Man dies in rural home shooting

COTTAGE GROVE — A 38-year-old man was shot to death Friday night at a home in the 72000 block of London Road, about three miles south of Cottage Grove Lake, after a brief altercation with two people, according to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.

Terry Fruichantie was pronounced dead at the scene after the 8:45 p.m. shooting, Capt. Bill Thompson said in a news release.

A 911 call was placed from the home about that time. An initial investigation suggested that two unknown people entered the residence and confronted Fruichantie, police said. One of the assailants allegedly shot him before both fled.

Detectives have interviewed a number of people, including family members who were home at the time of the shooting. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police, Cottage Grove Police and the Lane County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.

Two of Fruichantie’s family members, Jerry Fruichantie, 76, and Samantha Fruichantie, 36, were among six people arrested on Aug. 31 after authorities seized about 400 marijuana plants and more than $20,000 in cash from a 40-acre property in the same area that long had been associated with rumors of illegal drug trafficking, according to the sheriff’s office.

The raid happened at 73900 Blok Lane, listed as Jerry Fruichantie’s address, about a mile south of Cottage Grove Lake.

Nearly 50 officers from various law enforcement agencies participated in the raid, which resulted from an investigation launched by Lane County sheriff’s officials that began in 2010, Thompson told The Register-Guard on Sept. 2.

Investigators suspected that marijuana grown on the property had been sold illegally in Oregon and California.

Sheriff’s officials said investigators found pot plants growing inside a number of buildings on the property, as well as outside, with a street value of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lane County records showed that the property had been owned by the Fruichantie family for more than 20 years.

Investigators suspected that Jerry Fruichantie had been in charge of the alleged growing operation, Thompson said at the time.

Jerry Fruichantie was cited on Aug. 31 and released on charges of unlawful possession, manufacturing and delivery of marijuana.

Four other people cited on drug charges in connection with the investigation also lived at the property, according to sheriff’s officials. They included Samantha Fruichantie, Russell Nealey, 40, Vera Saltsman, 48, and Brian Nealey, 38.

A sixth person cited at the property was identified as Donald Froggatte, 46.

An unspecified number of the suspects were state-registered medical marijuana patients or growers. But authorities said the amount of marijuana discovered on the property was significantly more than what is allowed to be possessed or grown under Oregon law.

A phone number listed for Jerry Fruichantie is disconnected.

Terry Fruichantie’s Facebook page contained this note Saturday:

“I’m an enthusiastic person who loves to see other people happy and I love having the ability to make others happy as well. I have accomplished many great things but, my next great accomplishment is to find a beautiful woman to share my life with. I am very proud of things I have and have done. I have a wonderful dog named, ‘Lucy Lu.’ Some activities that I enjoy are: gold prospecting, fishing, shooting guns, 420, antique shopping, creating and building new things, I’m a jack-of-all-trades & master-of-none…. Lol.”

420 is a well-known reference to marijuana and the drug’s subculture.