Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 10, 2005 Civic leaders hope to clean out brambles and transient camps along the Bear Creek Greenway such as this one found south of McAndrews Road Wednesday. The camp was in the general area of a reported rape of a 15-year-old girl near the Rogue Valley Mall. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Transient camps targeted Authorities react to assault on girl, 15, near Greenway bike path Friday night By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Appalled by the reported rape of a 15-year-old Rogue River girl in the bushes along the Bear Creek Greenway, civic leaders say it’s time to rip out the brambles that transients use to hide their encampments. "I’m so irate today, I just can’t believe it," said Joy Olson, executive director of the Bear Creek Greenway Foundation. "She doesn’t deserve to be hauled off and raped off the trail." A Phoenix man has been arrested on suspicion of dragging a 15-year-old girl from the Greenway path near the Rogue Valley Mall on Friday and then allegedly raping her at a tent camp. Police say two other men were involved in the rape and remain at large. The girl had run away from home when she was assaulted, but returned to her home before she reported the incident Sunday to police. Christopher Richard "Ricky" Valdez, 33, of the 1100 block of North Rose Street in Phoenix, is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault in connection with the incident Friday night, according to police. Advertisement Just a few feet east of the Greenway south of McAndrews Road, where the rape allegedly took place, there is a maze of trails that have been cut through the thick brush leading to dozens of hidden camps, either occupied or abandoned, with debris scattered about. Olson said the Greenway Foundation, which raised the money to build the bike path, would help the city buy the equipment needed to rip out the brambles near the path, making it more difficult for transients to camp out. "If we were able to clear all that bramble and all those Himalayan blackberries, they wouldn’t have a place to hide and would go somewhere else," she said. While police and the city have made attempts to clean up the Greenway, Olson said a more concerted effort needs to be undertaken. "Everybody has a legitimate excuse not to get the job done, but something has to be done," she said. Bruce Galloway, Medford parks superintendent, said it has been difficult eradicating homeless camps. "As soon as we pull one out they put another one in," he said. It’s also difficult cleaning up after transients have moved out because they leave behind needles, used toilet paper and other items. "With needles and the bad stuff, we need protection like the equipment used for the cleanup of asbestos," Galloway said. Galloway said the city wants to clean up the Greenway as much as the foundation, but has lacked the resources in the past. But in light of Friday’s assault, Galloway said the city will come up with a plan within a month to clear a swath about 10 to 15 feet on either side of the seven-mile-long path in the city limits. "That would give people time to react if someone came out of the bushes," said Galloway. The city is considering the purchase of a machine that chews up the brambles and spits them out as mulch, he said. No matter what the city does, Galloway urges Greenway users to take precautions. "If you jog or walk and it’s dark, you need to be with somebody," he said. Medford Deputy Police Chief Randy Schoen said the officers sweep through the area from time to time to move the transients out. The city erected signs last summer warning people it’s against the law to camp along the Greenway. Schoen would like to patrol the Greenway more, but said he has a finite amount of resources. "To have an ongoing patrol of the bike path is difficult," he said. When officers do cruise down the path in their patrol cars, it doesn’t sit well with pedestrians, cyclists or people on roller blades. "We get people going Mach 1 along there," he said. "We’ve had some near misses and people upset about us." Police also use bicycles to patrol the Greenway. Lt. Tim George said there were 43 incidents on the bike path in 2004, ranging from drinking in public, drug offenses and illegal camping, but not one Measure 11 case until the rape was repored. George said police are still processing evidence that could lead to the arrest of the two other men suspected in the assault. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [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 Ztechmedia Website Hosting Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Advertisement s