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: $70 million
9-32-37-41-53-PB 14-x10
Win for Life: Aug 28
12-45-68-69
Pick 4: Aug. 29
• 1 p.m.: 6-9-7-6
• 4 p.m.: 2-9-6-2
• 7 p.m.: 5-3-3-3
• 10 p.m.: 6-3-6-8
Pick 4: Aug. 28
• 1 p.m.: 4-5-5-2
• 4 p.m.: 6-8-3-1
• 7 p.m.: 5-9-1-8
• 10 p.m.: 6-8-9-2
ROAD REPORT
Numbers to call:
• Inside Oregon: 800-977-6368.
• Outside Oregon: 503-588-2941.
NEWSPAPER LATE?
Every effort is made to deliver
your Observer in a timely man-
ner. Occasionally conditions exist
that make delivery more diffi cult.
If you are not on a motor
route, delivery should be before
5:30 p.m. If you do not receive
your paper please call 541-963-
3161.
Continued from Page 1A
started, fi refi ghters worked
24-hour shifts and then
had 48 hours off. He said he
does not have a preference,
although he noted it was
nice having four days off at
a time.
The shift schedule is a bit
misleading since fi refi ght-
ers sometimes have to come
in on their days off when
there is a major fi re. This
means fi refi ghters have
pagers with them at all
times during days off in
case there is an alarm they
need to respond to.
“You are never really off
duty, but you get used to it,”
Cornford said.
Working as a firefighter is
as demanding as ever today,
but some tasks are easier be-
cause of improved technology.
Those Cornford particularly
Courtesy Photo
Devin Cornford with his granddaughter Riatt.
likes include automated ma-
chines that assist with CPR
by doing chest compressions.
This makes performing CPR
less taxing.
“Doing chest compressions
was very tiring,” he said.
Another tool Cornford
appreciates is hydraulic
lifts for gurneys. These al-
low fi refi ghters to trans-
port patients to and from
ambulances with little or no
lifting.
“Those are the best ever,”
he said. “They are back
Help support these Sponsors T HE O BSERVER
Mon-Fri
8 to 5
Island Express
Lube & Car Wash
)DVW4XDOLW\2LO&KDQJH6HUYLFH
1R$SSRLQWPHQW1HFHVVDU\
1-541-215-2414
3370 17th Baker City
~–~–~–~–~–~–~–~–~
YOU
are not
ALONE
6RIW&ORWK&KDPRLV&DU:DVK
9HKLFOHV3UH:DVKHGE\$WWHQGDQW
9$/9(81'(5&$55,$*(&/($1(5
Mon-Fri
8 to 5
541-963-7400
541-963-6744
64190 Hwy 203 La Grande
)3,!.$!6%k)3,!.$#)49
www.bandkautosalvage.com
NO ONE
2304 Adams Ave., La Grande
www.rockandsons.net
2306 Adams Ave
La Grande
963-8411
Mon-Sat 10-6
215 Elm St., La Grande
(541) 963-5440
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co.
of Eastern Oregon Inc.
2404 E. H Ave. La Grande
541-963-7166
Setting
the
Standard
in Eastern
Oregon
for over
20 years
Fights
ALONE
541.962.7099
www.legacyram.com
La Grande 541-963-4316
Baker City 541-523-3318
541-962-1505
1110 Adams Ave.
La Grande
/D*5$1'(
$8725(3$,5
541-975-2000
ZZZODJUDQGHDXWRUHSDLUFRP
“Our family serving your family”
Union Counties only Crematory
1508 4th Street
0267
$'9$1&('
7(&+12/2*<
$9$,/$%/(
963-5022
-RH+RUVW
$&'HOFR766