Two Colorado men were arrested last week in Utah and are being held in connection with the murder of a Lebanon man, Wayne Keith Klavano, 48, whose body was discovered by his parents on the evening of July 29.
According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, on July 30, at approximately 6:15 p.m., Keith and Sharon Klavano of Lebanon reported to the Sheriff’s Office they had found the body of their son, Wayne Klavano, at his campsite located in a remote area off of the Upper Soda Fork Road about 10 miles north of Highway 20.
Wayne Klavano had a scheduled appointment in Lebanon at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon and, when he did not arrive, his parents became concerned and went to his campsite to check on him.
Klavano was an avid outdoorsman who spent a considerable amount of time camping in the Cascade Mountains of eastern Linn County, making his living as a trapper.
Linn County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to the area and determined that Wayne Klavano had died of a gunshot wound, according to Undersheriff Bruce Riley. Detectives spent July 30 through Aug. 1 processing the scene for evidence, Riley said.
On Thursday, detectives learned that Travis Adam Powers, 23, of Windsor, Colo., and Daniel Lewis Armbrecht, 20, of Pargosa Springs, Colo., had been arrested on July 30 near Brigham City, Utah, by the Utah Highway Patrol on narcotics charges and possession of a gun by a felon, unrelated to the Linn County investigation.
Linn County detectives learned that the UHP had seized evidence linking the two men to Klavano’s murder. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing further details regarding that evidence.
Detectives learned Powers has ties to Linn County but had been living in Colorado.
Two Linn County Sheriff’s detectives traveled to Brigham City Thursday to continue the investigation.
Linn County Circuit Court warrants were issued for the arrest of both Powers and Armbrecht for the murder of Klavano.
The two will remain in custody in Utah on the Linn County warrants, pending extradition to Oregon after their Utah criminal charges are addressed.