CURRY COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – A Texas man wanted for child sex crimes was arrested in Curry County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office says Kenneth Leatherwood of Bastrop, Texas, was arrested with the help of Oregon State Police and U.S. Marshals just after 12:30 p.m.

Leatherwood, who is accused of sex-related crimes involving a child in Texas, was reportedly found camping in a heavy wooded area near Lucas Lodge in Agness.

Investigators say Leatherwood has been on the run from Curry County law enforcement since June 16 after reports that he had been seen with a stolen car in the Agness area.

Leatherwood was also believed to have stolen weapons with him.

His dog was also found and returned to the suspect’s family in good shape, according to the sheriff’s office.

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Fireworks are on sale in Oregon until July 6, but state and local rules limit where they can be used and what types are allowed.

In Portland, fireworks use and sales are banned year-round.

Fireworks are also banned on beaches and in state and national parks.

Statewide, fireworks that fly into the air, explode, act unpredictably or move more than 12 feet horizontally are illegal. Banned fireworks include sky lanterns, missiles, rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, cherry bombs and M-80s.

Fountains, sparklers, ground spinners and smoke devices are among the fireworks allowed under state rules.

Officials said people should not call 911 to report illegal fireworks. They said reports should go to the non-emergency line for the area.

First responders said there were 263 fires across Portland during last year’s fireworks season, and 27 were caused by fireworks.

For more details about fireworks regulation in Oregon, click here.

In Washington, fireworks sales legally begin Sunday and run through July 4.

GEARHART, Ore. (KATU) — Another gray whale washed up on the Oregon coast last week, this time in Gearhart, according to Seaside Aquarium.

The 41-foot-long male had been dead for months before washing up on the beach, Seaside Aquarium general manager Keith Chandler said.

He noted that there have been 19 total whale strandings or carcasses washing up on beaches just this year on the Oregon coast region.

The Cascadia Research Collective is reporting at least 30 on Washington coastline alone. | TIMELINE

Of those deaths, more than half were at least partially attributed to malnutrition. That could have been the cause in more strandings, however, necropsies were not performed in roughly a dozen of the 30 strandings.

Chandler said strong wind from the west this year has been contributing to why coastal towns are seeing a lot of whales and other things washing up on shore. However he also noted that many of the Grey whales washed ashore were emaciated with necropsies showing signs of malnourishment.

“The food sources have been compromised. The warmer water means the nutrients that they’re getting aren’t as good, so the whole food chain is kind of not as healthy,” Chandler said.

He pointed to the warming waters with climate change as the main reason noting that warm water plankton–Grey Whale’s main food source–is thinner and has fewer nutrients than plankton in cooler waters.

Chandler says this whale will not have a necropsy done because of its level of decomposition.

“The fresher ones, the team from Portland State [University] will come down and they’ll go in and do measurements, take samples and stuff, measurements of the internal organs. But on one this decayed, you won’t gain anything from it scientifically. And it’s just kind of a mess to do when they’re this rotten,” he said.

KATU VAULT | The Exploding Whale of 1970: ‘Should a whale ever wash ashore again’

You can report a whale stranding to the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline by calling 1-866-767-6114.