Posted on 09/26/2020 10:07:50 AM PDT by AuntB
JACKSON CO., Or.- Today, a grand jury indicted the man Medford police are charging with lighting a vehicle on fire near Emigrant Lake the same day the Almeda fire sparked.
45-year-old Vance Nguyen is in Jackson County jail on a first-degree arson charge.
Today Nguyen appeared before a judge and pled “not guilty.”
Police arrested Nguyen after investigating a vehicle that was set on fire near Emigrant Lake.
Greensprings firefighters says they found the vehicle in flames, with a propane tank on the top of it.
They tell us the direction of the wind that day prevented it from spreading to nearby brush.
Ashland police previously told us they were investigating whether this incident is connected to the Almeda fire, which started just a half hour earlier on the other side of Ashland.
We have not heard an update from them on that investigation.
Wow.
Update and testimony to Oregon Legislature tomorrow.
Oregon State Rep. Lily Morgan, 3rd District
Grants Pass, Oregon
Feb. 8, 2021
Dear Rep. Morgan,
My name is Billie S. Nix, female, age 73. My home was in Phoenix, Oregon, destroyed by the Alameda Fire, FEMA disaster # 4562 on Sept. 8, 2020.
You asked for testimony regarding the impact of those wildfires. Though I am unable to travel, I hope this written statement will be considered. I now find myself a resident of your district in Grants Pass. I am trying to go back to my home of 70 years in the Medford area.
I led a simple life, disabled with TBI, a badly healed crushed pelvis, COPD, bad mesh implants, PTSD and more for many years, mostly at home alone for 25 years without family with Bugs the Cat, my crafts and family heirlooms. I have a 22 year old car with only 80,000 miles... I didn’t get out much. My world was small and simple.
A good share of those miles has been the last 5 months spent living in the car or in strange scary places, disgusting motels or driving the I-5 corridor searching for a safe place to sleep or storage to put the few things I had to buy. Nothing has been available to buy, rent or store. When something pops up, hundreds are vying for it.
We got NO warning of the coming flames. A relative from No. Calif called to tell me it was coming! I ran door to door to warn my neighbors, an elderly MH park. Most laughed at me. The media was mute! I couldn’t even find out anything from 911. We weren’t evacuated, we ran.
I had no time to gather any of those precious remains of my ancestors and loved ones, jewelry, hundreds of thousands of $ in jewelry, gold and was too exhausted from smoke to load my car with more than my cat, the only living thing left of 73 years of life, a purse and a cell phone I didn’t know how to use.
I drove west until I was out of the traffic, stopped on a hilltop and looked back at Phoenix, Talent, realizing that I wasn’t just evacuating for a couple of days and worried about looters. I knew it was all gone. I had no idea where to go. The freeways were closed.
I drove a back road to Rogue River where I bought cat litter, parked at a grocery store parking lot and tried to get news. Nothing... the same thing on radio ALL day...”There was a one structure fire in Ashland this morning, fully contained”. No one I knew, knew anything. The rumors were rampant. The smoke was thick and it was still 100 degrees. I didn’t have a toothbrush. This old broken body isn’t made to sleep in a car. There were no motels for days.
The next day I was informed my home was gone. The entire community was gone. I had a few invitations from old single men, the only ones willing to take the cat too... And I will NOT let go of the only face I recognize, the only connection to my life, even though it’s only a cat! So I picked the least frightening of them and landed in Lane County.
Then I got the news on my insurance, which I thought was adequate. In my confusion, I had in error increased the coverage 2 years before on another piece of real estate for a relative, not my own. My beautiful, remodeled home that I put $ 70,000 into was insured for $23,000.
Then the State took a portion of that for taxes. That house would now sell any where in Jackson County for $140,000. Yes, we are being gouged by a greedy, sellers market. Prices have more than doubled in 5 months on ‘affordable’ manufactured housing. Park prices have gone up as well.
There’s no where in my home town to come home to, and that is hard to accept much less adjust to... old, can’t see, constantly driving in a strange town with anxiety every time I have to get behind a wheel. No internet... Spectrum is the only one without a contract... no permanent address...I had Spectrum in Phonix, paid ahead 2 months as I ALWAYS have all my bills...they refused to shut off service when I called them 2 days after the fire for a refund. Now they have turned me to collections for non payment. I can’t even hire an attorney, they’re all too busy with Covid.
