By Mark S. Cogan

Through documents and accounts received by eyewitnesses and concerned citizens, conversations with at least thirty people, and sources disclosing information on condition of anonymity, a thorough investigation has revealed that two-term Curry County Commissioner Marlyn Schafer may have inappropriately consumed alcoholic beverages while on duty as county commissioner.

Much of the information obtained was gathered from concerned citizens who heard relevant information over police scanners or from other individuals who may have witnessed events firsthand.

Many county employees discussed the matter with the Reporter, but with extreme apprehension, as many feared political or professional retaliation.

Two separate events led to specific information leading to the allegations, one that occurred in August of 2005 and most recently, on January 22 of this year.

The first public incident

According to information obtained from protected sources, on August 19, 2005, Commissioner Schafer left her office around 11 a.m. for a meeting in Crescent City. Employees in the building admitted to hearing a loud noise, to which they responded, and saw Schafer lying on the floor between the Commissioner's office and the drinking fountain.

Schafer, dressed in a white blouse, was according to sources, flat on her back on the hallway floor, with "blood dripping from the side of her face."

Several more county employees began entering the hallway, including employees of the Sheriff's department. A cloth was placed on the wound in an attempt to stop the noticible bleeding.

Cal-Ore Life Flight arrived on the scene and began attending to Schafer.

The emergency medical technicians placed Schafer on a stretcher and loaded her into the awaiting ambulance. According to sources, Curry County Sheriff's deputy Joel Hensley asked Schafer "if there was anything different today than the day before.

Schafer then replied, "I've been drinking."

Another source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that it could not be determined if those were her exact words, but the source claims, "I heard her say ‘drinking.'"

Schafer was then taken to Curry General Hospital.

At this point, Stacy Punch, Schafer's daughter, was reportedly shaken by her mother's condition and reportedly said, "I can't believe this is happening again."

According to multiple sources, Schafer's purse and personal belongings were found lying next to her, including the keys to her county van. Punch was handed Schafer's purse and her personal belongings, including an Aquafina-brand water bottle, said to have contained part water, part gin.

One source reported that Schafer's blood-alcohol level was measured at .24, more than three times the legal limit. Statements given by these sources claim that this testing information was reported to County Assessor Jim Kolen, who allegedly heard it from Stacy Punch. Kolen did not give a first hand account of this, nor has he spoken to the Reporter on this matter.

Great concern among county employees

When former Curry County Sheriff Mark Metcalf learned of this, he reportedly talked to Stacy Punch and son-in-law Oregon State Trooper Sergeant Scott Punch. Metcalf told a source that he "didn't believe that Officer Punch would do anything to keep Schafer from driving" so he "volunteered to talk to Schafer about the situation."

Metcalf then reported to sources that Schafer was having "drinking problems" that could have began, "around Christmas [2004]" and "had lasted about eight weeks."

Metcalf then told a source that he arranged for Schafer's husband to retrieve her private vehicle and had taken possession of keys to her county vehicle. Metcalf reportedly talked to Schafer about her drinking and said that "she had problems in the past" and that "those problems were reoccurring."

There have been no public statements by Schafer about her reported alcohol use or statements about the matter by other public officials.

According to documents obtained by the Reporter, James McWilliams, a Senior Claims Consultant from City County Insurance Services, contacted several county employees as recently as October of last year, as did Kirk Mylander, an attorney from the county's risk management company.

McWilliams asked if employees "would send [him] photocopies of any reports, logs or notes you kept of the incidents discussed. Of particular interest would be the notes of the situation involving Commissioner Schafer being under the influence of alcohol while on County property or at work, notes of conversations with Sheriff Metcalf regarding this matter and notes regarding conversations with County Counsel [Jerry Herbage]."

Evidence of concern among county employees was sent to Herbage, but it is unknown whether any action was taken by County Counsel on this matter.

In May of 2006, Schafer sent an email to all county employees about her plans to travel to Brookings for a meeting.

