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I asked Laura Swanson of the Tillamook County Pioneer: Why aren’t the activists in North County speaking out and protesting what’s happening in the District Attorney’s Office and demanding her resignation? Where is the public outrage over what many see as the gross incompetence of DA Aubrey Olson and some of her deputy district attorneys which has been revealed in Will Chappell’s HH articles, the Tillamook County Pioneer and those of us who have taken the time to read the 208 page investigative report on the DA’s office? The DA’s targeting of the whistleblower in the sheriffs office, and Sheriff Brown is an abuse of power to destroy their careers-retaliation. .

So far, I’ve seen very little.
This is an issue that should bring people together because it affects everyone. On Monday, Laura of the Tillamook Pioneer put out a call to action asking people to stand with survivors, community advocates, and law enforcement officers who, according to those involved, have been treated with disrespect and targeted. Only one person showed up in support to the sentencing hearing which we appreciate. A packed courtroom would have sent a powerful message to our DA.

If you don’t know what’s going on, I encourage you to take the time to learn about it. An informed community is essential.

If residents believe changes are needed, it will take a village to make those voices heard. Otherwise, the only formal option may be to wait until six months into the DA’s new term in 2027 before pursuing a recall, as allowed under Oregon law. We are working on other avenues right now. I hope you take the time to read my experience yesterday during a hearing sentencing with our DA and why she needs to go.

Regardless of where you stand, this conversation deserves public attention. Our community should be informed, engaged, and willing to hold public officials accountable through respectful civic participation.

Good Afternoon Tillamook County Commissioners:

Yesterday, April Bailey and I attended the sentencing hearing in the case against Jeremy Richard Davidson. We left furious by what we witnessed from start to finish which was gross incompetence by DA Olson which we red bout in the 208 page investigative report into the DA’S office.

The hearing began with confusion when the remote judge asked for the case number and DA Olson did not have it readily available, instead asking the defense counsel for the information. From my perspective, that set the tone for a proceeding that appeared rushed and inadequately prepared. The judge began by starting the proceedings 20 minutes late by telling us he forgot he had to pick up his daughter from school and apologizing for also not being dressed in normal courtroom attire. He was retired and presiding remotely.

A supportive community member also attended after seeing my call to action in the Tillamook County Pioneer. She brought signs expressing support for survivors. A deputy respectfully explained that courtroom rules prohibited bringing the signs inside and that he was required to enforce those rules. He handled the situation professionally and respectfully.

Yesterday’s sentencing hearing left all three of us with more questions than answers about how victims of sexual assault are treated throughout the criminal justice process in our county and about the ORS laws on sex abuse and other offenses, especially after April Bailey and I read the investigative report cover to cover.

I did not initially recognize Jeremy Davidson the defendant who I know. His mother attended the hearing and sat next to me. Throughout much of the proceeding, she appeared to be smiling. That was difficult for April Bailey and I to witness given the circumstances.

From my perspective, the hearing felt rushed, and I was disappointed that there was little direct discussion by the court addressing the defendant beyond the standard procedures necessary to accept the negotiated plea agreement. I also didn’t feel the seriousness of this hearing with all the joking going on. It was disturbing.

The judge carried the process as it appeared both the DA and defense attorney were not prepared throughout this hearing.

The most difficult part of the hearing was hearing the DA explain to the judge why the original First-Degree Rape charge was dismissed. The DA stated that the victim’s testimony could not be relied upon and suggested that the physical evidence could have been planted by the victim-skin cells. Outrageous!!!!!. Hearing those statements was deeply upsetting. In my opinion, it reflected the continuing challenges many sexual assault victims face when their credibility is questioned. The 208 page investigative report cited one example after another.

The First-Degree Rape charge and the Coercion charge were ultimately dismissed as was the Assault lV charge where the victim, a 15 year old, needed medical treatment. Instead it was Second Degree Rape, and supplying a minor with alcohol.

A Tillamook County Grand Jury had originally indicted Jeremy Davidson on charges including First-Degree Rape, Third-Degree Rape, Coercion, Fourth-Degree Assault, and Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor. Under the negotiated plea agreement, Davidson received probation, sex offender registration requirements, alcohol monitoring and treatment, restrictions prohibiting contact with minor females, and a 90-day jail sentence with credit for time already served.