The fire was the least of the trauma. It’s the every day horror of people capable of the lowest form of humanity. FEMA told us they would clear the burned rented sites at no cost to us tenants, but the owner of Greenway Village, my park, refuses to wait. His lawyer wrote demanding $5,900 immediately or I would be sued to pay the privite contrator he hired. I didn’t hire that contractor. I gave right of way to FEMA, at no cost to me. But lawyers don’t have time for old fire refugees. My credit, PERFECT credit.... NEVER a late payment in my life, never a traffic ticket, suit or bad check. EVER. ... is now ruined.
I won’t be able to rent, or rent a space or even buy an old trailer. When I moved in we paid first and Last months rent...$335.. many years ago... Greenway also refuses to refund that which they are contracted to at end of space rent! They owe me money.
My family was NEVER on welfare! I paid off my families student loans! I was a good citizen. I worked hard to earn that perfect credit, but someone thinks they deserve part of that $21,000 more than I do. And they’ll get it, because I can’t fight everyone and stay alive too.
When I was in Lane county, the door was slammed in my face like I was an alien because “You are in the wrong county!! Wrong disaster #!. BYE!” Over and over. Red Cross said I had to go to Medford. I was sick, couldn’t drive and couldn’t go to a doctor covered by insurance... because Medicare advantage is by COUNTY and I had to go to Medford! Every day is a new, unexpected humiliating blow.
Some agencies and non profits try. Some just cause more confusion and heartache. For the most part they just give out each other’s phone numbers. And ask silly questions no one has an answer for. I have 3 notebooks full of them and STILL have never been able to register with Red Cross.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, with pancreatitus, the man I was living with had used and worked me nearly to death, gone through my money, so I packed my car, leaving most behind and headed to Medford. When I got to the Expo, FEMA and Red Cross had closed up THAT day.
I won’t discribe the next 3 weeks of sometimes begging on my hands and knees for help lifting or a place to sleep, once sneaking away in the middle of a rainy night on a mountain in Glendale, Oregon. I paid $25 for a place with no toilet. I was terrified and mauled and no woman should have to go through what I did!
Each place I was forced to leave more behind. GoFund me cut me and several fire victims off quickly as ‘not a legitimate cause’...... Every day I was made to feel as if I had done something terrible. Criminals are treated better by law!
Finally one motel in Grants pass would take a cat. Horrible dirty, full of gang bangers and quarter mile walk to the office with ice. No microwave or fridge. $60 per night. Savings go fast at that rate. It was warm. It was never safe.
Thanksgiving day I drove into Grants Pass exhausted after finally finding storage in Glendale Oregon. The ONLY one on i5! I cannot see in the dark, so walked to Jack in the Box next door. Our governor had just issued a new no go inside a restraunt order, so I was turned away at the door. So I got in line behind half dozen cars in the rain. When I got to the speaker, I was informed that I had to be in a car. I just turned and cried. I coudn’t go on.
Finally a man in a car offered to order for me. I was so hungry, had no chance all day to eat and down to 89 lbs. Most just looked at me with disdain assuming I was a vagrant. I have owned my own home since I was 18. But not this ‘Thanksgiving’. As I stood in the rain walking back, afraid, in the dark, I thought of my mother’s silver daffodil silver service that was always at our lace covered Thanksgiving table and only finding burned pieces of it in the ruins. And I said thank you, that none of those good people could see what I had become.
I didn’t think a human could sink lower or meet more mean people than this, but I had not yet seen the depths of disgusting behaviour. And it’s not over. Everyone I hire, sees me as a target, bait for insurance money and intimidation. I’m so traumatized I cannot communicate verbally without crying and becoming terrififed. I have an axiety attack every time this cell phone rings. It’s never good news or a friendly voice. The mailbox is a thing of horror! I went to the doctor for meds to calm my heart and confused brain down... they almost killed me.
I’m sick. And there is no where to live and heal and start over. I am supposed to be out of here in 3 weeks. I can’t find anywhere to go. A 50 year old mobile, worth $20,000 is going for $90,000. And worse. None of us have the money to do this! We must have safe housing.
