Salem-News.com Sweet Home articles

Linn Detectives Serve Search Warrant for Explosives

Police say explosives in a dumpster led to a residence where materials that may have been used in making an explosive device were discovered.

(SWEETR HOME, Ore.) - Several suspicious items, believed to be explosives, were located by employees from Sweet Home Sanitation September 30th, according to Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller.

"These devices were discovered in a dumpster and did not appear to have been placed with the intent of damaging any specific property or person, but were located in trash that Sweet Home Sanitation had received," Mueller said.

600 Firefighters Battling Canal Creek Fire

The next few days are forecast to have a warming and drying trend, which will do little to help these crews battle the fire.

(SALEM, Ore.) - “This is the largest fire camp we’ve seen in at least 30 years” according to one employee at the Sweet Home Ranger District.

The Incident Base Camp, set up at Lewis Creek County Park, is responsible for over 600 firefighters and personnel working the Canal Creek Fire.

Fatal Crash Halts Highway and Ignites Forest Fire (PHOTOS)

The vehicle fire sparked a forest fire in the area that burned around an acre and a half.

(SWEET HOME, Ore.) - Police say a Bend-area woman was killed Monday afternoon in a head-on collision with a commercial motor vehicle on Highway 20 east of Sweet Home.

A 2007 Dodge Dakota pickup towing an unknown length travel trailer was traveling eastbound on Highway 20 near milepost 54, when a westbound 1989 Kenworth semi truck and trailer failed to negotiate a corner, crossing into the eastbound lane where it struck the Dodge Dakota head-on.

SPECIAL FEATURE: `Where There`s Smoke - There`s Fire` (VIDEO)

Special feature video report by Gerrit Roelof and Jerry Freeman on wildland firefighter training in Oregon.

(SWEET HOME, Ore.) - It's hard to underestimate the importance of fire safety in a state like Oregon. This week, in preparation for the upcoming summer fire season, students are learning the finer points of wildland firefighting and honing their skills, until they get it right.

Paul Heibert, the incident commander at the wildland firefighter school, says a lot of the work is standardized training. "It's done nationally and we don't have a lot of wiggle room as far as what we teach them. which I'd say is a good thing. So three of the five days we have the mandatory stuff and the rest of it we have some play."

Sweet Home Man Arrested for Assault

The three-month old baby is still in the care of Emmanuel Hospital in the pediatrics intensive care unit.

(SWEET HOME, Ore.) - A Sweet Home man is in custody on a child abuse allegation that apparently involved an infant choking on a napkin. Deputies were dispatched to the emergency room late in the evening on January 16th for a report of a possible child abuse incident.

Upon arrival, deputies met with emergency room personnel who told them that a three-month old infant, Payton Morris, was brought to the hospital by ambulance following a reported choking incident.

Man Drowns After Jumping Off Bridge Near Sweet Home

Deputies said the man and his friends had been drinking prior to the drowning.

(SWEET HOME, Ore. ) - A 40-year-old Halsey man died late Saturday night after jumping from a 70-foot bridge and drowning near Sweet Home.

Linn County Sheriff’s Deputies say Gregory Aaron Culver drowned after doing a back flip off Rocky Top Bridge near Quartzville Road, about 20 miles from the junction of Quartzville and Highway 20 east of Sweet Home.

OSU Extension Teams With Community Partners to Test Sweet Home Well Water

In Oregon, household well owners aren’t required to test their water.

(SWEET HOME) - An Oregon State University Extension Service program is teaming with the Sweet Home Rotary Club and other partners to offer free well water testing in the area.

Sweet Home area residents who pre-register for a class on well management will receive the free water tests.

Water samples will be tested for nitrates, coliform bacteria and arsenic, said Gail Andrews, coordinator of the OSU Extension Service’s Well Water Program.

Predatory Sex Offender Awaiting Trial Found Dead in Jail Cell

Billings suffered from several medical conditions including a heart condition and had a pacemaker.

(ALBANY) - Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reports on Sunday, Corrections Deputies in the Linn County Jail found 58-year-old Robert Allen Billings of Sweet Home, dead in his cell.

The cause of death was determined to be Coronary Failure.

Billings was arrested by Linn County Sheriff’s Detectives on January 11th, on four counts of Sex Abuse I and was awaiting trial while the investigation continued.

Linn County Deputies Arrest Predatory Sex Offender on New Charges

Billings is lodged at the Linn County Jail with a bail set at $200,000.

(SWEET HOME) - Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reports that on Thursday his office arrested 58-year-old Robert Allen Billings of Sweet Home, on four (4) counts of Sex Abuse I.

Linn County detectives began this investigation when the victim, a female child, was brought to the Sheriff’s Office by the victim’s family.

Billings is a family acquaintance.

Man Missing in Sweet Home Area Located (UPDATE)

Friends have stated the missing man may suffer from dementia at times.

(SWEET HOME) - Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reports an elderly Sweet Home man who had been missing since Sunday has been found safe this afternoon.

R D White, age 94, was found with his vehicle at approximately 3:30 this afternoon on the Ames Creek 600 line, a logging road in east Linn County.