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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 Kaleidoscope Pizza will donate Oct. 21 proceeds to ACCESS Emergency services Hitchhiker arrested after allegedly trying to stab Central Point man who gave her a ride Boys & Girls Clubs bursting at the seams Ward 4 Q&A: George Schroeder Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Hitchhiker arrested after allegedly trying to stab Central Point man who gave her a ride Sign of frustration The curtain drops on Southwest Oregon fire season Emergency services Politics and Elections Ward 4 Q&A: George Schroeder Ward 4 Q&A: Michael Zarosinski Ward 4 Q&A: Donna Lane Ward 4 Q&A: Andrew Watson Ward 3 Q&A: Don Libby Education Boys & Girls Clubs bursting at the seams Phoenix High School restores homecoming parade EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families 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 Marc Lee Sprang Margaret Jones John David Locke Merlin Wayne Fjarli Margaret Jones Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories St. Mary’s boys fend off Challengers Kings of the King PREP FOOTBALL STATISTICS Injury-prone Panthers continue to forge ahead Royals’ Guthrie apologizes for post-game T-shirt Varsity 541 College Sports Young Ducks impress early Petersen’s Dawgs return to Autzen To prepare for sack-happy Utah, OSU stressing execution Thompson is CCC’s preseason player of year THE PICK Pro Sports Royals’ Guthrie apologizes for post-game T-shirt Guthrie helps Royals take 3-0 lead in ALCS Americans try task force to solve Ryder Cup Klinsman: Top Americans shouldn't play in MLS Errant throw gives Giants triumph over Cards Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia's 3Q profit not enough for investors Urban Minx founder ready to pass baton 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 Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor, Oct. 16 Our View: Bearnson, Stine, Lane for Medford council 'Redskins' petition seeks to end annoyances Granlund cartoon: Gas prices drop Letters to the Editor, Oct. 15 Editorials Our View: Bearnson, Stine, Lane for Medford council 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 Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 16 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 15 Election Letters, Oct. 14 Election Letters, Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 12 Guest Opinions Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? 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Wehby goes after Merkley in Medford debate ... Boles fire arson suspect pleads not guilty ... Sign of frustration ... Wehby goes after Merkley in Medford debate ... Boles fire arson suspect pleads not guilty ... Manslaughter plea sends Medford man to prison Attacker under influence of meth when he stomped man to death in November A former homeless Medford man once lauded for helping others break away from the streets will spend more than six years in prison for punching and stomping a tenant to death during a methamphetamine-fueled attack last year. By MARK FREEMAN MailTribune.com By MARK FREEMAN Posted Jul. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jul 12, 2014 at 2:25 AM By MARK FREEMAN Posted Jul. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jul 12, 2014 at 2:25 AM » Social News A former homeless Medford man once lauded for helping others break away from the streets will spend more than six years in prison for punching and stomping a tenant to death during a methamphetamine-fueled attack last year. John Troy Lopes, 51, was sentenced Friday to the mandatory minimum of 75 months in prison for his guilty plea to a second-degree manslaughter charge in the beating death of Charles Ward Puzak. As part of Lopes' plea agreement, prosecutors agreed Friday to drop a more serious charge of first-degree manslaughter as well as two felony assault charges for which Lopes was indicted in November. Had Lopes been convicted on the first-degree manslaughter charge, the mandatory minimum under Oregon sentencing law would have been 10 years in prison. A visibly anguished Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia said in court that the litany of defendants in his courtroom whose methamphetamine-related violence ends up harming people "is getting to me." "This is so tragic," Mejia told Lopes. "Again, it's methamphetamine resulting in violence, violence that results in the death of a human being. I have no options, so I will sentence you." The 61-year-old Puzak was one of several people with whom Lopes shared his house in the 2300 block of Howard Avenue, authorities said. The pair had drank several beers and Lopes had used methamphetamine before they got into an early-morning fight Sept. 15 over the way Puzak spoke to Lopes' girlfriend, according to Medford police. "We had a disagreement about how he was handling himself in my home," Lopes told Mejia in court. Witnesses told police that Lopes attacked Puzak, punching and kicking him 10 to 15 times each before dragging him outside and stomping him on a curb, police said. "Methamphetamine and alcohol were both involved and, I think, fueled his behavior," defense attorney Donald Scales told Mejia in court. Puzak never fought back and was conscious when police arrived. He was even conscious when he was getting treatment at Rogue Regional Medical Center, where doctors diagnosed Puzak with a traumatic cranial hemorrhage. Lopes was arrested at the scene and a grand jury indicted Lopes on felony assault charges two days later. Puzak's condition deteriorated over time and he died Oct. 10. A subsequent autopsy ruled his death a homicide, and Lopes was later indicted on the manslaughter charges. Scales said in court that his own forensics expert reviewed Puzak's medical records and agreed that his injuries suffered at the hands and feet of Lopes likely led to his death. Since his arrest, Lopes has been lodged in the Jackson County Jail, having never raised the $50,000 bail required for his release. Lopes was homeless when he first began using a Central Point shelter in 2009. Shelter workers said once he got on his own feet and rented his own house, he regularly opened it to as many as 10 homeless people at a time. He even gave lifesaving CPR to a homeless man at the shelter in January 2013, a shelter manager told the Mail Tribune in November. "He charges nominal rent," Scales said in court. "He basically gave them a place to stay." A carpenter by trade, Lopes had no criminal history in Oregon until August 2012, when he pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of methamphetamine, court records show. No members of the general public were present in the gallery during the 10-minute hearing. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. By MARK FREEMAN MailTribune.com By MARK FREEMAN Posted Jul. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jul 12, 2014 at 2:25 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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