By Levi Bakke
Published September 7, 2025
The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) is mandated to be the shield that protects vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. It is the agency entrusted with the power to investigate, intervene, and enforce the law when those in care facilities are endangered.
But in La Grande, the shield was used to protect the abusers, and the watchdog remained silent while a man’s life was systematically destroyed.
This is the story of how the local DHS office, far from being an impartial investigator, became an active participant in the tragedy of Russell Bingaman—a 76-year-old man who was isolated, chemically restrained, and ultimately died under suspicious circumstances. It is a story I am uniquely positioned to tell, because I am the investigative journalist who filed the reports DHS chose to ignore, and who formally appealed the decisions they strategically buried.
The evidence—drawn from my published investigations and DHS’s own internal documents—paints a damning picture of an agency that prioritized protecting a well-connected facility owner over the life of a vulnerable man. This was not incompetence; it was complicity.
To understand the depth of DHS’s failure, one must first understand the environment, as detailed in my investigation, "The Union County Nexus." Power in this rural county is consolidated within a tight-knit network of individuals who control healthcare, legal services, and the flow of public funds.
Tempie Bartell, the owner of Nadine’s Nest, is deeply embedded in this network. She is not merely a foster home operator. For over two decades, she has served as the Medical Director for the Mount Emily Safe Center (MESC)—the primary expert that DHS relies upon for child abuse examinations across eight counties.
This relationship created a profound conflict of interest. When DHS investigators are called to Nadine’s Nest, they are investigating their longtime colleague and expert witness. As explored in "Anatomy of Isolation," this relationship granted the facility an "untouchable" status. While systemic issues like understaffing, illegal medication practices, and the systematic manipulation detailed in "The Manipulation Matrix" festered, DHS looked the other way. They were protecting a member of the pack.
DHS’s pattern of protection was established precedent. In Investigation ID: 00269742, completed September 15, 2023, DHS was presented with irrefutable audio evidence of a caregiver (AP2) locking Russell's wife, Patricia Bingaman, out of the facility on August 11, 2023.
The finding was unavoidable: "Involuntary Seclusion: Substantiated."
But the consequence reveals the strategy. The violation was pinned exclusively on the caregiver. For the facility owner, Tempie Bartell (AP1), the primary allegation of neglect was found to be "Not Substantiated." This is a classic bureaucratic maneuver: acknowledge a single transgression but assign it to a low-level employee, thereby absolving the operator of responsibility for the pattern of abuse she directed.
This investigation also exposes a glaring hypocrisy. The report explicitly states the finding was based on the "Audio 8/11/2023" recording. Yet, in later investigations, DHS Investigator Eric Stone repeatedly insisted to me and Patricia that audio recordings were inadmissible. “I was a cop” he told me, as I argued the recordings could be used to show abuse. The rules were applied arbitrarily—permissible when used to contain liability, but unusable when they captured Russell’s neglect, lucidity and desire to go home, evidence that would have dismantled the facility's narrative.
DHS cannot claim ignorance. They were warned, explicitly and with evidence, by this author.
My formal appeal documents that I emailed Investigator Eric Stone on August 19, 2024, putting him on direct notice of "altered, omitted, or not recorded" records and the "intentional misrepresentation of events."
The warnings escalated. On November 6, 2024, I emailed a detailed report directly to Erin Smith, a DHS licensing agent. The report laid out specific, actionable allegations, including the administration of Lorazepam without a physician's order—an allegation of a crime—and the illegality of the documents being used to isolate Russell.
A digital read receipt confirms Erin Smith opened and read that email on November 7, 2024, at 1:38 PM.
They had the playbook. They were given evidence of potential crimes and a clear opportunity to intervene. Their subsequent silence—it has been over 150 days since that report, and I have received no response—was not an oversight; it was a deliberate choice to protect the Nexus from scrutiny.
