A defense attorney for David Crawford blamed his client's legal problems on small-town politics.

Crawford, 41, stands trial this week on a variety of charges -- including assault and two counts of felony coercion -- in connection with the altercations. At the last minute he waived his right to a jury trial and put his future in the hands of Jackson County's senior jurist, Judge Ross Davis.

In just four hours of testimony, District Attorney Mark Huddleston wrapped up the state's case with 11 witnesses. First up was Patricia Warner, who manages an RV park in Trail with her husband, George, and was at her husband's side when they tangled with Crawford July 24, 1996, on Highway 234 near Sams Valley.

Warner testified that her husband, who was driving, had slowed down for deer in the road when another motorist passed from behind and then stomped on the brakes. Her husband then passed the car, she said, leading to a brief but dangerous game of leapfrog before the other car regained the lead and forced the Warners to stop.

Both men got out, she said, leading to a "nose-to-nose" confrontation that nearly came to blows.

Warner testified the driver claimed he was a police officer and once flashed something like a badge. He refused to listen to their explanation for why they slowed down, making threats and shouting profanities as they tried to leave.

"He said, `I can find you. I can get you,"' Patricia Warner said. "As we were pulling away, he said, `I can burn down your home."'

George Warner testified he could smell alcohol on the driver's breath. Like his wife, he doubted the man was really a police officer.

"He said, `You could have killed me and my daughter with your driving' and whatnot," George Warner said. "I told him, `You're only talking about your actions. You were jeopardizing me and my wife."'

Crawford's daughter was in the car with him; she's expected to testify today.

The next day, the Warners called Shady Cove Police Chief James Johnson, who checked the license plate number they gave him. They were dumbfounded to learn the motorist was Dave Crawford, the only full-time Gold Hill officer under the command of then-Chief Katie Holmboe.

At Johnson's suggestion, the Warners wrote Holmboe a letter about the incident. Over the phone, Holmboe later told them she took an unspecified "disciplinary action" against Crawford.

Holmboe was later fired for unrelated misconduct, leading to Crawford's promotion to chief in 1997. He is on paid leave pending the outcome of the trial.

Under cross examination by defense attorney Michael Jewett, the Warners denied they concocted the threat last summer at the instigation of two Gold Hill women, Christine Alford and Donna Silva, a Gold Hill city councilwoman.

A key witness for the state was Hazel Moon, an assistant manager at the RV park in Trail, who testified the Warners told her about the threat either the night of the incident or the next day.

Another witness was Carrie Bitterling, a former Gold Hill reserve officer, who testified that a panicky Crawford stopped by her home late one night and told her he had just been involved in a tense traffic confrontation and was afraid his actions might cost him his job.

"He mentioned three or four times that he had a gun in his car" at the time of the incident, said Bitterling, who is now a school security officer. "He indicated he had just gotten very upset when the elderly gentleman stopped in front of him."

Judge Davis also heard testimony from a Gold Hill man who says he was kicked and manhandled by Crawford while riding his motorcycle Jan. 2 alongside train tracks north of town.

Christopher Brooks, 30, admitted he tried to outrun Crawford -- in part because the officer was following him too fast and too closely to stop safely. Brooks also admitted his bike was not street legal or registered.

The brief chase ended when he crashed into a shallow ravine, Brooks said.

"Dave ran up with his gun drawn, screaming, `Get on the f------ ground, get on the f------ ground,"' said Brooks, who was already on the ground. "He told me, `If you move, I'll blow your f------ head off!'

"Then he gave me a swift kick in the side."

Brooks said Crawford kicked him again, then kneed him on the back of his neck. He said the enraged officer dragged him in handcuffs to the patrol car and slammed him down so hard on the hood that it caused the visor on his helmet to snap off.

"It made him mad, and he yelled, `Look at what you did to my car,"' Brooks said, referring to a dent in the hood from Brooks' helmet.

Brooks testified that, under threat of arrest, Crawford made him sign a confession that he was trying to elude the officer. Crawford cited him for several traffic violations, including careless driving.

Another prosecution witness, Robert Mondry, testified he saw the entire incident from the back yard of a house adjacent to the train tracks. He said he contacted Oregon State Police after meeting Brooks two days later at a gas station.