Please. We deserve to die in our hometowns, not out here afraid among strangers. I am not asking for a handout. I have savings, though inadequate in this inflated market. We must have reasonable, safe housing comparable to what we had or at least reasonable temporary housing.
Thank you,
Billie S. Nix
Grants pass, Oregon, previously Phoenix, Or. 97535
AuntB - this is breaking my heart, to read of your continuing troubles. It is unbelievable what you have been through. Can I make a prayer thread for you? People can pray for you and plus some may know of resources or some other assistance for you. I just wish I had a spare trailer on my property that was livable at least for some respite even though it’s not in Jackson County.
“Can I make a prayer thread for you?”
Please don’t do that. My faith is gone. Reality has bitten me square in the ass and your God is just more useless hope. I’m a good woman, a good citizen, God doesn’t give a damn. Ok? The worst treatment I have gotten is by so called Christian Conservatives. SAD, but TRUE. We need to clean out our ranks! Until we have housing nothing will do any good. Oregon wants us GONE! I’m dying and that’s just the way it is. At this point, I welcome it.
Thank you for formatting that. I’m usually at Burger King to get any internet, always in a hurry, always sick.
Some of you precious Freepers were so kind and sent me money. Now 3 years later the Biden regime decided the FEMA relief funds were just a loan. I’ve tried for 4 months to straighten it out and Cong cliff Bentz made it worse.
So I have to give them the $25,000 plus $9,000 interest.
I’ve been saving, trying to get back to my hometown but now I will never make it.
The worst part is what you were so generous to give me is going to Joe Biden!
I never got a notice this was a loan until last December.
So... It’s costing me $9,000 for the priveledge of losing everything in my life after being burned out by BLM.
What a country! I guess someone has to pay off those student loans and take care of illegal aliens.
I’m so so sorry! If there’s anything left, I will leave it to FreeRepublic to try to pay you all back.
That’s all I can do.
#46
Thank you for your kindness
See #46
Thank you for your kindness
One more thing.
If I was totally broke, they would write that bill off completely. But since I saved to buy a home to replace the burned one, they demand it all.
Can you just go bankrupt or say you have nothing? This is insanely evil.
This is beyond imagining. There should be a class action suit with a good lawyer who does it pro bono. There must be others suffering too.
I will die before going bankrupt!
I used to run the credit bureau
Never had a late payment in my life!
This has destroyed my perfect credit rating
I’ll never be able to buy a home now
It’s the government
No lawyer will touch it
I’ve done everything possible
“There must be others suffering too.”
You can be sure it isn’t welfare types or illegal aliens. They got housing free right away.
It’s insane right now. Illegals get to rampage, murder, kill, squat, and are paid. and honest law abiding US citizens are neglected, arrested and sometimes killed.
Trump will be back and sooner than 2024 in my view, and things will change. Try to hang in there, AuntB!
Just had an idea - maybe you can contact Judicial Watch, Tom Fitton. This is an assault by the government.
https://www.judicialwatch.org/contact/
Or America First Legal - I follow them and they have helped many individuals and organizations.
Fighting Back
against lawless executive actions and the Radical Left
I clicked “request help” and it goes here:
https://aflegal.org/center-for-legal-equality/
I thought you might want to know how it ended with the Fed’s demanding my fire relief funds back.
Cliff Bentz just dragged it out made it worse so I got my assets together and wrote the collection agency for the Treasury department a check in full. 2 weeks later, they started taking my social security checks. Got my bank statement and about passed out!There’s no way to call them! No way to dispute. I’m 85 pounds, completely physically and mentally broken. I never had so much as a traffic ticket in my life. Never owed anyone a cent. I will never be able to go home and will die in this strange lonely place with no medical care.
My life is over.
They will come after you if you speak up! Speak up anyway! I will until my last breath.
Be well
AuntB - I can’t believe this. Such a horror story. Did you try contacting Judicial Watch? There has to be some organztion that could help you. No local state people can assist?
Gott I’m Himmel.
God bless you.
I have been appalled by your entire travail and am truly sorry.
Hoft, Posobiec, Jesse.Kelly, or Bannon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.