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@LaneSheriffOR
On the evening of April 12th, a vehicle on I-5 near I-105 passed a Lane County Sheriff’s patrol sergeant vehicle at over 90 miles per hour. The sergeant initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver, Marshall David Baskette, 43, who showed signs of impairment and admitted to recent drug use. Evidence of narcotics use was observed in the vehicle.
Baskette refused to cooperate with a DUI investigation, and a loaded pistol was found in arms reach of the driver’s seat, in addition to multiple knives on his person. The firearm returned stolen out of Coos County.
K9 Bear and his handler responded. Bear alerted to one of the drugs he is trained to detect inside the vehicle. Deputies applied for a search warrant for Baskette’s blood for DUI, as well as the vehicle for narcotics. The warrant was granted. Inside the vehicle, Deputies located three partially-used fentanyl pills, 4.7 grams of powdered fentanyl, $509 in cash, and fake identification.
Baskette was cited for speed and lodged at the Lane County Jail on charges of DUI, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Identity Theft.
The second week of April every year, the Lane County Sheriff's Office takes time to recognize and thank those that answer approximately 91,000 calls every year in our county, documenting about 74,000 incidents.
Dispatchers take calls and send deputies or medics to help. They will stay on the phone with you during the worst moment of your life while you wait for help to arrive. They are the ones who send that help, they are the ones who watch over the deputies, medics, and firefighters sent to help you. They are the first, first responders you will probably never meet.
The Sheriff’s Office has around a dozen full-time Dispatchers serving the citizens of Lane County 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. At any given time, there are 2 to 4 dispatchers working. They dispatch for not only the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, but also Coburg Police Department, Oakridge Police Department, Oakridge Fire Department, Lane Community College Security (after hours), Junction City Police Department (nights), Parole and Probation, and the investigative team for the District Attorney’s Office. During major incidents, officers from other agencies will often switch to our radio channels as well.
In the course of a day, a Dispatcher answering phones may go from answering questions about how to get a restraining order, to giving CPR instructions, to taking a call of house that was broken into, to deescalating a violent dispute until deputies arrive.
When the phone rings they never know what’s going to be on the other side. They answer the phone armed with their extensive training and years of experience, prepared to answer a simple question or help save a life.
Thank you to all our dispatchers that have devoted their careers to helping others!
On the evening of April 25th, 2022, a Lane County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the Creswell contract responded to a dispute in the 700 block of N. Mill Street in Creswell. A witness contacted the deputy in the driveway and they rushed into the house. The deputy observed a male covered by a tarp with a cord tied tightly around his neck. There was also severe trauma to both sides of the male’s head. The deputy quickly cut the cord from around the victim’s neck and called for an ambulance.
Detectives responded to investigate. They determined Steven Daniel Wages, 59, was responsible for the injuries to the victim. Wages was located the next day almost 4 hours away in Brookings. He was arrested after a short vehicle pursuit by Brookings Police officers.
On 01/25/2024, Wages was found guilty on two counts of Assault in the First Degree and one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree.
On 03/25/2024, Wages was sentenced to 230 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections. Considering the particular brutality of this crime and the lengthy criminal history of Wages, the judge denied Wages the possibility of early parole or early release through programs.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the work of our Creswell deputies, detectives, Brookings Police, and the Lane County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance on this case.
We are recruiting youth Search and Rescue volunteers!
We are looking for teens 14 and up (by June 1st) who have positive attitudes and want to serve their community. Volunteers must be willing to respond any time day or night, often in bad weather and extreme conditions. Teens who attend our SAR academy will become Oregon State SAR Certified, and receive training in medical care, orienteering, outdoor survival, and other important skills.
Learn more at our open house on Tuesday, April 9th at 6:00 p.m. in Harris Hall, 125 E 8th Ave., Eugene. We will hold an additional open house on April 25th as well.
Questions? Need more info? Email our team at LCSOsar@lanecountyor.gov.
On April 6th at about 3:30 a.m., deputies and a Junction City Police officer responded to the area of Lassen Lane and River Road for a report of a gunshot wound. One person was injured and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspects fled immediately after the shooting, which appeared to be a targeted attack by individuals known to each other, and are still outstanding.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150, option 1.
