By QUINTON SMITH/Lincoln Chronicle
One week after a Waldport Beachcomber Days board member won a temporary restraining order against the Waldport city manager, she was hit by a similar order claiming she attacked another woman at the Moose Lodge and harassed her online.
Lincoln County circuit court senior judge Thomas Branford issued a stalking protective order against Beachcomber secretary TiAnne Rios of Seal Rock on Aug. 20, one week after Rios got a similar order against city manager Dann Cutter.
In her request for the protective order, Tania Vera of Tidewater said Rios began harassing her in June 2024 when Rios kicked her out of the market that Beachcombers then ran, continued to threaten her, attacked her on a local Facebook page and culminated in June with a confrontation at the Moose Lodge.
“Because of her campaign against me, I feel afraid,” Vera said in her request to the judge. “I feel anxious if I see her. She doesn’t know when to stop and I have a lot to fear because of her.
“I’m afraid that she can attack me again like she did at (the) farmer’s market and Moose Lodge. I just want to live in peace,” Vera said.
Vera wrote to the judge that she was leaving a meeting at the Moose Lodge in June when Rios “saw me and screamed at me ‘Tania, I’m not done with you’.”
The judge’s order says Rios now cannot contact Vera “directly or through another person,” cannot come into her sight or “physical presence,” and a host of other restrictions including sending written or electronic communication of any type and communicating with Vera via someone else.
In a statement to the Lincoln Chronicle, Rios said Vera’s allegations are false and the “only business I had with Ms. Vera ended on June 19, 2024, when she was dismissed as a vendor by the Beachcomber Days president” and since then have not referred to her online or contacted her.
“It is also important to note that this stalking order is based on an incident that allegedly occurred over a year ago, yet it was only filed immediately after I obtained a restraining order against Mr. Cutter,” Rios said. “Ms. Vera is an outspoken supporter of Mr. Cutter, which makes the timing of this filing appear retaliatory rather than genuine.
“I trust that the court will recognize these facts and dismiss the order. My focus remains on serving the community with integrity and moving forward in peace.”
It was just a week earlier, on Aug.13, that circuit judge pro tem Joseph Allison agreed to give Rios, 68, a protective order against Cutter after she said the city manager’s statements online and in public meetings constituted elder abuse. The judge’s order restrained Cutter “from abusing, intimidating, molesting, interfering with, or menacing” Rios and knowingly being within 150 feet of her.
The latest judicial order continues a year’s worth of turmoil in Waldport city government and parts of the community, including:
- The city council rescinding Beachcombers’ licenses last year to use city property for its events after finding elements of financial mismanagement and poor board control of its finances;
- Beachcombers and its supporters pushing back vocally in numerous city council meetings and on social media and drawing similar responses from Cutter and council president Greg Dunn;
- Newly-elected mayor Heide Lambert, who supports Beachcombers efforts, was removed from office in a 6-0 council vote in April, arrested at a subsequent council meeting, and then reinstated to office in May after a judge’s order;
- A so-far unsuccessful campaign by Cutter to have the Lincoln County sheriff investigate and the district attorney prosecute Rios for allegedly redirecting a grant from the Siletz Tribe to Beachcombers instead of her 4-H Extension group. Rios returned the grant after OSU Extension discovered the issue, but Cutter’s emails pressing the tribe to seek prosecution led to a tribal request to city councilors that he no longer contact it; and
- A group that includes many Beachcomber and Lambert’s supporters began collecting signatures to force a recall election of the six Waldport councilors.
Request for quicker hearing
Branford set a hearing for Sept. 19 on Vera’s request for a permanent restraining order.
While Allison originally scheduled a hearing for Sept. 12 on Rios’s elder abuse order against Cutter, the city manager last week requested it be held sooner so it would not interfere with a scheduled Sept. 11 city council meeting. On Tuesday, Allison moved the hearing to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Because the judge’s order said Cutter cannot be within 150 feet of Rios and she now occasionally attends meetings at city hall, the council cancelled its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Aug. 14.
In a filing Wednesday, Aug. 27, attorneys for Cutter and the city asked the judge to modify the protective order because Cutter’s job requires him to work at city hall and attend council meetings.
