Behavior, not politics, is to blame, judge says

Crawford, 41, hung his head and blinked back tears as Jackson County Judge Ross Davis announced the verdicts at the end of a brisk, two-day bench trial in Medford.

Brushing aside defense claims that Crawford was the victim of petty small-town politics, Davis found him guilty of three misdemeanors -- attempted coercion, fourth-degree assault and harassment -- stemming from two unrelated incidents last January and in the summer of 1996. The judgment acquitted Crawford of four other charges, including felony coercion.

Even though the convictions were for lesser misdemeanors, District Attorney Mark Huddleston predicted the state Board of Public Safety and Training would move quickly to revoke Crawford's officer certification. Crawford has been on paid leave.

"I don't think that Dave Crawford ought to be a police officer," Huddleston said outside the courtroom. "He has a real bad problem with anger management."

Crawford left the courtroom without commenting. A sentencing date was not set.

Gold Hill Mayor Tim Roddam said the City Council plans to decide Crawford's future as chief at a special executive session tonight. If there is no quorum, the council will go into executive session after its regular meeting Monday night.

In his verdict, Davis said he found credible evidence that Crawford threatened an elderly couple from Trail almost three years ago on Highway 234 -- the victims called it road rage -- and that he kicked and manhandled dirt-biker Chris Brooks after a chase Jan. 2 just north of Gold Hill.

During the trial, Patricia and George Warner testified of their encounter with Crawford on July 24, 1996, after they slowed down for deer in the road.

The Warners said the other man played a brief but dangerous game of high-speed vehicular leapfrog before finally forcing them to the side of the road near Sams Valley.

Both men got out and began arguing. Eventually, the Warners said, the other man threatened to burn down their home.

The next day they called Shady Cove police chief James Johnson, who ran the plate and said the motorist was Gold Hill police officer Dave Crawford. Dumbfounded, they wrote a letter to then-Gold Hill chief Katie Holmboe, who testified that she reprimanded Crawford.

The incident came to Huddleston's attention last year after several Gold Hill political operatives -- including City Councilwoman Donna Silva and former Councilwoman Christine Alford -- had the Warners reconstruct their letter. Crawford became police chief about then, after Holmboe was fired for unrelated misconduct.

Davis said he was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Crawford made the house-burning threat but was satisfied the officer had threatened in anger to run a records check on the Warners. The judge then pronounced Crawford guilty of attempted coercion.

The judge also said he was convinced Crawford kicked dirt-biker Brooks in the ribs and dragged him by handcuffs after Brooks tried to outrun a ticket Jan. 2.

A witness, Robert Mondry, corroborated Brooks' story. Davis said he believed Mondry, and pronounced Crawford guilty of fourth-degree assault and harassment. Defense witnesses did not see the entire incident, the judge said.

However, Davis said he was not convinced Crawford tried to coerce Brooks with threats of arrest.

Davis dismissed the notion that Crawford was a target of the same people in Gold Hill who supposedly got Holmboe fired.