BRIEFLY.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Police arrest motorist, suspect drug crimes

OAKRIDGE - Police here say they nabbed a man Thursday with seven, one-gram bags of crystal methamphetamine, five bags of marijuana and some chocolate-covered marijuana candies.

The man was arrested at about 5 p.m. after an officer saw him drive near a pedestrian in the road, officer Tommy Miller reported. Miller administered a roadside sobriety test and arrested the suspect, then found the drugs, believed packaged for distribution, in the man's car. The man also had $1,210 in cash, according to the report.

Craig Steven Ballantyne, 52, of Medford was held in Oakridge awaiting transport to the Lane County Jail. He faces charges of driving under the influence, driving with an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, two counts of drug distribution in a school zone and two counts of drug possession.

Sister-in-law sues

convicted family killer

NEWPORT - The sister-in-law of Oregon death row inmate Christian Longo has filed four wrongful death lawsuits totaling $20 million against him in Lincoln County Circuit Court.

The lawsuits seek $5 million each for Longo's murder of his wife, MaryJane, and children, Zachery, 4, Sadie, 3, and Madison, 2.

MaryJane Longo's sister, Penny Dupuie of Kalkaska, Mich., filed the lawsuits presumably to prevent Longo from ever profiting from any book or movie about the brutal killings, which shocked the community of Newport in December 2001.

A jury sentenced Longo, 30, to death in April 2003, after a 19-day trial. Prosecutors showed Longo murdered his family in order to carry on as a freewheeling bachelor.

Swimmers warned to avoid Sunset Bay beach

Public health officials are warning swimmers to avoid Sunset Bay State Park beach in Coos County because of higher than normal levels of bacterial contamination in the waters.

Children and the elderly may be particularly vulnerable to waterborne bacteria.

Water tests indicate higher than normal levels of Enterococcus, a type of fecal bacteria.

For more information about water quality testing, contact the state Department of Environmental Quality at [phone], or the Beach Program at [phone], or go to www.dhs.state.or.us/publichealth/beach/index.cfm.

Authorities search

for kidnapping suspect

COTTAGE GROVE - The Lane County sheriff's office is looking for a man who they say attempted to kidnap a 14-year-old girl Thursday afternoon near the intersection of Cottage Grove Reservoir Road and Weyerhaeuser Road.

The sheriff's office is looking for an older white van, possibly a Ford or Dodge built between 1970 to early the 1980s, with square headlights, double doors in the back, no side door, no side or back windows, and a black rack on the van's roof.

The girl was walking alone between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. when she saw the van slowly pass by, the sheriff's office said.

The vehicle stopped and a male passenger attempted to force her into the back of the van.

The girl was able to break free and run to a nearby residence.

The sheriff's office describes the suspect as being about 5-foot-7, 160 to 170 pounds with black straight hair that is slightly spiked on top, a light mustache, and appeared to be of Hispanic descent.

Anyone with information connected to this incident or who can assist in locating the suspect vehicle should call the sheriff's office at 682-4150.