southern Oregon Credit Services filed suit against him on Dec. 7 to collect a debt totalling $2,480.08. A company manager declined to disclose anything beyond the court filings, citing privacy laws. -- JoNel Aleccia of the Mail Tribune contributed to this story. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA