A Silverton man has pleaded guilty to vandalism after a graffiti spree last winter that saw thousands of dollars in damage to local public and private buildings.
Roman L. Cunningham, 23, pleaded guilty June 29 to a felony charge of first-degree criminal mischief in Marion County Circuit Court.
He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 11 and, if he complies with the terms of a plea agreement, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor. He has agreed to 100 hours of community service, to write an apology letter to the mayor of Silverton to be published in the local newspaper, and to complete mental health counseling.
Cunningham was arrested Dec. 20, 2022, for a series of taggings that month at parks, bridges and businesses in Silverton. Damage to city property alone was estimated at $4,000.
Former local vet charged with animal neglect
A former local veterinarian has been charged with felony animal neglect after more than two-dozen sheep were allegedly mistreated.
Brian James Dietrich, 43, of Scio, was charged July 12 in Linn County Circuit Court with 27 separate counts of second-degree animal neglect.
He owned Abiqua Animal Clinic from 2009 to 2016. He currently owns Scio Animal Clinic.
Authorities allegedly found 27 sheep owned by Dietrich confined and neglected for a prolonged period on a Scio farm. Several were allegedly unable to walk properly due to injuries, one was found dead and a second died in custody.
Dietrich was arrested July 11 and released from the Linn County Jail on the condition that he have no livestock or pets in his personal care as he awaits trial.
New forgery case against Silverton woman
A Silverton woman has been charged with forgery after allegedly attempting to deposit fraudulent checks in an ATM.
Jessica Lynn Kilmurray, 47, was charged in Marion County Circuit Court June 7 with two counts of first-degree forgery, for which she faces up to five years in prison.
Kilmurray allegedly deposited two forged checks at an ATM in Woodburn on Jan. 9, each in excess of $1,000. The victim was described as a Salem man.
Kilmurray was previously convicted of forgery in 2016 and sentenced to three years of probation. Her probation was revoked in 2019 after repeated failures to report to community corrections, and she was re-sentenced to a year-and-a-half in prison.
Trial set in personal injury suit against SFSD
A trial has been set for next winter in a $370,000 personal injury lawsuit against the Silver Falls School District by a former middle school student.
Cramer vs. SFSD is scheduled for trial Jan. 22, 2024, in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge James Edmonds, with proceedings expected to last four days.
The suit was filed Nov. 29, 2022. The student allegedly broke a leg in 2017 after slipping and falling in a recently-mopped bathroom at Silverton Middle School. The plaintiff was 11 years old at the time and is represented in court by guardian ad litem Kimberly Cramer.
The district has denied wrongdoing and claims the plaintiff is unable to prove the district was at fault, and any injuries were the result of plaintiff’s own negligence.
Plaintiff is represented by Salem attorney Travis Prestwich; the district by Salem attorney Luke Reese.
– Stephen Floyd
