High court hears case against insanity plea
SALEM -- Accused criminals shouldn't be able to raise insanity defenses when their disorders are only drug or alcohol dependence, the Oregon Supreme Court was told Wednesday.
Under state law, criminals found guilty "except for insanity" are sent to the State Hospital instead of jail or prison.
A key issue in two appeals to the court is whether substance addiction alone is a mental illness that justifies sending offenders to the hospital or keeping them there when another disorder, such as paranoia, has been treated.
A ruling that addiction alone doesn't justify hospital confinement could free a handful of the 480 patients who are in the Salem hospital for crimes, said Harris Matarazzo, a Portland lawyer handling one of the cases before the state's top court.
Most criminally insane offenders with alcohol or drug problems also suffer from mental illness, he said in an interview.
Matarazzo said offenders with only substance-abuse problems shouldn't be in the state hospital because it has no treatment programs for them. He also said such addicts shouldn't be able to make an insanity defense in the first place.
Some patients who have been treated for mental illnesses have brought lawsuits claiming they should be released because their only remaining disorder is substance abuse.
Media spotlight ups sale of laser beams
CORVALLIS -- A Corvallis company is finding itself in the national spotlight because of the recent news reports of laser beams pointed at airplanes.
The outdoor company Bigha -- famous here for its fully loaded recliner-style bicycles -- manufactured a laser allegedly aimed at a helicopter last Friday by Parsippany, N.J., resident David Banach.
Bigha founder John Acres was unaware that one of his company's products was used in the incident until he received a call from Oregon Public Broadcasting on Monday.
"I was really surprised," Acres told the Gazette-Times.
Bigha handheld lasers, which retail for $119 each, produce a bright green beam that can be seen up to 25,000 feet, or 4.7 miles away. They are used by bird-watchers, astronomers and lecturers to point out faraway objects.
The company warns users not to aim the lasers at aircraft, cars or homes, Acres said in a news release.
Since a New York Times article ran a story about the incident naming the company, Acres said he has been inundated with orders from across the world.
"We're just about sold out now," he said.
Suspect gets prison for fight with police
EUGENE -- A Lane County Circuit judge has sentenced a Saudi man to 11/2 years probation, denying a prosecutor's request for jail time in the wake of the man's altercation with a police officer.
Judge Gregory Foote also ordered 32-year-old Mohammed Al-Nesayan to perform 80 hours of community service Tuesday for his role in the March 6, 2003, fight at the Southtowne Bowling Alley in Eugene.
The fight was so violent that police later dubbed it the "Southtowne beat-down."
The fight, which was caught on video, followed a racially- motivated dispute between Al-Nesayan and his younger brother and two men from Mexico at the bowling alley.
An altercation broke out as officers tried to arrest the Saudi brothers and an in-car video camera recorded the final seconds of the fight. The footage prompted the resignation of officer Aaron Berndt.
During sentencing, Foote said it appeared to him that Eugene police officers had delivered punishment at the scene of the crime.
"Police may not punish the person, only bring him under control," the judge said.