By Curt Chancler
Investigative Reporter

Incident occurred 2-20-2010 – Being menaced, assaulted, and jailed by an armed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Park Ranger was the last thing that Dennis and Michelle Easley and their three children could have planned for when they left home on the morning of Feb. 20th for a day of play in the country with friends.

Dennis and Michelle Easley, their three children, and friends Lana Walker with her two children, Lana’s sister Jennifer Mobbs, Adam Ramirez and his brother Zeus, and friend Mark were all preparing for a day of fun with their off-road RVs that were parked at a gravel pit near Elderberry campgrounds. Elderberry campgrounds and the surrounding area are located in Southern Oregon, about fifteen miles from Central Point, Oregon, and have been a popular place for families to camp, ride bikes, and ride off-road vehicles for at least 40 years.

According to witnesses, as some in the families were preparing to ride, two armed men wearing camel packs and helmets, riding unmarked dirt bikes displaying nothing that would readily indicate they were law enforcement, rode up and said, “We are checking for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) stickers.”

Michelle said they started with their new friend Mark, who had questions about the lack of an off-road sticker on his OHV. Mark told them his OHV was broken and inoperable, so they left him alone.

After a few moments, the armed men came over to talk to Dennis and Michelle and told them they were only going to give them a fix-it ticket for not having OHV stickers. One of the men told Dennis he wanted to see his ID.

Dennis said he started to comply and then thought, “Wait a minute, I do not even know if these guys are law enforcement.” He told the man, ” No, I am not going to show you anything until you show me your ID, the man took out a container of pepper spray and started to shake it ( that’s when) the mood became more intense. Dennis told the man, you took it out, if you’re going to use it then use it, but I am not going to show you anything until you show me that you are a cop.

The man raised his voice and said Show me your ID right now, or I will place you under arrest.

Dennis turned around, placed his hands behind his back, and told the man Arrest me, then the man produced handcuffs and handcuffed Dennis, telling him he was under arrest.

At this point, everyone who witnessed this incident unfold stated they were frightened, stunned, and could not believe it was happening. The Easleys’ family dog was barking, and some of the children were becoming extremely upset.

Michelle stated, as the man was putting cuffs on her husband she walked over to them and asked, why are you arresting my husband?

That’s when the second man, later identified as BLM Ranger William Finch, told Michelle to step back, and she did so. Then again, she asked the first man, later identified as Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Gyllenskog, why he was arresting my husband.

BLM Ranger Finch bristled and shouted, “I told you to step the f- – K back!” Michelle complied, then walked over to the truck, where Dennis and Michelle’s 13-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, was in the back with the family dog. The family dog, a 9-month-old, 100-lb Rottweiler, was barking and growling at BLM Ranger Finch. Michelle said that, because of the way Ranger Finch was acting, she was afraid that if the dog got out of the truck, Ranger Finch would shoot the dog in front of the children.

Adam Ramirez, standing a few feet away, said that, at this point, Ranger Finch started yelling at Michelle, telling her she had better show him her ID. She told him twice that she did not have it with her because she had left it in their other car, but she could give him her driver’s license number.

Adam said he walked over to the truck, took the dog out of the truck, and he had only taken about 10 steps when he heard Michelle shout I have a bad neck and then her body slammed against the ground. Adam said when he spun around, Michelle was on the ground, and Ranger Finch was twisting her arm up behind her back, and he was screaming and cussing at her.

Adam said his two small children were so frightened that his three-year-old daughter tried to run down the road, and his four-year-old son, along with Dennis and Michelle’s three-year-old son, jumped into the car and tried to hide. Adam said that’s when Lana tried going over to the children to calm them down. Adam said that Ranger Finch reached for his gun and started yelling, “Get the f- -k away from the car now.”

Adam said Lana started crying and told Ranger Finch that she was just trying to get the children. Adam stated, “Deputy Gyllenskog told Lana that she could go to the car and try to calm the children down. BLM Ranger William Finch, while holding Michelle to the ground, put his hand on his weapon again and shouted at the thirteen-year-old child to get the f- -k away from the truck. Adam said that Cheyenne was so frightened that she did not know what to do.”

Witnesses to the incident stated at this point that Ranger Finch got up off of Michelle’s back and started to walk toward Deputy Gyllenskog, while Michelle was still on the ground crying out in pain, then Ranger Finch spun around, walked back to where Michelle was lying on the ground , bent down so he was right in her face and started screaming at her to shut the f- -k up over and over while he was banging her again and again in the forehead with the bill of his helmet.