***Date of crash corrected***
On the afternoon of April 3rd, Deputies with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office responded with fire personnel to a report of a single vehicle crash into trees along Clear Lake Road near Goodman Road, west of Eugene. The vehicle was observed driving at a high rate of speed before it left the roadway for an unknown reason and crashed. The driver was determined to be deceased, and the only occupant of the vehicle.
The driver has been identified as Shawn Anthony McBride, 35, of Junction City.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 39-year-old Brian John Fierke. He last had contact with his family on March 26th, 2024. Deputies, detectives, and Sheriff’s Search & Rescue have searched extensively for Fierke without success.
Fierke is described as a white male adult, standing approximately 6’4” tall and weighing about 185 pounds. Fierke has brown hair and blue eyes. He may have brown facial hair.
Anyone with information about Fierke’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Lane County Sheriff’s Office at 541-682-4150, option 1, and reference LCSO Case #24-1671.
On March 26th, 2024, Lane County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop near the 1800 block of Franklin Blvd. During the stop, K9 Bear was deployed and alerted to one of the drugs he is trained to detect inside the cab of the vehicle.
A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of blue fentanyl based pills and approximately half a kilogram (1.1 pounds) of pure pressed fentanyl powder. The occupants of the vehicle are facing pending criminal charges for narcotic distribution.
***Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram. One kilogram has the potential to kill 500,000 people. (DEA.gov)***
Lane County Sheriff’s Office K9 located a large amount of illegal drugs in a vehicle.
K9 Bear assisted with a traffic stop in the search for illegal drugs. K9 Bear was able to assist in locating a kilo of pure fentanyl and approximately 50,000 fentanyl pills that were located in a hidden compartment of the vehicle. The occupants of the vehicle have been referred for prosecution. This investigation is ongoing and additional details are not available at this time.
K9 Bear is a recent addition to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office and specializes in locating illegal drugs.
LCSO Case #24-1524
On 3/24/2024 Lane County Sheriff’s Office was involved in a pursuit with a menacing subject.
Deputies were on the lookout for 56-year-old Walter Edward Boss of Junction City yesterday after he made threats to go to a local police station and shoot law enforcement officers. Boss was observed in his vehicle by a deputy near the town of Coburg. Boss pulled behind the lone deputy’s vehicle and began chasing him. The deputy was able to safely disengage and wait for backup. Other units, including troopers with the Oregon State Police, responded to the area and located Boss still driving in his vehicle at which time a pursuit ensued. During the pursuit, Boss pointed a rifle and laser at responding personnel. The rifle was later discovered to be an airsoft rifle that resembles a real rifle. The pursuit ended on Powerline Road where Boss got out of his vehicle with the rifle that had the laser attached. After attempting to injure himself, deputies were able to take Boss into custody. Boss was taken to the hospital due to a minor self-inflicted injury and later released. He was then lodged at Lane County Adult Corrections on Menacing, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangering and Unlawful use of a Weapon.
This incident involved multiple agencies and the Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Junction City Police Department, Eugene Police Department and Oregon State Police for all the cooperation to resolve this situation.
On March 16th, a resident in the Cinnamon Avenue area of unincorporated Eugene noticed a male get out of a parked vehicle with no license plates, don a mask, and begin stealing packages from porches. The thief stole from not only the calling resident’s porch, but from neighboring porches as well. As deputies responded to the area, the vehicle drove away. Deputies quickly located the vehicle in the parking lot of Fred Meyers on Division Avenue. The vehicle was empty, so they relayed the suspect description to loss prevention staff. They observed the suspect, who was shoplifting, inside the store. About this time, deputies learned the suspect vehicle was also likely stolen out of Eugene.
As the suspect exited the store and walked to the pickup, he was met by deputies, K9 Bruno, and Eugene Police officers. Deputies located stolen mail and packages on the suspect and inside the vehicle, which was confirmed as stolen. The suspect was identified as Christopher Lagrua, 37, of Eugene. He was lodged at the Lane County Jail on charges of Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Theft in the 2nd Degree, Theft in the 3rd Degree, and Theft of Mail.
Deputies returned the stolen vehicle and re-delivered mail throughout the River Road area to a half-dozen rightful owners, many of whom would have had no idea their mail had been stolen. Thanks to the observant resident who called this theft in and provided a great description to our deputies!