December Trial for Pastor Accused of Sex Abuse
By Stephen Floyd
A local pastor accused of sexually abusing a congregation member has been scheduled to stand trial next month, according to court records. Larry Marshall Murrell, 63, is scheduled for a jury trial Dec. 9 before Judge Dan Bunch for second-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse (two counts). He was arrested Oct. 7 after allegedly forcing “deviate sexual intercourse” on the victim, an adult female, in February. Murrell served for a number of years as reverend of the House of Prayer for All Nations church on Vine Street. When arraigned Oct. 8, Murrell was directed to have no contact with members of his congregation pending the outcome of his charges. Murrell has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody of the Klamath County Jail on $100,000 bail. If convicted, he could face a maximum of seven years in prison. Rape charge dismissed Sexual assault charges against a local high schooler have been dismissed at the request of prosecutors, according to court records. Charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse against Brandon Michael Thomas, 17, were dropped Tuesday “in the best interests of justice,” according to a motion for dismissal. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could re-file in the future if they saw a need to. Thomas had been scheduled for trail Thursday and prosecutors were prepared to try him as an adult, given his age and the severity of the charges. He was facing a minimum sentence of eight years and four months in prison, and a possible maximum of 20 years in prison. Thomas had been accused of engaging in a sexual relationship in March with a fellow student at Mazama High School considered mentally incapable of consent. Haudenshild pleads guilty A former parole and probation officer for the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) has pleaded guilty to engaging in a relationship with a former parolee, according to court records. Amanda Lea Haudenshild, 35, of Klamath Falls, pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree official misconduct and witness tampering. In exchange, the witness tampering charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor, while a charge of attempt to tamper with evidence was dismissed. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Each charge carries a maximum 364-day jail sentence. Haudenshild was indicted Aug. 6 after an investigation by OYA, and subsequently Oregon State Police, found she had engaged in a sexual relationship at the beginning of the year with Zachary Brennan, one of Haudenshild’s former parolees. At the time, Brennan was not under OYA supervision and was 19 years old. During the investigation, Haudenshild attempted to coerce Brennan into lying to investigators and attempted to conceal his cell phone as evidence. After OSP’s investigation began in April, Haudenshild resigned from her position with OYA. Turkey shoot Saturday The Modoc County Sheriff’s Posse’s second-annual Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot will be Saturday in Alturas. Scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. at the Alturas Rifle & Pistol Club, the event is open to the public and will raise funds for the posse’s K-9 Association and the gun club. Activities will include steel target pistol shoots, and precision rifle, skeet and trap shoots. Separate divisions will be available for those older than and younger than 18. Prizes include a Browning model 12, 28-gauge pump shotgun donated by residents Dave and Susan Crawford. The posse will sell hamburgers for lunch. For more information, including how to order tickets, call 530-233-5346 or 530-233-8917.
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