24-06-2025
Ritzy Oregon island rocked after beautiful girl, 17, is killed during boozy party at local bigwig's $1.8m home
An upscale island has been torn apart after a 17 year-old girl died during a boozy party at a local education boss' stunning $1.8 million compound.
High school senior Ava Crews died on May 18 in Sauvie Island while riding an ATV driven by her friend Ayden Heard, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Heard, 18, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and other charges connected with the horrific crash close to the ritzy town of Scappoose, just north of Portland.
Prosecutors said he admitted to drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel, and that he made an abrupt turn which caused the car to flip over, killing Crews.
But the collision has caused much wider ripples in the well-to-do community, because it happened at the home of Scappoose School District Board Chair Branda Jurasek.
Locals are outraged that the woman tasked with overseeing their children's education has set what they claim is a terrible example and are now calling for her to go.
Heard and Crews had been drinking alcohol at a gathering of minors in a barn beside the luxury home, which is surrounded by greenery and sits close to the Gilbert River.
Crews was 'kind and beautiful inside and out', her friends said as they posted heartbreaking tributes on social media.
She is pictured in her final school photograph, and in several images on her Instagram account showing a happy childhood as she posed with her friends at prom and enjoyed trips to the beach with her family.
Now, parents from Scappoose High School have penned an anonymous letter addressed to the School District Board of Education and Multnomah County District Attorney calling for Jurasek to resign - and for the attorney's office to investigate her.
'We, the undersigned members of the Scappoose community, are devastated by the catastrophic death of Ava Crews,' the letter reads.
'This tragedy followed underage drinking at a gathering at the home of Scappoose School Board Vice Chair Branda Jurasek and her husband, Matthew Dierdorff, on Sauvie Island.
'Deputy District Attorney Mackenzie Ludwig noted a 'history of high schoolers going to the property to drink and ride dangerous vehicles,' indicating a pattern of negligence that jeopardizes student safety.
'The presence of Board Chair Phil Lager's nephew at this gathering further complicates the board's ability to address this matter impartially.
'As parents, students, educators, and residents, we demand accountability, transparency, and justice for Ava Crews and our community.'
Crews (pictured) was 'kind and beautiful inside and out', her friends said as they posted heartbreaking tributes on social media. She is pictured in happy images from her Instagram
The letter appeals to the district attorney to 'investigate and pursue criminal charges against Branda Jurasek and Matthew Dierdorff for their role in this tragedy'.
More than 600 have signed it as of Tuesday morning.
It claims that they violated laws about giving alcohol to minors, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and fines up to $6,250.
'If Jurasek or Dierdorff knowingly permitted or failed to prevent underage drinking on their property, they may be liable for this offense,' the letter reads.
'Moreover, if their negligence—such as allowing intoxicated minors to operate a UTV—contributed to Ava's death, charges like criminally negligent homicide ORS 163.145, a felony carrying up to seven years in prison, may apply.'
The letter scandalously alleges that Jurasek's property was a well-known gathering spot for high-school-age people to drink alcohol and ride UTVs.
Local mom Kayla Krismer, whose daughter attends Scappoose High, said she signed the letter calling for Jurasek to resign.
'We just want her to admit that what happened was wrong,' Krismer told Oregon Live. 'She's responsible for our children, and it's just horrible.'
Heard's attorney, Mark Cogan, said the teen has been left distraught by the tragedy.
'They were friends,' Cogan told Oregon Live of Crews and Heard.
'She was a very dear person to Ayden and his family, and they're very sorrowful about what happened to her.'