Michelle said she did not remember much after Ranger Finch grabbed her wrist and spun her around, sweeping her feet out from under her as he slammed her to the ground.

Then he shoved his knee into the back of her neck and head and told her I said to put your f—ing hands behind your back. Michelle claimed that was the first and only time Ranger Finch had told her to put her hands behind her back. Eyewitnesses within 10 feet have confirmed Michelle’s claims.

Dennis stated that he could not see everything that went on because Deputy Gyllenskog was holding the chains between his handcuffs and kept twisting him around so he could not see BLM Ranger Finch attacking his wife, Michelle. Dennis said he and his daughter Cheyenne were both shouting to Ranger Finch that Michelle has a bad neck. Dennis said there was a lot of shouting, crying, cursing, name-calling, and dog barking going on, and BLM Ranger Finch was not only the cause of it, but he was also the loudest and using the most vile language.

Michelle stated, “Even after we were in their custody and waiting to be transported to jail, Ranger Finch continued to appear agitated. Everything he said was very sarcastic, things like “Oh, you want to be nice now?” Well, it is too late. It seemed he was trying to stir things up again; it just seemed to make things worse.”

Michelle said she asked BLM Ranger William Finch for his ID or business card twice after they had them in custody, and all Finch would say was, “I don’t have them with me.”

All interviewed witnesses agree that neither Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Gyllenskog nor BLM Ranger William Finch was wearing a uniform or operating a vehicle that would lead a reasonably prudent person to believe they were law enforcement officers.

Dennis and Michelle Easley, along with all the adult witnesses I interviewed, agreed that neither Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Gyllenskog nor BLM Ranger William Finch was displaying the required identification cards or badges necessary to enforce any laws anywhere in the United States of America.

All interviewed witnesses have corroborated Dennis and Michelle Easley’s statements that they asked the officers more than once to show identification proving they were law enforcement officers. Neither officer ever complied with any of the requests.

Again, all interviewed witnesses corroborated Dennis and Michelle Easley’s claims that neither Deputy Gyllenskog nor BLM Ranger William Finch ever advised them of their Miranda rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to counsel, before they were transported to jail.

I went to BLM’s office and spoke to Jim Whittington about claims that BLM Ranger William Finch and Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Gyllenskog were wearing Helmets, riding unmarked dirt bikes, and displaying nothing that would indicate they were law enforcement. They also never identified themselves as law enforcement officers at any time during their contact with Dennis and Michelle Easley.

Mr. Whittington called the next day and said he had spoken to Jock Hanson, who was in charge of BLM’s law enforcement department. Mr. Hanson stated that he had spoken to Mr. Finch and interviewed other witnesses who said that both Finch and Gyllenskog were in uniform and displaying official identification cards.

As for Deputy Gyllenskog, I spoke to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters about the incident last week, and he said he would look into it and get back to me; at press time, I have not heard back from him.

After interviewing the adults who were arrested and the adult eyewitness to the incident, they painted a very disturbing picture of what happened to the Easley family and their friends that day.

That picture clearly shows why it does not matter if the law enforcement officer is representing federal, state, county, or city government: when they attempt to enforce any law on the people of the United States of America, there are requirements that must be met, and even though they vary slightly from one law enforcement agency to another, all requirements are essentially the same.

For example, the Department of the Interior’s Departmental Manual establishes the standards and rules that BLM Ranger William Finch has sworn to follow.

Under (1.7) Procedures (B) (D) (F)
(B) To entrust law enforcement authority only to law enforcement professionals possessing adequate education and/or experience, aptitude, and high moral character.

(D) Each law enforcement officer shall be issued law enforcement identification/credentials and be authorized to exercise their official authority consistent with applicable laws, procedures, and standards found in Part 446 of the Departmental Manual.

(F) For those personnel required to wear uniforms, more than one type of uniform may be authorized by the Law Enforcement Administrator for the law enforcement unit, provided standards for its use are prescribed in writing. The uniform must display distinctive identification to ensure that law enforcement personnel are distinguishable from non-law enforcement personnel and can be easily recognized by the public as law enforcement officers.

Oregon law (ORS) 810.400: Uniform or Badge required. Any police officer attempting to enforce the traffic laws of this state shall be in uniform or shall conspicuously display an official identification card showing the Officer’s lawful authority.

Deputy Gyllenskog, as a sworn peace officer, is bound by oath to follow the same or similar laws and rules described above when enforcing any laws anywhere in this country.