The DA went on to excuse his behavior because of his issues with alcohol. It was a first time offense that took 18 months to come to an end. No trial, but a plea deal instead.

During the hearing, it was also emphasized that Davidson had completed inpatient treatment for his addiction to alcohol. His probation conditions include abstaining from alcohol, registering as a sex offender, alcohol monitoring, and having no contact with minor females.

The victim’s mother of the then 15 year old listened remotely to the hearing. She submitted a written victim impact statement to the court. When asked whether she wished to add anything further, she respectfully declined. The court ordered approximately $4,800 in restitution, along with a required payment to the state’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund. In my opinion, no amount of restitution can adequately cover the long-term counseling and recovery most survivors require.

One fact that should never be overlooked is that a 15-year-old cannot legally consent to sexual activity under Oregon law. The involvement of alcohol only increases the seriousness of the allegations.

I have also spoken with someone whose husband has spent three decades in law enforcement and currently serves on a child exploitation task force. According to their understanding, Oregon’s current laws make successful prosecution in some cases extremely difficult, and they believe legislative changes are needed to better protect victims and the community.

In this case, DA Olson continued to sabotage the state’s case against the defendant by claiming the victim’s testimony was not trustworthy, and she likely planted the physical evidence-skin cells on her person. Remember she was 15 at the time and most likely intoxicated.

Following this hearing, I hope we can speak with the victim’s mother about her family’s experience navigating the criminal justice system, if she is willing. I would like to better understand what support they received throughout this process, how prosecutorial decisions were communicated, and whether she is aware that she may file an ethics complaint if she believes professional misconduct occurred.

I was also disappointed by the limited community attendance. Courtrooms matter. Community presence matters.

When citizens attend hearings involving crimes of sexual violence, they send a message that survivors are not alone and that accountability matters. I had hoped to see more advocates and community members present. Public oversight is an important part of maintaining confidence in our justice system.

Change begins when people are willing to witness what happens inside our courtrooms and speak up when they believe the system can do better.

Much of the proceeding involved the standard procedures associated with accepting and imposing a negotiated plea agreement.

While I respect that plea agreements are a recognized part of our criminal justice system, we left believing this outcome did not provide the level of accountability I had hoped to see. In my opinion, the process left the victim and the public with many unanswered questions. Survivors deserve to know their voices matter, and our community should continue examining whether our justice system is serving them as effectively as it can.

Our hearts go out to all the victims, community advocates and those in law enforcement who have been treated unfairly and with such disrespect, including the whistleblower whose identity is being protected. Yesterday, made us all sick to our stomach. April Bailey brought her teenage children who were also appalled. We are also going to do whatever we can to get her to resign, and I pray we can come together as a united front to make this more likely.

Robin Kostrikin
Pacific City

Why do pinball machines tell stories?
They could be just ramps and targets, like skee-ball,
but they’re not. 

You feed in your tokens, plunk, plunk
to challenge the Black Knight, 
or become a magician,
or a superhero,
or Godzilla.
You pull back on the spring
and launch your chrome ball 
into a world of light and sound and speed,
and story. 

Voices drop hints about where you are,
and what matters in this world;
where to aim,
what to watch out for, 
and how to prevail against a nemesis who, 
despite a thousand disguises, 
is always the relentless force of gravity.

Look for the patterns, Will says.
Control the ball.
Control the game.
Control yourself.

After you’ve settled in and played a while,
you might step back from the flippers and look around. 
There’s a story here, too.
There are colorful machines lined up in neat rows,
and lights, and sounds, and the crowd, sure.
But stick around and you’re bound to 
notice the small details. The subtle signals, 
the encouraging signs that together 
form a larger pattern,
This is Will’s story, a story that reaches through pinball
to say come as you are;
you are accepted,
you belong,
you are welcome here.

Amid the flashing lights and shimmering colors 
of a thousand disguises, 
the root story in this joyful space
is always love.

Can you feel it?

North Coast Pinball is energy and light and an amazing and sometimes jarring number of sounds. The atmosphere will build and swirl and envelop you in a field of sheer exhilaration. Or maybe jangle your nerves and send you down into a claustrophobic eddy. “This place isn’t for everyone,” you might say at first blush. Will knows, because Will watches faces, notices a small smile, or gathering alarm, or a tentative attempt at connection. Will watches people, and especially children, get swept up in a current of wonder or, occasionally, around the bend into overstimulation. That’s why there are different sorts of spaces in here. Bean-bag chairs by the windows, and a low table with gadgets and books whose titles may surprise you. Observe from a distance, take it all in, and the discordant sounds might begin to sound a bit like jazz.
Edge closer and read the small encouraging messages that are literally everywhere. You’ll find that they don’t sound like commerce. They aren’t pitched to get your dollar. They sound like welcome, and genuine encouragement.

