Son charged in murder of father

CARLTON, Ore. (AP) - The chairman of the Yamhill-Carlton School Board died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his son has been charged with murder, the authorities said Wednesday.

Rodney Sitton, 50, was found dead in his Carlton home by medics who responded to a reported accidental shooting Tuesday afternoon, said Sheriff Jack Crabtree of Yamhill County.

Sitton's son, 24-year-old Blake Sitton, was charged Wednesday with murder and unlawful use of a weapon. He was being held at the county jail and will be arraigned Thursday. It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer.

The son was home when the medics and police arrived Tuesday. He later was taken into custody on three probation violations.

"The investigation continued after he was taken into custody, and it led to his arrest," District Attorney Brad Berry said. "But the investigation is continuing. This case isn't even 24 hours old."

The school district posted an announcement on its Web site, calling the elder Sitton "a great champion of education."

"He always asked the district to 'Do what's best for kids' and spent countless hours trying to help the district find ways to maximize opportunities for the children we teach," it read.

Sitton's current four-year term was scheduled to run through June 30, 2011.

"This just sickens me," school Superintendent Steve Chiovaro told the News-Register newspaper of McMinnville. "Rodney cared so much about him. He was a caring father."

Chiovaro said in the past few weeks Sitton started a swimming program for 4th graders and even worked on it with his son, which is why he said it is so hard to understand why his close friend is now gone.

“He was a very strong family man,” he said. “He loved his family. I don’t know how you ever fully replace a person like that.”

A background check on Blake Sitton revealed he’s faced strangulation, assault, criminal mischief, and harassment charges in the past.

KATU's Adam Ghassemi contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)