A vehicle owned by Jaye Bell and Ronnie Herne, founders of the home rule charter committee, ARRRG, appears to have been sabotaged. Sheriff’s officials have been notified and the vandalism includes sidewalls slit, tampering with the throttle and draining the engine oil. In each instance the damage was done in such a way as to disable the vehicle only after traveling and could have caused serious injury or fatality to oncoming traffic as well as Bell and Herne.

Dear Sheriff Zanni,

In your three messages from 10-12-12 you asked to be updated on any further incidents that might be related to the punctured/sliced rear driver-side tire of 10-10-12.

There are two additional occurrences known at this time.

1. On Saturday morning around 11:45am, 10-20-12, Jaye went out to warm up the 1970 Chevy pickup. It had last been driven Friday evening. When she started it up, the gas throttle stuck in high rev, and she had a great deal of difficulty kicking it down. This occurred several times so we WD’d the pedal connection and Chemtooled the linkage and she started it again with the same results.

When she looked closer she found that the throttle return spring, with the little hooks that go into the little holes, was disconnected. She reconnected it and that solved the entire problem.

2. We had appointments in Coos Bay on Saturday relating to Measure 6-143, the Coos County Home Rule Charter on the November ballot so we left here around 12:25pm. We stopped briefly at Figaro’s in Coquille. We stopped at the Englewood Market for gas. We dropped in at the Coos Bay Library for about 40 minutes and then went out to our ad producer at the old Kemro Cabinets building on East Airport Way . From there we headed directly home but we did not make it.

On Hwy 42 headed east at maybe 6:40pm we heard a very loud banging in the engine and pulled over just past Coaledo Street. The short version is that the engine was drained dry of oil. We do not know at this writing why or how, nor do we know the amount of damage to the engine which may be quite substantial. The last time the oil had been checked was on the night of 10-10-12 when the tire ruptured. It was just under full on the dip stick.

North Bend Towing hauled the truck to D&J’s on Hwy 42 at North Adams, Coquille.

An interesting side-event. When we pulled over on Hwy 42 it was not yet dark. While Jaye was checking the oil, I noticed something stuck in the crack between the shroud and the radiator. Sticking up less than a half inch was the snout of a pair of pliers which I retrieved. The pliers do not belong to me or to Jaye or to our mechanic. We both lightly handled the pliers before I thought to put them in a paper towel. Mechanics being the greasy business it is, dusting the pliers for prints might be useful. (No one works on our vehicle besides us or our mechanic.)

It appears that someone is trying to kill us without being in the proximal area when it occurs. It also appears that whoever it is is quite knowledgable on auto mechanics. Hate crimes are ugly things. When did Coos County get this way?

We have arranged for another vehicle. We will update you. We will be over at D&J’s later this afternoon. Any input from you would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Ronnie Herne
Secretary ARRRG

The pair believe this is politically motivated and it may well be, however, harming the organizers will not cause the home rule charter to disappear off the ballot. Whomever is behind the sabotage knows how to cause vehicle failure away from the culprit, however, pliers not belonging to the owners or their mechanic have been recovered beneath the hood and it may be possible to lift fingerprints. The vehicle requires a new engine at great expense to the owners. If you have any information about who may be involved in vandalizing this vehicle and endangering the lives of Bell, Herne and passing motorists please contact the sheriff.

Coos County Sheriff’s Office
250 N. Baxter
Coquille, Oregon 97423

541-396-7800
541-396-7801