“The risk that petitioner (Rios) will show up at my work appears to be significant and is causing me to stay away from my office,” Cutter said in a memo to support his lawyer’s request, adding that he was working remotely to comply with the order.
The court filing also included a text message Cutter said he received – “although I cannot verify its accuracy” — of a screen shot of a text by Rios’ daughter to another person saying her mother planned to come early to any meeting Cutter might attend “so he can’t come!”
“Although I have no intention of contacting petitioner (Rios) or any plans to do so, I cannot control whether petitioner shows up at my place of work at City Hall because it is a public building,” Cutter wrote. “I request this modification of the restraining order so that I can continue to do my job at my place of work even if petitioner voluntarily shows up at City Hall or attends public meetings where I am expected to appear as a public official.”
In an earlier filing, Cutter’s attorneys also said they would seek to have Rios’ temporary restraining order overturned because of what they contend are untrue statements used to seek it.
- Quinton Smith is the editor of Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at YachatsNews@gmail.com
Do you all know how a protective order works? TiAnne Rios can’t show up at his work — she would be violating the restraining order. Cutter is desperate. Using the excuse he can’t go to work is ridiculous.
Also, for the record I, as president of Waldport Beachcomber Days, removed Tania from the market. I sent her a dismissal letter and a full refund. She was in violation of multiple market rules to which she agreed to when signing up to be a vendor. She was removed after multiple warnings of her actions at the market. I am happy to produce the letter that was sent to her. I authorized market staff to call the sheriff to have her removed. She knew the rules, she chose to break them, resulting in her removal.
Interesting comment, you did not even sign the letter. The sheriff found in favor of Tania Vera. That Tianna had 20 complaints at the city before Tania put in one and Tianna said she started it. Even though you tried to erase it.
I was there that day. I heard Ms. Rios screaming at her, I saw where Ms. Rios had literally took her cover down, and packed all on Ms. Vera’s belongings and moved it all out to the street. I heard the deputy say that Ms. Vera had a right to be on city property. And btw, Tammy, I don’t believe you were there that day.
This is obviously retaliation
I am disappointed in the Lincoln Chronicle for posting a photograph of the screen shot Mr. Cutter including in his court filing . I understand that it is public record now but to post this even after Mr. Cutter said ‘although I cannot verify the accuracy’ is extremely irresponsible. Also, shame on the person who baited this 20 year old girl into texting that to him. I wish the whole text would be shown so that you can see the conversation and what he meant by ‘I told U so’. He obviously was trying to get something out of her. It was also despicable of this person to share this private text conversation with Mr. Cutter. Is anyone else bothered by this ‘fishing’ expedition?
Also, Ms. Abel in her comment above speaks the truth about restraining orders. Having helped victims with restraining orders during my work with My Sister’s place I know that Ms. Rios is also bound by a set of rules to not be in the vicinity of Mr. Cutter so his claims of having to work remotely because of this are ludicrous.
I do (mostly) enjoy your newspaper but I hope you are more cautious about what you print in the future.
Thank you.
Judith Hees
Waldport
“ I am disappointed in the Lincoln Chronicle for posting a photograph of the screen shot Mr. Cutter including in his court filing . I understand that it is public record now but to post this even after Mr. Cutter said ‘although I cannot verify the accuracy’ is extremely irresponsible.”
It’s evidence in a legal matter.
Do you have the rest of the text? Looks self explanatory to me. 20 year olds are not children. She put it out there and now has to stand by her words and there meaning. It’s called adulting and taking responsibility. She specifically said her mother was going to show up at the CMs job early after filing a restraining order against him. It’s right there in your face yet you are accusing the CM of using the restraining order as an excuse to not go to his job? Are you okay? .
I’ve lived in Waldport for 36 years. I’ve watched local governments come and go. Some were okay, some were awful. In my opinion, Dann Cutter is the best city employee we’ve ever had. Do I always agree with him? Nope. But I know he is doing his job and is playing by the rules. For that, I’m grateful to him.
Thank you for being a voice of reason. I was beginning to think things were out of control down there.
Depoe Bay reader
Oh dear. What a tangled web.