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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Q&A: Dave Dotterrer Q&A: Alan Bates Bates and Dotterrer race could go down to wire Since You Asked: Old orchard trees being removed Emergency Services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency services Man charged with starting Weed, Calif., fire Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service Barn fire may have been human-caused Politics and Elections Q&A: Dave Dotterrer Q&A: Alan Bates Bates and Dotterrer race could go down to wire Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Commissioner candidates Talbert, Roberts duel for endorsements Education EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Eagle Point School District goes silent on gun issue Environment Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters State news Nation - World Obituaries Barbara A. 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Medford airport has busiest September ever Real Estate News Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters People In Business Transportation Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Election Letters, Oct. 13 Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Infill is the answer to growth issues Editorials Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Election Letters, Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Election Letters, Oct.11 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Guest Opinions Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? Mt. Ashland is responding to community concerns Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Lifestyle Latest stories Silvio Calabi: Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow A poor start can set up a great finish It's easy to fall for Dunsmuir A list to help you get ready for winter Bring On The Stager Food Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Cardamom makes proverbial pairing with pears New owners bring new philosophy at 2Hawk Home and Garden A list to help you get ready for winter How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Health Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! 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'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny ... Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana ... Our View: No clear favorite for county commissioner, position 1 ... 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny ... Our View: It's time to legalize marijuana ... Earl Harris' last stand Ashland resident shot to death in confrontation with sheriff's deputies 'stood his ground on everything' A friend of Earl C. Harris, the man killed last week by sheriff's deputies during a forced eviction in Ashland, said Harris was "militant-minded" but a "great guy." By Sam Wheeler MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Posted Jun. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 19, 2014 at 6:40 AM By Sam Wheeler Posted Jun. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 19, 2014 at 6:40 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Grand jury set to review Ashland shooting involving sheri... » Social News A friend of Earl C. Harris, the man killed last week by sheriff's deputies during a forced eviction in Ashland, said Harris was "militant-minded" but a "great guy." "He had a very militant mindset. ... He was just kind of your mountain man sort of guy. He had a lot of weapons," said Chris Vorgang, 30, of Medford. "He was a great guy ... He was extremely, extremely old school, just kind of a pit bull of a guy. He stood his ground on everything and if he didn't like you, you knew it. " Jackson County sheriff's deputies were enforcing a court-issued eviction June 10 at Harris' home at 35 Mistletoe Road when the shooting occurred. A conversation between the 73-year-old Harris and the deputies through the front screen door soured when Harris retreated into the house and entered a bedroom to retrieve a shotgun, Sheriff Mike Winters said. Deputies followed Harris into the house, and when he failed to follow orders to put the shotgun down, they fired four shots, with at least two hitting Harris, Winters said. The deputies tried to render aid, but Harris died at the scene. Vorgang met Harris about a year ago at Rack'em Billiards in Medford, and the two formed a friendship that extended from the pool hall to Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners at Vorgang's house, he said. "(Harris) always asked about our 11/2;-year-old. ... A couple weeks before (he was killed), he'd been trying to get together with me a lot and I just wasn't able to get time off." Harris spent the majority of his time alone after his wife, Glory Harris, died in 2009, said Vorgang. He said Harris mentioned he had a son who lived in Washington state, but very rarely spoke of him. "It wasn't a good relationship," Vorgang said. Vorgang said he visited Harris' home several times and never had any idea Harris owned grenades or any other explosives. Winters said investigators found a pair of grenades while searching Harris' home, above which he flew an upside-down American flag. "He had an issue with authority," Vorgang said. An obituary submitted to the Mail Tribune by Harris' family said he was an all-around outdoorsman and excellent horseman and enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing, billiards and skeet and trap shooting. The obituary said Harris had a long career in the insurance industry after serving in the U.S. Navy for about 41/2; years. He obtained the rank of machinist second class, and was honorably discharged in 1962. "If you became friends with him you had a lot to gain emotionally, he'd always be there," Vorgang said. "You knew he was a friend you could depend on. He was a quiet man but his spirit spoke loudly." Vorgang said he discussed Harris' court matters with him, and even reviewed documents, but it was a convoluted case and hard to explain. Prior to the eviction action being signed May 22, Harris was fighting an April 11 residential eviction notice signed by Jackson County Circuit Judge Ron Grensky that was part of a protracted foreclosure case U.S. Bank filed on the property in July 2011, court records show. Harris represented himself in suing Grensky in U.S. District Court in December 2012, trying to get Grensky's January 2012 foreclosure thrown out. In his complaint, Harris claimed that the state court didn't have jurisdiction in the case and that Grensky was running a "foreclosure mill" process that showed bias against Harris, court papers state. As recently as April 29, Harris filed a five-page complaint in federal court claiming his property was fraudulently foreclosed upon and that the residential eviction notice also was fraudulently obtained, according to Harris' affidavit filed in that case. "He didn't misinterpret laws and rules, he researched them, and would not let anybody run him over or stampede him with the law," Vorgang said. "He didn't believe that U.S. Bank had the power to evict him from his home." An Oregon State Police-led investigation into Harris' death is expected to wrap up this week. A grand jury will hear the case likely next week to determine whether the pair of deputies who killed Harris were justified in using lethal force, said Jackson County District Attorney Beth Heckert. The names of the deputies and any other information about the shooting will not be released until after the grand jury's decision, Heckert and a sheriff's spokeswoman said. A memorial service for Harris is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at the Eagle Point National Cemetery, 2763 Riley Road. Reach reporter Sam Wheeler at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/swhlr. By Sam Wheeler MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler Posted Jun. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 19, 2014 at 6:40 AM » 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 MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked 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 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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