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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2019)
LOCAL FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 THE OBSERVER — 5A Missing aircraft found near Limber Jim Ridge 70-mile chase ends with arrest LAW ENFORCEMENT ■ Plane was traveling from Washington state to Ontario Observer staff An aircraft that went off radar Sunday and was reported missing Tuesday was located, and the pilot was found deceased, the Union Coun- ty Sheriff’s Offi ce told The Observer Wednesday. The aircraft was found near where it went off radar close to Limber Jim Ridge southwest of La Grande, ac- cording to UCSO Capt. Craig Ward. Ward said the aircraft, which was traveling from Kennewick, Wash- ington, to Ontario, “apparently got off course.” Near the crash site, “the aircraft began a rapid descent” from its altitude of 6,600 feet. Ward said Limber Jim Ridge is at an elevation of about 6,100 feet. “Something happened,” Ward said, adding that the Federal Aviation Ad- ministration will begin an investiga- tion into what caused the crash. As of press time, the pilot had not yet been identifi ed. According to the FAA preliminary accident report, the plane was a 1968 PA-32-300 fi xed-wing single-engine Piper aircraft registered to David Koppen of Fruitland, Idaho. By Phil Wright EO Media Group PENDLETON — A Portland man landed in jail Monday in Pendleton after trying to escape police across more than 70 miles of Akil Interstate 84. Robert Isaac Akil, 23, faces charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle, felony fl eeing, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person. Oregon State Police Lt. Mike Turner, who oversees the agency’s post in Pendleton, tried to stop a 2014 black Dodge Charger early Monday for speeding near mile- post 186 while heading east on I-84. The driver took off, accord- ing to state police, and reached speeds in excess of 100 mph. Rather than enter into a dan- gerous chase, Turner followed at a safe distance and called in the car to area law enforcement. The Charger continued to La Grande, where city police were ready at the I-84 exits at Island Avenue and Gangloff Park. Akil took the Gangloff Park exit at milepost 259, where a police CRASH Continued from Page 1A California. All three occupants of the Ford F-150 pickup were transported to Wallowa County Memorial Hospital, where one child passenger was declared deceased. The second child passenger was transported by air ambu- lance to a Boise hospital. Erickson was treated and released from Wallowa Memorial Hospital. Sabrina Thompson/ The Observer Jamie Landa’s role as executive director for Shelter From the Storm involves main- taining grant funding and budgeting in addition to daily business. LANDA Continued from Page 1A access to resources they may need — however, they can- not give legal advice. While the organization is focused on serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, they will provide connections to resources for whoever comes in, for what- ever they need help with. “We don’t make a judge- ment call,” Landa said. “We don’t turn anyone away for any reason.” Shelter From the Storm works within Union County by partnering with organiza- tions like Art Center East, Community Connection LEE Continued from Page 1A a suspended license. When searching Deva Williams’ car, the police found a camera with photos of the Cove property, of Loretta Williams and some with Lee in the corner of the photos while at the house. A contempt of court charge for violating the restraining order is pending at this time. According to the data on the photos, Lee took pictures of the Cove home almost daily at the end of June 2018 and returned sporadically until September. According to McKaig, Loretta Williams also took photos of Lee on the prop- erty during this time, though none of those photos were shown at the hearing. Security footage of Lee entering a building on the property July 19, 2018 was shown at the hearing, and McKaig said Loretta Wil- liams accused Lee of tampering with a tractor. According to McKaig, Deva Williams told police that Lee talked to him about wanting to kill his estranged wife and being able to get away with it. He said Lee became more erratic and violent in November 2018, ac- cording to McKaig. McKaig also said Deva Williams eventually refused to continue driv- ing Lee around. Loretta Williams had a history of mental illness, McKaig said at the hearing, but she was on new medication and had begun making plans for the future, including get- ting a new job and selling the house. Her friends and family said she had been getting A