Document text
Cops lower boom in Wolf Creek; they'll explain noisy raid today The Associated Press WOLF CREEK -- Residents awoke to loud explosions and helicopters overhead on Wednesday, as federal, state and local officials conducted one of several raids in the region. Officials said they could not confirm the number of people arrested, but said they will be charged with crimes ranging from kidnap, robbery, extortion and theft to drug crimes and prostitution. As many as 75 vehicles, including armored cars, took part in the raid. Police said the operation "went OK." The Douglas County sheriff's office is holding a press conference today to discuss a yearlong investigation into drug and gang activity. "They woke me out of a dead sleep with two booms," said Judith Hill of Wolf Creek. "Several of my neighbors saw assault vehicles." Officers armed with machine guns were at a residence in the 1600 block of Lower Wolf Creek Road, an area known as Coon Hollow, said area resident Jim Bickers, who said he saw people being arrested. Agencies that participated in the raid included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon State Police, the Oregon National Guard and the Bureau of Land Management. Local agencies included drug task forces and sheriff's offices from Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties. Also involved were local police agencies, including personnel from Grants Pass, Roseburg, Sutherlin and Myrtle Creek. Hill said she suspected illegal activity in the area. She welcomed the law enforcement crackdown. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA