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53 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, October 20, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend October 7, 2003 Suspect in meth lab shooting still at large By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Police continued their hunt late Monday for a gunman who seriously wounded two men Sunday during an argument over living conditions in his meth-lab house near O’Brien. Josephine County Sheriff’s deputies combed the Illinois Valley area for 47-year-old Wilfred C. Coddington, who was almost captured early Monday but escaped into the woods on foot near O’Brien, sheriff’s deputies said. Coddington is accused of shooting Jesse Jonah Ballenger-Windle, 25, and Jeremy Lee Jorgensen, 18, both of Cave Junction. Jorgensen lived with Coddington, a self-employed mechanic, in a run-down and cluttered house at 475 O’Brien Road, where police also found a meth lab that appeared to be recently used, sheriff’s Sgt. Ken Selig said. Advertisement Ballenger-Windle and Jorgensen were both listed Monday evening in fair condition at Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass, a hospital spokeswoman said. Though Coddington remains on the lam, Selig said there may be "issues of self-defense raised" regarding the shooting. "We want Mr. Coddington to come in and speak with us," Selig said Monday. "That would be preferable, but we can offer him nothing other than a fair opportunity to tell his story." Meanwhile, authorities have focused their search for Coddington in the Illinois Valley, where he has several friends with long ties that can make the search "both easy and difficult," Selig said. Area residents have funneled several tips to police on where to find and capture Coddington, and even some out-of-state relatives have contacted investigators, Selig said. "Nobody likes to see a guy who shot two people on the loose," he said. Selig said deputies have pieced together part of what occurred Sunday from evidence as well as brief statements by the victims, who had not been extensively interviewed by police as of Monday evening because of their injuries. Coddington allegedly shot Jorgensen and Ballenger-Windle in the abdomen with a handgun during an argument about living conditions in the house, Selig said. Selig declined to reveal the gun’s caliber, who was shot first or whether the shooting occurred inside or outside. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, police were called to Coddington’s house while the victims were driven by a private citizen to rendezvous with an ambulance, deputies said. Coddington fled the scene before deputies arrived, police said. In Coddington’s bedroom, police discovered a small meth lab, red phosphorus and other precursor chemicals as well as evidence that some meth recently had been manufactured there, Selig said. Other evidence involving the sale of meth was also discovered, deputies said. Police used canine trackers to search the area for Coddington but could not locate him. About 5 a.m. Monday on Naue Way near Lone Mountain Road west of O’Brien, a sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over a pickup truck with a man purported to be Coddington at the wheel, Selig said. The pickup stopped. The man fled into the brush on foot and did not appear to be armed, Selig said. Reinforcements and the canine trackers were summoned, but the man was not found, Selig said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times