Furthermore, as documented in "Anatomy of Isolation," DHS officials were active participants in the illegal separation. Guardian logs memorialize a July 10, 2024, call where DHS Supervisor Aaron Lenox and APD agent Erin Smith advised the facility they could "lock door to keep Patty out"—despite having no legal authority to do so.
The most egregious act of complicity stems from the investigation I initiated with my complaint filed on October 25, 2024. The handling of this case, Investigation ID: 00362508, was defined by strategic delay and blatant disregard for the evidence.
DHS Investigator Eric Stone allowed the investigation to languish for 94 days. This delay was a clear violation of Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 411-020-0025, which mandates investigations be completed within 60 days. The investigation was simply paused, waiting for a strategic moment to close the file.
That moment arrived on January 27, 2025.
Russell Bingaman died on January 29, 2025.
Just 48 hours before Russell’s death, Eric Stone finalized his report. The finding for every life-threatening allegation—including improper medication management and tampered documentation? "Not Substantiated."
Stone’s report ignored the mountain of contradictory evidence I provided. He ignored the catastrophic weight loss and evidence of billing fraud detailed in "The Numbers Don't Lie." He ignored the November 7, 2024, letter from Wildflower Lodge’s Wellness Director stating Russell was being dangerously over-sedated. Instead, the report created an official record declaring the facility clean. This was a pre-mortem absolution, strategically timed to close the book on official wrongdoing before Russell’s death could force a more serious inquiry.
A system of justice relies on the right to appeal. But when the appeal challenges the integrity of the system itself, that right is neutralized.
On March 14, 2025, I submitted a formal, 13-page appeal and request for reinvestigation to the DHS Safety, Oversight and Quality Unit (SOQ) in Salem. It was an evidence-based indictment of Eric Stone’s investigation.
My appeal laid bare the investigation's fatal flaws. It cited the 36-pound weight loss, the contraindicated medications (including Benadryl, which Russell had a documented adverse reaction to), and the sworn testimony of whistleblowers who confirmed that staff were instructed to fabricate negative reports. Crucially, it also documented DHS’s own procedural malfeasance.
The Letter of Determination, though the investigation was completed on January 27, was not postmarked until March 3, 2025—a 35-day delay. It was then mailed to the wrong address (B Ave instead of C Ave), causing further delays in my receipt.
This sequence of administrative "mistakes" was the system's escape hatch. Faced with an appeal they could not refute on the merits, DHS weaponized bureaucracy. They used their own incompetence and delays to create a procedural trap, allowing them to dismiss the appeal without ever addressing the evidence.
The final betrayal came from the top. In late March 2025, I made a last-ditch effort to engage Jaime Howard-Chavez of the SOQ Unit. I provided significant new evidence, including the "Wildflower Sedation Letter" and the horrific allegation that Tempie Bartell ordered Russell to be sedated ahead of his 58th wedding anniversary.
I warned that the timing of Russell's death was "highly suspicious," coinciding with the day a qualified nurse practitioner was to be appointed as his guardian—an appointment that would have exposed the neglect.
The response from Salem was a masterclass in bureaucratic deflection. On March 25, 2025, Howard-Chavez emailed: "I am not able to discuss this case with you... You received a letter of determination that states your appeal rights. Please refer back to that section of the notice for the process..."
This was a refusal to engage. It was the final confirmation that the system had no intention of investigating itself. The rot was not confined to La Grande; it went straight to Salem.
This stonewall necessitated escalation. As I wrote in my final, frustrated email on April 5, 2025: "By the time you read this I will be at the FBI office in Pendleton for the kidnapping, drugging and murder of Russell Bingaman."
The evidence is irrefutable. The La Grande DHS office, supported by leadership in Salem, did not merely fail to protect Russell Bingaman; they actively enabled the harm against him.
They ignored direct warnings and evidence of criminal activity provided by this author. They conducted superficial investigations that violated state mandates and were strategically timed to protect a well-connected facility. They neutralized appeals through procedural maneuvering and bureaucratic stonewalling.
