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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2019)
2A — THE OBSERVER D AILY P LANNER Pendleton offender on the hook for attempted arson By Phil Wright EO Media Group TODAY Today is Friday, Aug. 30, the 242nd day of 2019. There are 123 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Aug. 30, 1967, the Senate confi rmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the fi rst black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. CORRECTION In the Aug. 28 article “Lee pleads not guilty to murder charge” Lee’s associate and driver was incorrectly named. The correct name of the person is Deva Williams. LOTTERY Megabucks: $4 million 3-14-17-30-37-47 FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019 LOCAL PENDLETON — Timothy Allen Kelly of Irrigon faces attempted arson charges. Court records show the crime has roots going back to when Kelly avoided a murder rap in 2014. Kelly, 28, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 1 in Uma- tilla County Circuit Court to six counts of fi rst-degree attempted arson, one count of possessing an explosive device, one count of second- degree criminal mischief and two counts of recklessly endangering others. The case began almost a year earlier, Aug. 14, 2018, when Umatilla County Fire District 1 received a call-out just before 5 a.m. for a fi re at 1100 W. Sunland Ave., Hermiston. According to the search warrant affi davit by Hermiston Police Depart- ment Lt. Randy Studebaker, fi refi ghters found a burning Molotov cocktail in broken glass in a rock bed directly beneath a bedroom window. The incendiary device consisted of a glass soda bottle with duct tape secur- ing a cloth rag for a wick with gasoline remaining in the bottle. The window was open to accommodate an air conditioner on one side, and the bomb struck and broke the outer pane. Seven people were in the house, including two children. Hermiston police later that day received a tip, according to the affi davit, identifying Kelly as the person who threw the Molotov in re- taliation for one person in the house stealing his guns. Kelly has convictions in 2013 and 2014 in Uma- tilla County for delivery of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. The court docu- ments do not reveal how he acquired the guns. The Blue Mountain Narcotics Enforcement Team the following day raided the house and confi scated guns. Hermiston police returned to the home and questioned one of the occupants. She was related to Daniel Dechand, the man Kelly shot and killed in 2014 outside Hermiston. A Umatilla County grand jury found Kelly acted in self defense. Still, the court record states, there was tension between Dechand’s relative and Kelly, and they knew that through mutual acquain- tances. They also saw each other not long before at storage units in Hermiston. She admitted to police she and others stole guns from Kelly’s unit. Police soon tracked down Kelly, who confi rmed he was the victim of a storage unit burglary but denied having anything to do with the Molotov cocktail. Police watched video from the stor- age business that showed the burglary of Kelly’s unit, the affi davit states, and also showed Kelly and two others tried to break into the unit belonging to Dechand’s relative. The affi davit noted Kelly claimed to be out of town at the time of the burglary, which was 32 minutes before the report of the fi re. The case had a pre-trial proceeding Thursday morn- ing in Pendleton, and Circuit Court Judge Christopher Brauer set a trial readiness hearing for Sept. 12 with the trial starting Sept. 23. Kelly has three other cases open, all in Umatilla County. He pleaded not guilty last September to burglary, theft and criminal mischief. That case goes to trial Sept. 25. He also pleaded not guilty in February to failure to appear in the burglary case. And Kelly on Aug. 1 pleaded not guilty to menac- ing. The state has alleged he committed the misdemeanor against a man in February 2018. That case goes to trial Sept. 25. savers.” Thermal imagers that detect heat in burning buildings, Cornford said, also assist fi refi ghters in a big way. “They help us fi nd people faster,” he said. Cornford, who lives in La Grande, is looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his grand- daughter, Riatt, now that he is retired. Cornford and his wife, Debbie, have a son, Gary, who lives in La Grande and a daughter, Nikkita, who lives in Summerville. The firefighter will also be spending more time run- ning his business, Tap That Growlers, which serves craft beverages. Tap That opened in 2014 on Adams Avenue and has five owners, all of whom are family members. When not working or spending time with his family, Cornford plans to pursue his hobbies, which include playing golf and hunting and fi shing. He most often plays golf at Buf- falo Peak in Union. He said golf is a great stress reliever for him. Cornford said his career as a fi refi ghter has been fulfi lling because of the op- portunity it provided him to assist people and because of the friends he has made at the fi re department. “It has been tough, but I’m glad I did it,” Cornford said. “We have a good group of guys who I always looked forward to working with.” He added that another plus of his job was the posi- tive reception fi refi ghters receive when they arrive at the scene of an emergency. “They always know we are there to help,” Cornford said. Mega Millions: $113 million 8-12-23-39-43-6-x2 CORNFORD Powerball: $70 million 9-32-37-41-53-PB 14-x10 Win for Life: Aug 28 12-45-68-69 Pick 4: Aug. 29 • 1 p.m.: 6-9-7-6 • 4 p.m.: 2-9-6-2 • 7 p.m.: 5-3-3-3 • 10 p.m.: 6-3-6-8 Pick 4: Aug. 28 • 1 p.m.: 4-5-5-2 • 4 p.m.: 6-8-3-1 • 7 p.m.: 5-9-1-8 • 10 p.m.: 6-8-9-2 ROAD REPORT Numbers to call: • Inside Oregon: 800-977-6368. • Outside Oregon: 503-588-2941. NEWSPAPER LATE? Every effort is made to deliver your Observer in a timely man- ner. Occasionally conditions exist that make delivery more diffi cult. If you are not on a motor route, delivery should be before 5:30 p.m. If you do not receive your paper please call 541-963- 3161. Continued from Page 1A started, fi refi ghters worked 24-hour shifts and then had 48 hours off. He said he does not have a preference, although he noted it was nice having four days off at a time. The shift schedule is a bit misleading since fi refi ght- ers sometimes have to come in on their days off when there is a major fi re. This means fi refi ghters have pagers with them at all times during days off in case there is an alarm they need to respond to. “You are never really off duty, but you get used to it,” Cornford said. Working as a firefighter is as demanding as ever today, but some tasks are easier be- cause of improved technology. Those Cornford particularly Courtesy Photo Devin Cornford with his granddaughter Riatt. likes include automated ma- chines that assist with CPR by doing chest compressions. This makes performing CPR less taxing. “Doing chest compressions was very tiring,” he said. Another tool Cornford appreciates is hydraulic lifts for gurneys. 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