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DA drops case in basketball incident But North player Zachary Taylor's parents still might keep him out of tonight's game By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Klamath County's district attorney says he will no longer pursue assault charges against a North Medford High School basketball player involved in an alleged head-butting incident in early January. Saying public outcry in Jackson County has turned a criminal case into a "circus," Klamath County District Attorney Ed Caleb will no longer insist Zachary Taylor uphold a signed agreement that he skip the game tonight in Medford or face prosecution on the misdemeanor charge. But Zachary Taylor's parents say they will not decide until today whether Taylor will play in the rematch against Klamath Union - a team that includes Caleb's son. "We're going to have to sit down as a family, lay everything out, and decide as a family what we're going to do," said Bob Taylor, Zach's father. "We likely won't decide that until (today)." Medford School District officials say they will honor the Taylor family's wishes, yet they still question whether Caleb misused his prosecutor's powers to influence the outcome of his son's high-school basketball game. Caleb's son Nick is a senior guard for Klamath Union. The ordeal has struck raw nerves in Jackson and Klamath counties, where the idea of turning an on-court incident into a nepotism-laced criminal case has trained an unwanted national spotlight on the issue. "When this sort of thing spirals out of control, it's a sad situation," said Bruce Howell, Medford School District's director of secondary athletics. "I knew this would cause some eyebrows to go up, but I didn't realize we'd turn this into a 'Jerry Springer' thing." Caleb on Thursday placed the Springer-esque atmosphere of the case squarely on the shoulders of Jackson County residents and Medford school officials, adding that while he is dropping the case, he isn't admitting that he was wrong. "I feel very comfortable with how I've handled this," Caleb said. "I'm pretty sure I know my community's values here, but I'm not sure I have any kind of pulse on the community values in Jackson County." Taylor, 17, allegedly head-butted Klamath Union player Jacob Wynn during the Jan. 4 game in Klamath Falls, which Caleb attended. Taylor was whistled for a foul but not otherwise penalized, and Wynn remained in the game, which Klamath Union eventually won 64-63. After reviewing a videotape of the incident, Caleb instigated a police investigation that concluded when a Klamath Falls police officer cited Taylor on a fourth-degree assault charge. Caleb then negotiated with the Taylor family's lawyer and reached an agreement in which Caleb would not file criminal charges in return for Zach Taylor seeking anger-management evaluation and not playing in today's rematch. Caleb said he wanted Taylor out of today's game to keep him from encountering the victim, reflecting a standard requirement in criminal cases. Caleb voided the agreement Thursday, in part because the uproar has focused attention on his son, who must face North Medford fans tonight. "It's turned into a circus," Caleb said. "I don't mind if people take shots at me. But watching my son become a focal point is very concerning to me and I'm very angry about it." Despite Thursday's change, Howell said, Medford school officials still plan to look into Caleb's conduct and will consider filing complaints with the Oregon State Bar or the state Government Practices and Standards Commission. "We're still asking the same questions we've asked before: Were the proper protocols followed?" Howell said. Caleb said that while he was dropping the case, Jackson County authorities would still have the option to prosecute. Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston said he has not yet been asked by Caleb's office to investigate the case and declined further comment until he talked with Caleb. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.