After interviewing the witnesses to the incident and visiting the location, it is my opinion that Deputy Gyllenskog and BLM Ranger Finch never identified themselves as law enforcement, despite being asked to do so several times.

Statements from witnesses that Deputy Gyllenskog and BLM Ranger Finch were not displaying anything that would have identified them or their authority as law enforcement officers have been consistent. I believe it is possible that their ID was covered by parts of their camel pack or other attire they were wearing at that time.

However, if there was any question about Deputy Gyllenskog’s and BLM Ranger Finch’s authority, Dennis and Michelle Easley were entirely within their rights to demand that they properly identify themselves as law enforcement officers before complying with their orders.

It has been alleged that even after Michelle Easley had been arrested and injured with her hands handcuffed behind her back, BLM Ranger William Finch continued to taunt her. I believe Ranger Finch was using a law-enforcement tactic called escalation. Ranger Finch was trying to stir the pot to provoke a negative response from Dennis, Michelle, or possibly one of the witnesses.

Escalation is used by some in law enforcement when citizens or cameras are present to witness an officer’s unlawful or unethical behavior. Escalation is often used to elicit a negative verbal or physical response from a citizen to justify an officer’s unlawful or unethical behavior or the officer’s continued use of physical force.

After reading BLM Ranger Finch’s conflicting statements in his Probable Cause Affidavit and his Incident and Investigation Report, it appears that he is struggling to consistently recall his actions or to state the truth about them.

All our advisers on law enforcement issues agree that first contact with the Easleys should have begun with something like this. Good afternoon, folks. I am Deputy Gyllenskog with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and this is my partner, BLM Ranger Bill Finch. The law requires that all Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) used on public lands must have an OHV sticker, and we are here today to check all OHVs for stickers.

If anyone had any questions about the lawful authority of Deputy Gyllenskog and BLM Ranger Finch, then, in the absence of exigent circumstances, they were required to show their IDs before attempting to enforce any laws against anyone.

After interviewing the witnesses and reading the officer’s reports, I believe Deputy Gyllenskog and BLM Ranger Finch allowed their training and professionalism to be overtaken by ego, temper, fear, and poor judgment in this instance.

I believe Deputy Gyllenskog acted without proper authority when he arrested Dennis Easley and charged him with Disorderly Conduct, leaving himself and his department vulnerable to civil actions.

It is my opinion that Ranger William Finch was acting without proper authority when he arrested Michelle Easley. I have no question in my mind that the force he used in that arrest was excessive and unnecessary, and his language was unprofessional and unacceptable, as well as vulgar.

There is an argument that when Deputy Gyllenskog and BLM Ranger Finch refused Dennis and Michelle Easley’s repeated requests for them to identify themselves and show their authority as law enforcement officers, their actions ceased to be official and became criminal.

After listening to the people who witnessed this incredible criminal assault describe the events they witnessed that day, I asked every one of them what was Deputy Gyllenskog doing while Ranger Finch was menacing women and little children by shouting filth, as he was grabbing at his weapon? All of the witnesses I have interviewed stated that Deputy Gyllenskog held on to Dennis Easley’s handcuffs and just looked down at the ground and shook his head.

I believe Deputy Gyllenskog knew that BLM Ranger Finch’s actions were way out of line, and they should have identified themselves when asked. I believe they arrested and charged the Easleys with these ridiculous, trumped-up charges in an attempt to protect themselves from their own unprofessional, unethical, and criminal actions.

As of press time, Dennis and Michelle Easley have both been charged with Disorderly Conduct; ORS 166.025: the defendant did unlawfully and recklessly create the risk of public inconvenience, annoyance, and alarm by engaging in violent, tumultuous, and threatening behavior or by making unreasonable noise.

Michelle Easley has been charged with two more offenses: interfering with a Peace Officer; ORS 162.247, the defendant did unlawfully and knowingly refuse to obey a lawful order of William Finch, a person known by the defendant to be a Peace Officer.

Resisting Arrest ORS 162.315: The defendant did unlawfully and intentionally resist William Finch, a person known by the defendant to be a Peace Officer, in making an arrest.

Not guilty, followed by the dismissal of a BLM Ranger and administrative sanctions brought against a Jackson County Deputy Sheriff, topped off with a Civil Rights Lawsuit!

This story has had me taking a hard look at the truth in this case, with both eyes wide open, and everything that I have seen and heard makes me believe that law enforcement, the so-called good guys in this case, may indeed be the bad guys.