County Commissioners to Cover Case Updates and Alleged Personnel Policy Violation
The Josephine County Board of Commissioners will hear updates on County cases and an investigation of an alleged personnel policy violation during Wednesday's workshop. Following a Board Order update in the matter of amending an Administrative Policy, the board will hear business from multiple departments including the Sheriff's Office, Community Development, Public Works, Airports, Human Resources, and Transit. Board Business includes discussing County-owned Surplus Properties, Anne G. Basker Auditorium Rental Applications, plus Executed County Contracts and Payments According to Terms. Following any other matters the board may introduce, the meeting will adjourn. Wednesday's workshop will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the BCC Conference room and will stream live at www.josephinecounty.gov/livestream. Those wishing to attend in person must comply with the clear bag policy.
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SOCET Case Leads to 30-Year Sentence for Man in Child Sexual Abuse Case
A Southern Oregon Child Exploitation Team (SOCET) case has led to a 30-year prison sentence for a White City man. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Justin Atto, 32, of White City, pled guilty to Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree, Sodomy in the First Degree, and three counts of Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct. For these crimes, Atto was sentenced to 370 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections, to be followed by lifetime post-prison supervision. His prison sentence is pursuant to Measure 11 and will be served day-for-day. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender as part of this sentence. The investigation in this case began when law enforcement received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that an image containing sexually explicit material involving a juvenile had been uploaded. SOCET detectives were able to
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Oregon Department of Human Services Roll out November SNAP Benefits
Oregon families are starting to see their November food stamp benefits restored to their Oregon Trail Cards. According to The Oregonian, Governor Tina Kotek said that Oregon Department of Human Services employees worked through the night to issue the funds. On Thursday afternoon, a federal judge told President Donald Trump he must find the money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has been threatened by the government shutdown. The federal government appealed that decision, but the order prompted Kotek to tell the Oregon Department of Human Services to release full SNAP benefits for November. More than 750,000 Oregonians rely on the food benefits.
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