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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 3, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2005 Detective exonerated in shooting Josephine County grand jury rules that sheriff’s deputy Sean Valdez violated no law when he shot a suspect back in February By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune GRANTS PASS — A Josephine County sheriff’s detective will not face criminal charges for shooting a Rogue River man in the neck last month following a wild chase along rural Jackson and Josephine county roads. After hearing eight hours of testimony Thursday from 15 witnesses, a Josephine County grand jury decided that Detective Sean Valdez acted within the law when he fired seven shots at Michael Murray on the morning of Feb. 20, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. One of the shots struck Murray in the neck. "It’s as I expected," Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel said of the grand jury’s decision to clear Valdez. "This is no surprise. I brought him back to work shortly after it happened. ... It was a clean shooting." The grand jury deliberated for just five minutes before reaching its conclusion, according to the DA’s office. Matt Chancellor, a Jackson County deputy district attorney, presented the case to the grand jury. Jackson County was asked to handle prosecution of the case to avoid any conflict of interest, since Valdez is a Josephine County employee. Advertisement At about 3 a.m. on Feb. 20, a Josephine County sheriff’s deputy tried to stop a Ford Bronco for a traffic violation. The Bronco, driven by 35-year-old Mark Tripp, sped up and led the deputy on a pursuit along Josephine and Jackson county roads, police said. During the chase, police believe Murray, a passenger in the Bronco, used a shotgun to fire several rounds at deputies. Police said shots struck two Josephine County patrol cars, but no deputies were injured. The chase ended when the Bronco crashed into a gate in the 1900 block of Savage Creek Road. Tripp was captured after a short foot chase, but police did not find Murray until later that morning. At about 8:30 a.m., officers spotted Murray operating a log skidder on a Savage Creek Road property in Josephine County. He drove through fences, creeks and several yards before Valdez fired on him. Police said Murray was using the skidder in an attempt to flee the scene. Murray spent more than two weeks in Rogue Valley Medical Center recovering from a gunshot wound. He is now being held in the Jackson County Jail on several felony counts of attempted aggravated murder of police officers and other charges. Tripp faces similar charges. Valdez was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting but returned to duty about two weeks later after receiving counseling from a psychologist. Valdez, 30, was again put on paid leave last Friday, after he was jailed in Josephine County on a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault, in connection with an alleged incident involving his 19-year-old fiancee. 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 Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s