Keizer City Councilor Soraida Cross has conceded she illegally used her public position to try evading a criminal citation, saying she didn’t do so intentionally. Cross also conceded she improperly used the private number of Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter during the episode last May. She made the concessions in an agreement with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. She agreed to pay a $500 fine. The commission is scheduled to formally accept the agreement Friday, March 6. According to the agreement, “Soraida Cross contends that she did not willfully or intentionally violate Oregon government ethics law.” READ IT: Soraida Cross agreement – ethics Cross didn’t respond to a request for comment. Her term expires in January and she has not publicly indicated whether she will seek reelection in the November general election. The commission investigated Cross after Keizertimes reported on the councilor’s criminal charge for harassment last May. A Salem Police Department investigation showed that Cross arrived late on a May night at the Keizer home she shared with her former husband. A co-worker of Mark Cross told police she was sitting on a stool in the homemade bar in the garage when Soraida Cross shoved her to the concrete floor. The former husband told police the same account. The victim, a 38-year-old Keizer woman, described the night in a statement to Keizertimes. She said she worked with Mark Cross and he invited her to see a bar he set up in the garage of his home. She said the attack happened about 20 minutes after she arrived, noting she had never met Soraida Cross. “I saw a woman walking up,” she wrote. “The instant she saw me, she aggressively walked towards me (the man recognized she was gung-ho on me and he was saying, ‘Soraida stop, Soraida you need to leave!’)” The victim said that Soraida Cross “got so close to my face that our noses were about to touch, while screaming at me “who are you bitch? You need to leave, get out of my house.’”  She said that “I sat still and I said I would leave, she then pushed me, hard, off the stool and I landed on my left side, injuring my left hip and left shoulder.” Cross maintained during the police investigation that she never touched the woman and that the woman fell off the stool. A body camera video released to Keizertimes showed that while being questioned, Cross told a Salem officer that she was a city councilor.  “You shouldn’t even be here,” Cross told him. She then invoked the name of Keizer Police Chief Andrew Copeland. “I’m playing golf with Copeland in two days,” she said. Copeland said later that Cross did call him that night but he didn’t answer his phone and he hadn’t talked to her about the matter since then. She also said she intended to call the sheriff, which records show she did. Hunter has not responded to questions about the matter. Police cited her for harassment, a misdemeanor crime the agreement said was punishable by a fine of up to $6,250. Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton later declined to prosecute Cross, finding insufficient evidence. But the episode triggered a complaint to the ethics commission. According to the agreement that Cross signed on Feb. 17, the councilor violated state ethics law when she “attempted to use her official position to avoid the financial detriment associated with a criminal citation.” State ethics law makes it illegal for a public official to use their office for personal gain. The agreement said Cross contacted Hunter “in an attempt to involve him on the ongoing Salem PD investigation.” She used Hunter’s personal cell phone number, which the agreement described as confidential information she obtained through her public position. State ethics law makes it illegal for a public official to use for personal gain confidential information learned through public service. In the agreement, Cross “asserts that she is a victim of domestic violence” and that police were called that May night “as a form of retaliation” by her former husband. Mark Cross said he has never been accused of domestic violence by authorities. Police agencies said they had no reports of Cross reporting domestic abuse. She said she called Hunter “for advice out of fear and there was no malicious intent.” PREVIOUS COVERAGE: State ethics panel advances probe of Keizer councilor Keizer councilor’s comments draw ethics complaint Keizer councilor advised officer of position, police connections during incident Keizer councilor won’t face prosecution after May dust-up This article was originally published in the Keizertimes, which shares ownership with Salem Reporter. Contact Editor Les Zaitz: [email protected]. News tip? Email [email protected]. LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE The post Soraida Cross, Keizer city councilor, admits ethics violation, faces fine appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less