The fallout from the “sex talk” scandal continues to make news, and probably will keep on doing so until the whole business has worked its way through the courts.

Reporter Steven Mitchell has spent a considerable chunk of time over the past two weeks either sitting in the courtroom or following along on WebEx as attorneys for Tyler Smith argued that the charges against their client should be thrown out. Smith, a former Grant County sheriff’s deputy, was fired from his job in 2019 after he was arrested on charges of attempted rape, assault and child neglect, but he claims the charges were part of a plan to get him fired after former Sheriff Glenn Palmer learned that he planned to tell Oregon Department of Justice investigators about misconduct by Abigail Mobley, the former jail deputy at the heart of the scandal.

In case you missed it, you can read Mitchell’s story here. But that won’t be the last word on the scandal. Even after Smith’s trial is finished, he still has a civil suit pending in federal court for wrongful termination and civil rights violations. 

Other stories in last week’s edition focused on new plans for John Day’s financially troubled greenhouse project, the signing of Wynonna Judd to headline the Grant County Fair, a permit that paves the way for the demolition of Gleason Pool and the Grant Union golf team.

Coming up in this week’s Eagle, look for an update on the Smith trial as well as stories on rappeling training at the Grant County Regional Airport, a new principal at Grant Union Junior/Senior High School and the unbeaten Grant Union softball squad.

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