This is a system that betrayed its mission and the public trust. The watchdog joined the pack. For this profound and fatal failure, our community must demand accountability, and external, federal authorities must finally intervene where the State of Oregon refused to act.
As the investigative journalist who uncovered this tragedy, I refuse to let DHS's complicity go unchallenged. For over a year, I've dedicated myself full-time to exposing the truth, compiling thousands of pages of medical, legal, and financial records to build an airtight case. My work has already forced some movement—previous threats of legal action prompted DHS to produce delayed reports—but the fight is far from over. Here's what I'm actively pursuing to hold DHS and the broader Nexus accountable:
On July 29, 2025, I filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), detailing systematic Medicare fraud, patient neglect, and the suspicious death of Russell Bingaman at Heart N Home Hospice and Palliative Care in La Grande (Provider No. 381547). This report, supported by whistleblower evidence, estimates fraud in Russell's case alone at $70,244–$117,244, with potential treble damages exceeding $351,732 and penalties up to $6.4 million. It ties directly to DHS's failures, as the hospice's chart manipulations and neglect occurred under the same unchecked Nexus. I'm positioned as a relator under the False Claims Act, ready to pursue a qui tam action to recover defrauded funds and expose the racketeering enterprise (RICO) involving interconnected players in Eastern Oregon.
I'm preparing a petition to the Oregon Attorney General's office for a full review of DHS's misconduct, citing violations of elder protection laws (ORS 124 et seq.) and potential criminal neglect (ORS 163.205). This builds on my March 14, 2025, appeal to DHS's SOQ Unit, which they stonewalled, and includes demands for an inquiry into conflicts of interest, such as Tempie Bartell's dual role with DHS. If the AG doesn't act, I'll escalate to judicial review under the Oregon Administrative Procedures Act (ORS Chapter 183) in Marion County Circuit Court, challenging the unsubstantiated findings as arbitrary and unsupported.
On July 25, 2025, I submitted a focused public records request to DHS (Reference: MMJD2FN) for communications, incident reports, and appeal-related documents tied to Russell's case. Despite their acknowledgment and typical 30-day timeframe, it's now over 40 days delayed without updates—a pattern I faced before, resolved only after escalation. I've sent a follow-up demanding a firm completion date, and if ignored, I'll petition the AG under ORS 192.411 for a Public Records Order, seeking costs and fees for the unreasonable delay.
Under the Oregon Tort Claims Act (OTCA, ORS 30.260–30.300), I'm preparing a notice of intent to sue DHS for negligence in investigations, mishandling my appeal, and contributing to Russell's harm through inaction. This could include claims for procedural violations (e.g., the 94-day delay in ID: 00362508) and civil rights breaches under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against individuals like Eric Stone. Damages are capped but could cover emotional distress and wrongful death elements, with a 180-day notice deadline I'm tracking closely.
My ongoing series—"The Watchdog Traitor," "Anatomy of Isolation," and others—continues to publish evidence, pressuring for change. I'm advocating for policy reforms, like independent audits of DHS investigations in rural areas, and seeking media partnerships to broaden exposure. This isn't just about Russell; it's about dismantling the Nexus to prevent future victims.
The actions listed above—the federal complaints, the legal challenges, the regulatory reports—are essential steps toward accountability, but this fight is a marathon. Russell Bingaman’s story is the catalyst for a much larger battle. What I’ve termed the "Union County Nexus" is, based on the evidence, a sprawling RICO operation thriving in our own backyard. Dismantling it requires a sustained, multi-front effort.
For over a year, I have shouldered this mission single-handedly and financed it entirely on my own, driven by a commitment to Russell, Patricia, and the integrity of our community. I have refused to put this evidence behind a paywall because the truth must be accessible to everyone. But the fight is escalating, and the costs are mounting.
I cannot do this alone. I need your support to carry this forward.
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Contact: Info@ValorInvestigates.com.
Thank you for standing with me in this fight.