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Gold Hill to settle with ex-police chief GOLD HILL -- The city of Gold Hill may soon reach a settlement with former police chief Katie Holmboe. The City Council on Monday told its attorneys to settle out of court as soon as possible with Holmboe, who was fired after 12 years on the job in August 1997. She was accused of ticket-fixing and other problems. An Oregon Department of Justice investigator interviewed 60 witnesses and examined numerous documents and failed to find any evidence to justify criminal charges against Holmboe and her department. Complaints included: misplacing issued tickets; selling cosmetics during her shift; and praying for a man she thought was possessed with an evil spirit. Holmboe appealed the firing, and an arbitration hearing was held on Dec. 13. Both parties have 30 days to submit written responses. The arbitrator will make a decision 45 days after that, according to Tony Paxton, Gold Hill city recorder. Holmboe has been instructed by her attorney to refrain from discussing the case until after the arbitrator's ruling. Meanwhile, the city continues to wait for the proposed contract for police services from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. The contract, which was written by Sheriff Bob Kennedy, is waiting approval from the county's attorneys before it can be forwarded to Gold Hill, Paxton said. This town of 1,200 people has been without a police chief and a police department for more than a year after former police chief Dave Crawford was convicted of attempted coercion. The City Council late last year voted to contract with sheriff's deputies while the city begins a new search for a police chief. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA