4
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
OSP probe: Bend
officer violated rules
Commentary...
Through the eyes of a newcomer
By Steve Kadel
Correspondent
BEND (AP) — An
Oregon State Police inves-
tigation has found that a
police corporal in Central
Oregon violated department
policy by illegally running
a red light before striking
a truck, a pedestrian and a
doughnut shop earlier this
year.
The Bulletin reports that
Bend Police Chief Jim Porter
says the state police investi-
gation shows Cpl. Robert
Emerson violated both
department policy and state
law, but that the crash was
one mistake in an otherwise
exemplary career.
“Our investigation
found that he was in viola-
tion of our vehicle opera-
tion policies,” Porter said.
“Furthermore, a circuit court
judge found that he vio-
lated state law. So there’s no
doubt that on that day he was
in violation of policy and
state law, and that he made a
mistake. There is absolutely
no doubt about that.”
Emerson was cited after
the March 5 crash and paid
a $260 fine. Emerson col-
lided with a pickup truck,
slid across an intersection,
hit a pedestrian and smashed
into the Dough Nut shop,
Oregon State Police said.
No shop employees or cus-
tomers were injured. Both
Emerson and the pedestrian
were taken to the hospital
with non-life-threatening
injuries.
Emerson had been on
duty for about an hour at the
time of the crash and was
the supervisor of four other
on-duty officers. A report
of a stolen vehicle that had
fled police had come in just
before the crash. In a writ-
ten statement, Emerson told
state police that he believed
the driver of the stolen
vehicle was impaired and
he wanted to get in front of
the driver to deploy spike
strips.
Data from Emerson’s
squad car computer show
he was traveling 66 mph in
YOUR YEAR-ROUND
IRRIGATION EXPERT
Backfl ow Installation
& Testing
Winterization
Nelson Horse
Waterers
Underground Field
Irrigation
Residential Irrigation
Services
miller
I R R I G A T I O N
541-388-0190
LCB#8234
a 35 mph zone with lights
and sirens on for 1.5 seconds
before he T-boned a green
1997 Chevrolet truck.
Porter said Emerson
made a mistake, but he was
an otherwise exemplary offi-
cer with eight citizen com-
mendations and 10 inter-
nal commendations over
his 13-year career. Porter
said this is Emerson’s only
violation.
In his zeal to
apprehend suspects
he could have been more
alert to his situation.
His intent was to try
and arrest felons,
not to try and better a
personal agenda.
— Jim Porter
“In his zeal to apprehend
suspects he could have been
more alert to his situation,”
Porter said. “His intent was
to try and arrest felons, not
to try and better a personal
agenda.”
Emerson declined to com-
ment. He was convicted of
his traffic signal violation
and has since filed an appeal
of the decision.
For many years, I consid-
ered Sisters simply a place
with slow traffic to get past
on the way to one trailhead
or another. I drove through
town several times while
living in Portland and later
from the opposite direction
as a Klamath Falls resident.
I admit, I barely noticed
the town, as attractive as
it’s always been. My lim-
ited view changed, fortu-
nately, when I moved to the
area last summer. Yes, I was
once again drawn by the
magnificent landscape with
all its hiking, backpacking
and climbing options — my
passion.
But having taken time to
get acquainted with the town
itself, I’ve learned there are
lots of interesting people
and activities. It’s pleasant
to walk the streets visiting
the shops, which are attrac-
tive and invariably capture
me longer than I’d intended.
I also like that the town is
dog-friendly and many store
owners invite well-man-
nered pooches inside their
establishments.
I’ve also learned that
community arts events go
beyond the well-known quilt
festival and folk festival. It
was surprising to find out
that little Sisters supports an
ambitious local theater group
— Silent Echo Theater
Company — spearheaded by
president Marla Manning.
As Sisters School
District correspondent for
The Nugget, I’ve met many
dedicated and hard-working
teachers and administra-
tors. That’s not unusual
for Oregon public schools,
although having a Flight
Science curriculum that
partners with Sisters Eagle
Airport isn’t something
I’ve seen before. Program
instructor Sheryl Yeager just
happened to be nearby when
the job was advertised and
she just happened to have
her pilot’s license. Yeager’s
students can work toward a
pilot’s license, too.
