Crime, Law and Justice

An Oregon man convicted of killing a police officer more than 20 years ago will stay behind bars for at least a few more months. The Oregon Board of Parole said Tuesday that it will re-examine its decision to release Sidney Dean Porter.

In 1992, Porter beat and killed John Day police officer Frank Ward with his fists and a piece of firewood. The murder shocked the eastern Oregon community. Porter got a life sentence but is now eligible for parole. In fact, he was set to be let out of prison this Friday.

Even if you've never visited a jail, you probably have a pretty clear image of what inmate visitation is like – a shatterproof glass barrier, two people sitting on either side, speaking into telephones.

But that's changing in some parts of the Northwest. More and more county jails are switching to privately operated video conferencing systems. Sort of like Skype, for inmates. But these systems have technical difficulties and come with costs for the inmates’ families.

Delayed visits

  Federal authorities believe the Spokane man accused of sending a ricin-laced letter to a federal judge may have also sent similar poisoned letters to the president, the CIA and Fairchild Air Force Base. 

The FBI says the new letters were addressed in red ink and postmarked May 13 in Spokane. That matches the earlier letters Matthew Ryan Buquet is accused of mailing to a federal judge in Spokane and the downtown post office.