In here it Will’s voice, his choices, his printed messages that tell the story of what kind of small universe you’ve just entered. If you’re curious, if you stick around, you just might find that the story of this little world along the Nehalem actually is for everyone, as much as the story of a pinball arcade in a small river town can possibly be.

And one of those books on the low table by the beanbag chairs, the one with the colorful cover? It’s titled, Can you Feel It? Will wrote it. It’s about this place. It’s about his hopes and dreams and worries and observations as he gathered his courage and worked on the story of North Coast Pinball. I just finished it, and then sat right down and wrote this. It is a beautiful book by a kind, and creative and intelligent man. Little vignettes about the people who venture in. The hard spots. The uncertainties. Mostly, the human connections. And it rings true. I know, because I’ve played like a thousand games in here. You’ll find the initials of my adult sons among the highest scores, testament to bursts of adrenaline, stuff you don’t realize you’re saying out loud, slaps on the back, and laughter. For a while my initials were up there on Twilight Zone. They’re gone now, but I don’t care. There’s always tomorrow and a fresh sleeve of tokens. What lasts much longer, likely the rest of my life, will be the images and sounds and memories and joy.

Carl Whiting,
July, 2026

Well, we have had another 4th of July come and go. For many it was a different and difficult 4th of July. The North County Resistance spent their time in Nehalem on the 4th of July, peacefully protesting our government. Day after day we have had to listen to the lies and the bravado of our President Trump. No matter where he is, at home or flying around the world he has done a lot of damage. The North County Resistance is asking you not to put up with this, but to protest in every way every chance you get!

If you want to type “Money spent on Iran War” into your browser, you can get a variety of responses. The first one to come up on mine said, “Since February 28, 2026, 129 days, $36.35 billion has been spent”. Below this is an article from Fortune saying the actual cost is closer to $200 billion. I am sorry we are out there destroying other countries, killing people, and having the rest of the world laughing at us.

Now type “Money cut from Social Services since Iran War” and you may or may not feel some shame or guilt-I do. We have taken away money and food from our most vulnerable neighbors. People do not always make the best choices when they are homeless, have no money and no food. And we are not helping people the way we used to or want to.
We need to let our Congress and Representatives know this is not what taxpayers are all about.

We need to have Republicans and Democrats to start working together to bring both the Executive and Judicial branches under control. Look these people up and give them a phone call or email them-no you will not get to talk to them but give them an earful of what you are thinking about. Rattle some cages. And do not just do one call and give up, call them as often as you can. WE MUST NOT GIVE UP!

Okay, and we need food for our local food banks. We will take food in Nehalem between noon and 2 PM this coming Saturday, July 11, during the North County Resistance Protest. We also take checks and cash at the protest and get them to where you want them to go. You can also mail checks to the three different organizations we have locally. North County Food Bank, PO Box 162, Wheeler, Oregon, 97147. Nehalem Bay Community Services, PO Box 232, Nehalem, Oregon, 97131. Meals for Seniors, PO Box 852, Rockaway Beach, Oregon 97136. Thank you very much for helping our neighbors.

Join Us, Best,
Patty Rinehart

Right now, I am looking at a portrait of our 17-year-old schipperke dog Ursa created by artist Ginger Matyas. Ursa is looking back at me with that loving gaze and smile that she always wore. “What are we going to do next?” or maybe “Where is my treat?”

A few years ago, Ginger had a local art show of her portraits of pets. That is when I realized her artistic talents. I recognized many of the pets; we know each other around here by the names of our dogs. I was able to recognize friends’ pets because Ginger really captures them, their individual expressions, and their spirit. It takes a certain talent to do this. Not all black labs or tabby cats look alike, as we pet owners know!

Ginger says she starts with their eyes first, because that is the most important.

We lost Ursa in June, and we feel very blessed to have her portrait up on our wall. I highly recommend Ginger Matyas’ art skills in making a pet portrait for others.

Lori Dillon
Artist, Manzanita, Oregon