It says a lot about the
community that voters
approved a $10.7 million
bond for school upgrades in
May. That was one of the
first things I heard after com-
ing to town, and it gave me a
positive view of Sisters right
away.
When people find out I’m
a newcomer, they invariably
suggest some local person
who I should meet, whether
they’re a “character” or
someone who’s been around
a long time and has helped
shape the town. People seem
free with praise for their fel-
low residents, and the num-
ber of people who’ve accom-
plished big things elsewhere
in business, government or
other fields is impressive. So
is the fact that they eventu-
ally succumbed to the more
quiet charm of Sisters, which
combines the best of Old
West flavor with New West
amenities such as craft beers.
I get the feeling that
Sisters has a heart. People
here seem to sincerely care
about others, and it’s more
than mere words. One of
those I met in 2016 is Erik
Himbert, the 38-year-old
man who won a national
contest by designing a
wheelchair that allows the
user to stand up for periods
of time, which has health
benefits as well as giving
chair users more mobility.
Himbert could probably
market the chair and make
some good money, but that’s
not his style. Instead, he
wants to make it available
to people at a modest cost so
it can improve lives. That’s
a refreshing attitude these
days.
Despite all of the above,
location is still big for me.
Sisters is so well situated
among the Cascades that
there’s no limit to outdoor
recreation choices. My first
summer here took me to
Black Crater, Camp Lake,
Golden Lake, Jefferson
Park, Black Butte and Tam
McArthur Rim, among other
places. And there’s so much
left to explore.
When I lived in Alaska,
the joke was that residents
were in a state of perpetual
self-congratulations simply
for being there. We could
feel the same way about
Sisters.
I hope everyone read-
ing this will have an enjoy-
able and fulfilling 2017. I’m
looking forward to seeing
you around town or on the
trails.
Why ask your builder
ABOUT BUDGET BLINDS?
WINNEMUCCA
FEB 24-26 | $89 PPDO
Deluxe motorcoach transportation.
2 nights, $30 in free slot play,
and $15 in food coupons!
WINNEMUCCA/LAUGHLIN/
DEATH VALLEY
MARCH 25-APRIL 1 | $649 PPDO
$729 SINGLE OCCUPANCY
8 days/7 nights on this tour to a
very requested destination!
OREGON CASINOS
(VISIT 5 CASINOS)
APRIL 12-14 | $279 PPDO
Spirit Mtn., Chinook Winds, Three
Rivers, The Mill and Seven Feath-
ers. One night Ashley Inn in
Lincoln City, one night The Mill
Casino in Coos Bay. Receive one
breakfast, food coupons, more!
PENDLETON “COME TO LIFE”
TOUR MAY 19-20 | $289 PPDO
Save Money
Sign up for the
January 14th
Cooking Class!
$40 per person
$70 per couple
Tequila
Tasting!
Thursday, Jan. 5,
at 6 p.m.
75 actors bring the underground past
back to life! Includes breakfast,
1 dinner, Pendleton Woolen Mills.
Lunch Special
SPIRIT MTN./CHINOOK
WINDS CASINO TOUR
$5.95
MAY 23-24 | $189 PPDO
One night Lincoln City at Ashley Inn,
one breakfast, food credits, slot play!
Dinner Special
COWBOY DINNER TREE
SILVER LAKE JULY 15 | $99 PP
Enjoy the ride as we embark upon a
hidden treasure! You may forget that we
are in the 21st century, cooking is done
with propane! Family-style dinner.
Connie Boyle
541-508-1500
Box 615 Sisters,
OR 97759
$9.95
Every Tuesday
Fajita plate
$9.50
541-549-6118
FivePine Campus
www.riosisters.com
through “Builder
Program Pricing.”
Finance
You can fold
the cost of your
blinds into your
home loan.
Save Time
No running from
store to store or
online – we do
FREE in-home
consultations.
FREE C
CONSULTATIONS
ONSU
UL
www.BudgetBlinds.com
541-788-8444
CCB Licensed #197715 | Bonded