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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 12, 2005 Gold Hill chief changes courts He’s sending traffic citations to a county court after criticism by a municipal judge By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune GOLD HILL — The police chief says he is sending his traffic citations to a county court to circumvent Municipal Judge Don Leahan. Chief Dean Muchow says his integrity was challenged when Leahan called a recent 500 percent spike in citations a case of over-aggressive ticketing and an unauthorized tax. "He has called me dishonest and unethical," said Muchow. Muchow said Leahan was biased against him and therefore unable to administer justice fairly. City Council members Jan Fish, Tom Daily and Gus Wolf said they are unhappy with the venue change, questioning the legality of Muchow’s decision to move the citations from Gold Hill to the Justice Court District of Jackson County. Advertisement "(Mayor Sherry Young) told me he had decided to do that. I don’t know if this is even legal," said Fish. "But it seems like a bad idea." Muchow’s tiff with the judge is causing embarrassment for the community and costing the city money, council members added. "We’re losing a lot of revenue," said Daily. "This is like cutting our own throat. For every $100 ticket, we’re losing around $25" by sending it to the countywide court. Wolf said the city received around $4,000 in citation fees through Leahan’s court last month — even though the judge chastised the police department’s "sting" by reducing fees, offering traffic court and even dismissing some cases. But that is not the case if citations go to the county court, City Recorder and Treasurer Mary Goddard said. The transfer is costing the city its portion of each citation’s administration fees and municipal court bails and fines. Justice of the Peace Joe Charter confirmed there were Gold Hill citations pending at his court. Charter said he believes it is legal for a police chief to cite into the county court. But it is an unusual occurrence, he said. "We just process what goes into our court," said Charter. "I’m not an expert on the way the money flows, but I wouldn’t think any would flow back into Gold Hill." Muchow has sent about eight citations to the justice court so far. He has not required other officers to follow his lead, he said. Muchow said city ordinance violations must be cited into the Gold Hill court. But traffic violations can be sent to the county court. "That’s an individual officer discretion situation," he said. In a three-page letter to the city on Dec. 7, Leahan, a 25-year veteran officer with the Los Angeles Police Department's Narcotics Division, called Muchow’s transfer of citations "arbitrary" and "at the very least inappropriate, unethical and patently contrary (to) the wishes of the citizens of Gold Hill, and I suspect the council. "In closing I feel I must state that I stand by my position as read in court, regarding the increased citations going from $1,683 to $10,558 in two months. The facts and the written word stand on their own. No amount of spin or defray of blame will change the truth." Leahan had attended the most recent council meeting, held Dec. 5. But the matter was not addressed by the council during open session. Wolf said the council had missed an opportunity and that there will be a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 19 to discuss Muchow’s actions. "We need to resolve this," said Wolf. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail Gold Hill chief changes courts ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s