Scappoose hunters cleared in Wheeler County shooting

Widow of Frank Means weighs options following grand jury vote

By Darryl Swan

The South County Spotlight, Nov 11, 2009, Updated Nov 11, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

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The widow of a northeast Portland man who was shot to death by members of a Scappoose-area family said she is considering legal action against the family and Wheeler County officials who spearheaded the shooting investigation.

Jackie Means, the widow of Howard Frank Means, said she has met with an attorney to discuss the possibility of filing a civil suit against Wheeler County for a “botched” investigation.

Jackie said she is also discussing the possibility of filing a civil suit against members of the Havlik family who shot her husband. Last week, a Wheeler County grand jury chose not to indict the Havliks on charges for the shooting.

“My husband never got to tell his side of the story,” Jackie said, adding that she and her family have been devastated by the month-long chain of events and the grand jury’s decision.

“We’re all on the same page. We’re devastated,” she said.

While a press release identified some of the Havlik members as hailing from the Hillsboro area, the Havlik family has long-established roots in the Scappoose area.

The Havlik members who were involved in the shooting incident include Gary Havlik, 63, Russell Havlik, 33, Daron Havlik, 30, and Russell’s 11-year-old son.

A press release issued by Wheeler County District Attorney Daniel Ousley on Friday, Nov. 6, reported that the grand jury had determined Daron and Russell Havlik had shot Frank Means as an act of self defense and in defense of another person.

On the evening of Oct. 7, the Havlik family members were searching for a wounded deer shot by another hunting party and that was seen in the area of the Priest Hole camp area along a remote stretch of the John Day River.

The Havliks entered an area where Frank had camped, and Gary approached two hunters of another party to inquire about the wounded deer.

At this point, according to the press release, Frank appeared and accused Gary of attempting to steal the mule deer he had shot earlier in the day.

The two independent witnesses testified that Frank produced a 9-millimeter handgun from the back of his belt and pointed it at very close range at Gary. The witnesses also said Gary had never made a claim for Frank’s deer.

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