Early this morning I passed by the courthouse on an emergency run for coffee filters and saw a middle aged gentleman dressed in a black ORCCA jacket heading toward the entrance. Guessing, correctly it turned out, he was Rollie Lobsinger so much in the news of late I followed him in to introduce myself. To make a long story short, Lobsinger was there to obtain a protective order for his employees at the South Coast Food Share against one Bob Creagor of the Charleston Pantry. The Charleston Pantry and ORCCA have been at odds for months and will be attempting to work out their differences with the aid of a state appointed mediator.

Lobsinger spoke with a court facilitator this morning and I was able to overhear that yesterday, Food Bank staff found themselves being photographed loading food into a vehicle at the main warehouse and then photographed at each stop between Coos Bay and Myrtle Point. The individual taking the pictures was unknown to the driver but he would drive ahead of them to get out and film the van at each scheduled stop.

The behavior was alarming enough for the driver to call his boss and law enforcement as he passed through several jurisdictions including Coos Bay, Coquille, Myrtle Point and the State Police. When the van stopped to unload in Myrtle Point the photographer approached the van to take more photographs and by now the driver was so unnerved he called 911 at which point the photographer, since identified as Creagor, left the scene. Lobsinger wants his staff left alone and explained how food transported with insulated blankets must be refrigerated quickly and Creagor was impeding their progress.

Lobsinger described an ongoing pattern of aggressive behavior culminating in a verbal assault six weeks ago where Creagor is alleged to have had his face just inches from Lobsinger’s and a female staff member present tried to get passed Creagor to call the police. The facilitator inquired if the Charleston Pantry had been advised of Creagor’s behavior and Lobsinger said they had tried in the past but the board is comprised of the man’s wife and mother-in-law which may explain why ORCCA prefers some board diversity with the pantries it partners with.

The mediator has asked that both parties not speak with the media but the calls made to law enforcement should be logged and a matter of public record. “I just want my employees left alone,” said Lobsinger, “so they can do their jobs in peace.”