"I am going to Brookings this morning. I am leaving from the Annex at 10:30 [a.m.] and will be leaving Brookings at around 1:00 [p.m.] I could drop you off and you could come back with someone else already down there or I could bring you back," Schafer wrote.

This email prompted concern among county employees.

In one email, an employee, who made a copy of the email sent to Herbage and other concerned parties told the Reporter, "it is wrong that she (Schafer) is continuously putting innocent bystanders and the County taxpayers at risk when she decides to drive under the influence on a regular basis and is allowed to get away with it until she causes an accident or worse."

"It will cost this County and the tax payers far more money to settle lawsuits and all other damages if she is allowed to drive the County vehicle and County employees and an incident occurs, than to just pay a few more dollars in gasoline and avoid taking such a huge risk."

Schafer later emailed the same group of employees and notified them that her meeting was "cancelled."

Sources claimed that these concerned employees discussed the situation with Herbage, but no evidence has been obtained that Herbage took corrective action. One source claimed that in conversations with Herbage, it was discovered that Herbage did make contact with the county's insurance company, but it is unknown specifically when Herbage made contact with them.

The second public incident

On June 21, 2006 a citizen oberving a beige 2003 Pontiac minivan driving erratically on Railroad Avenue in Brookings. The cell phone call was handled by the Curry County Sheriff's Department, who transferred the call to Brookings dispatch. When the vehicle in question crossed over the Chetco River bridge, Officer Rod McAllister from the Sheriff's Department took over the call.

When a license plate was identified as E228616, a vehicle registered to the Road Department, it was determined to be assigned to Commissioner Schafer. McAllister did not mention any indication of any alcohol on Schafer's breath, but Brookings Police officers were informed of potential use of alcohol by Schafer from concerned county employees, who had heard police transmissions over emergency scanners.

The missing persons report

According to Curry County Commissioner Lucie LaBonte, several current and former county employees, and police reports, Commissioner Schafer left her home on Tuesday morning January 22, at approximately 6:30 a.m. where she was expected to attend the Business Outlook Conference in Brookings-Harbor. When Schafer failed to arrive, sources say LaBonte called the commissioner's office in an attempt to locate Schafer.

When it was reported that she was not at her office, the Gold Beach Police were notified and police chief Russ Merkley declared Schafer missing.

In the incident report filed by officer Paul Giovanetti, Merkley instructed Giovanetti to "locate her in town."

Giovanetti responded to Schafer's residence where he learned that she had departed early that morning for Brookings. Giovanetti then contacted Schafer's daughter, Stacy Punch, who advised the officer that "she had no idea where her mother went and advised that she has not had much contact with her mother [during] the last year or so because of the politics."

Giovanetti then obtained information from James Schafer and contacted the Curry County Dispatcher and "advised them to enter Marlyn Schafer as "missing" in the computer.

Civil Air Patrol was notified at 5 p.m., but the search flight was postponed due to darkness.

Later that evening, the Curry County Dispatcher contacted Giovannetti and advised him that Schafer had "returned home safe."

During the time that dispatch was notified Schafer was reported missing and the time she was reported "safe," the police were informed that Schafer's cell phone was pinged and located in the Gold Beach vicinity. The cell phone was later located inside "the county van."

The next morning Schafer did not arrive at work, and both LaBonte and Commissioner Georgia Nowlin declared that Schafer was now listed on medical leave.

Schafer recently filed the required paperwork for re-election with the County Clerk's office on January 17, prior to her brief disappearance the following Tuesday afternoon.

Although the January 22 incident does not directly suggest Schafer imbibed alcohol on the day she was reported missing, obtained information from prior events fuels that speculation.

Multiple attempts were made to contact Schafer at her residence, her daughter, and Sgt. Scott Punch. When contacted, Scott Punch declined to comment.

When the Reporter contacted both Commissioners Nowlin and LaBonte about Schafer, whether in person or by telephone, they declined to comment.