BUSINESS: B&C Logging wins prestigious
forestry practices award. PAGE 7
The
CITY: Public Works Advisory Committee
approves Pavement Plan. PAGE 8
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Friday, March 24, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 12
Sumpter City Hall floods
• WATER CAUSES
AN ESTIMATED
$2,500 IN DAMAGE
FOR SUMPTER
BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH
Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com
In an ironic twist,
Sumpter’s City Hall fl ood-
ed just days after Utility
Manager Jeff McKinney
reported at the March City
Council meeting that there
would be some inevitable
fl ooding around town due
to runoff.
Bookkeeper Kathi Vin-
son discovered the fl ood-
ing when she arrived for
work Thursday morning,
March 16th.
Refl ecting on the past
year that afternoon,
McKinney said, “We had
forest fi res, then snow, now
fl oods!”
McKinney explained that
runoff washed boulders
into a 24” culvert, which
backed up and fl ooded
out City Hall. The water
was about two inches deep
inside the building.
McKinney said by 7:30
a.m., “The mayor (Cary
Clarke) was in hip waders
and up to his chest clean-
ing out the culvert with
me.”
They used pry bars and
shovels to clear the culvert
and got the water “back
where it was supposed to
be.”
Meanwhile, Vinson, City
Recorder Julie McKinney,
and Vinson’s husband,
Ron, worked inside the
building to mitigate dam-
age, including using shop
vacs and moving items.
McKinney said nothing
was lost in the fl ooding.
It took most of the day to
get everything out of City
Hall.
By afternoon, Busy Bee
Professional Cleaning was
on site and at work on
restoration with their big
super vacs, dehumidifi ers
and other equipment.
McKinney said they
were awesome and would
have the offi ce in shape to
open in three days or so.
McKinney estimated
known outside costs at that
time at about $2,500.
It was not known at the
time this article went to
print if insurance would
cover the damage or not.
Sumpter City Hall
reopened Monday, March
20th.
Submitted Photo.
Ron Vinson wades through two inches of water
seen here on the fl oors of Sumpter’s City Hall.
Four men
arrested on
drug charges
Firearms parts manufacturer
expands into new warehouse
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Clay Winton, owner of
Crosshair Customs, has
purchased the warehouse
at 2300 Windmill Road.
Crosshair Customs of-
fers AR-15 fi rearm parts
and gun accessories, as
well as custom design
services.
This is the fi rst manufac-
turing business Winton has
owned.
“We will be doing gun-
smithing, offering custom
gun options in addition
to our main production,”
explained Winton. “So
we’ll still offer custom op-
tions in addition. Plus we
can order in anything. It’s
really broad at this point.
We’re doing the online
thing, that’s just recent, so
we’re selling somebody
else’s products just like a
grocery store. We’re doing
resale on that side.
“We carry 50,000 differ-
ent products on the main
website alone. We have
twelve websites, so, we’re
a little bit broad.
“We ship out everyone
else’s stuff all the time and
now our own stuff is just
now coming online—none
of it is available on the
website yet.”
Winton explained that
they have an app in devel-
opment where people are
able to customize a gun
they will be able to buy,
allowing customers to see
different options offered.
Winton was working out
of his home for a year and
a half.
He made the website for
Crosshair Customs in Oc-
tober 2016, retailing other
people’s parts, before he
expanded and began doing
custom designs.
“I got into doing online
retail business last October
and built the website and
that’s what got everything
rolling,” explained Winton.
On March 16, 2017 at about 4:50 p.m. Baker City
Police Offi cers served a narcotics-related search warrant
at 2175 Clark Street in Baker City.
“We had been receiving information for a consider-
able amount of time about drug activity at this residence,
which became a very high priority for us considering how
close it is to Brooklyn School. On that day we were able
to get the last pieces we needed to write a warrant and
address the community problem,” said Baker City Police
Chief Wyn Lohner this week.
During the search offi cers seized:
• Items containing small amounts of Methamphetamine
• Drug paraphernalia
• Numerous Marijuana plants
• Processed Marijuana
• Firearms
• Prescription Pills
Multiple individuals were arrested subsequent to the
warrant service to include:
Chuck Briney, Probation Violation; Paul Heller, Pro-
bation Violation, Possession of a Controlled Substance
Methamphetamine; Laif Edison, Delivery of Marijuana
within 1,000’ of a School, Possession of a Controlled
Substance Methamphetamine, Possessing more than
Eight Marijuana Plants within 1,000 feet of a School;
Travis Darnell, and Possession of a Controlled Substance
Methamphetamine.
This investigation is ongoing and additional arrests and
charges are likely.
Eight offi cers were involved in the execution of the
warrants, said Lohner.
MP306 accident
leads to arrest
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Clay Winton talks about his company’s new expansion in Baker City.
“And that’s what’s now
paying for this. We’re cur-
rently the largest shipper in
the county.”
Winton acquired the
building in January and the
machine shop came in at
the end of that month.
The building is still
under construction.
They will be opening re-
tail in two weeks but they
are already manufacturing
and expanding.
SEE FIREARMS PAGE 3
Late in the evening of
March 15, medics and law
enforcement were called to
the scene of a two-vehicle
collision eastbound on
I-84, near milepost 306.
At the scene, a pickup
truck pulling a trailer had
rear-ended a commercial
Photo Courtesy of the
truck and trailer. However,
Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce.
when EMTs went to assist
James William Wallace.
the driver of the truck, no
one was present in the vehicle and there were no obvious
signs of trauma.
Law enforcement soon determined that the vehicle
and trailer were stolen. Baker City Fire Chief Tom Wills
stated that the scene then “transitioned to a manhunt.”
SEE MP306 ARREST PAGE 5
Friday
Cloudy with rain showers. Chance of precipi-
tation is 90%. Highs in the lower 50s. Friday
Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with scattered rain showers.
Chance of precipitation is 40%. Highs in the
lower 50s. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy with
scattered rain showers. Lows in the lower 30s.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with scattered rain showers.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. Highs in the mid
50s. Sunday Night: Lows in the mid 30s.
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Oxbow’s reopened inn in full swing
Tri-County weed mgmt. discussed
Mental Health Spotlight: Autism
Elk Creek assault
Fender-bender becomes meth arrest
DAR members meet
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