An officer of the court and an elected official ought to set an example

The problem is, Orf is not just any parent. As an officer of the court and an elected official, she has a responsibility that most parents do not have: to cooperate as fully as possible to assist police and prosecutors to determine exactly what happened the night Kevan Thatcher-Stephens caused the wreck that took his life and that of a Shady Cove man.

Details of the police investigation into the events of Feb. 11 indicate Orf and her husband, attorney David Orf, were less than forthcoming when investigators sought their help.

A report released Friday indicates both parents declined to identify the family friend who was house sitting at their home while the couple vacationed in Mexico. Rebecca Orf says she does not remember being asked to identify the house sitter, but the conversation was witnessed by two officers in addition to the investigator asking the question.

The house sitter says she was advised by the Orfs not to contact police with information she had from the events of Feb. 11. David Orf also refused to allow an Ashland detective to interview his son, who had stayed in the house while his parents were away.

Police were trying to determine whether Thatcher-Stephens might have consumed alcohol at the Orfs’ home in the hours preceding the crash. Others interviewed by police told investigators that teens spent time drinking at the home during the week preceding the crash and on the night of the tragedy, and that Thatcher-Stephens himself was there on at least two occasions during the week.

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There is no indication that the Orfs have violated any law in connection with events at their home or during the investigation. And police officials are careful to stress that the Orfs were not compelled to talk to investigators.

But, privately, police say they were frustrated by the lack of cooperation, and that the Orfs’ reluctance hampered their ability to find the answers they needed.

In the end, it appears Thatcher-Stephens may not have been in the Orf home at all on the evening of the crash.

The Orfs’ response to the police is troubling not because of any criminal wrongdoing on their part, but because of the appearance it leaves — the appearance of an elected official in the criminal justice system declining to assist that very system in an investigation. As officers of the court — and in Rebecca Orf’s case, as a judge who handles juvenile court cases — that sends precisely the wrong message to the community they serve.