better, according to McKaig’s testimony. The divorce depositions were set for a week after Thanksgiving 2018. During this time, argu- ments between Williams and Lee focused primarily on assets and how they would be divided. McKaig said that Lee and Williams could not agree on selling the house, the larg- est asset. On Nov. 16, Williams put up a for sale sign on the property. At the August hearing, the state argued that because the issue of the home’s ownership was so contentious, the presence of the sign may have provoked Lee, providing a possible motive for him allegedly killing Williams. When police investigated the scene of the crime in response to Williams’ 911 call on Nov. 17, they found her dead in the house. The sliding glass back door was shattered, and a left hand glove was on the ground in front of the house, according to evidence presented at the hearing. McKaig said the glove had no frost on it, unlike the ground of Northeast Oregon and Eastern Oregon University. Landa said she hopes that by being connected with so many different groups, SFS can serve even more of the population. “Everyone deserves a chance,” Landa said. “Our No. 1 goal is to serve our clients.” La GRANDE AUTO REPAIR and surrounding area. When searching Lee’s trailer, investigators discovered a tag for the type of glove found outside the Cove home, McKaig said. Evidence was presented of Lee being driven by Steve Hamilton to Ace Hardware in La Grande, where Lee purchased gloves Nov. 10, 2018. Security footage showed Hamilton’s PT Cruiser, the two men walking into the store, Lee trying on gloves, testing for index fi nger dexterity and purchasing the gloves. McKaig said the video shows Lee’s fi ngers imitating a trigger pulling motion. This footage, in addi- tion to a receipt for the purchase and the tag for the gloves found in Lee’s trash can at his home, gave police reason to believe the glove found in the driveway belonged to Lee, accord- ing to testimony. The addition of DNA testing from the glove by Oregon State Police further confi rmed the gloves belonged to Lee. Hamilton’s PT Cruiser also became an item of interest during the investigation. McKaig, who said he had familiarity with cars, noted that the unique silhouette, the shape and placement of the headlights and the chrome door handles of Hamilton’s Cruiser would make it stand out. According to his testimony, the police found security footage dated 1:12 a.m. Nov. 17 from an RV park near the Cove house that showed a car they believed to belong to Hamilton, because of the car’s shape, the location of the headlights and the chrome door handle. McKaig said the investigators then ran a reenactment with a PT Cruiser of the same year, make and model. There were a few differences in the reenactment: the police’s Cruiser was silver, while Hamilton’s has a darker exterior; the security camera had been recently cleaned by the RV company; and there was a possible difference in speeds. The reenactment gave investigators reason to conclude that the length of the car in the security footage was consistent with a PT Cruiser, and the security footage showed a car with teardrop-shaped headlights and a chrome door handle, according to McKaig. The Observer previously reported that Hamilton was arrested in March and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit mur- der in the death of Williams. He is currently being held in Union County Jail awaiting a settlement conference that will not be open to the public scheduled for Sept. 27. During the hearing, Lee pleaded not guilty to the murder and conspiracy to commit mur- der charges. A trial date has not been set. Lee remains in custody at Union County Jail. 10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City Welcome Back EOU Profs! Try our new Happy Hour Specials M-F 4pm-6pm www.lagrandeautorepair.com 541-975-1364 EOFF’s Studio 54 tonight @ hq 7pm MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE ACDelcoTSS 541-963-8766 tendepotstreet.com LOST A baseball mitt was lost between 8/21 and 8/23 in La Grande. It is a Wilson mitt and has the name Brian Parker written on it. Will offer a reward of $ 20 0 for its return. It was not expensive, but it has sentimental value. There is a phone number on the mitt, but it is no longer active. Please email brian@simplybrianp.com if found. Join Our Team AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is looking for compassionate, friendly people to join our team of volunteers for the upcoming tax season. Tax-Aide is a free program that makes it easier for older taxpayers to file their tax returns. Neighbors like you help prepare tax returns or serve in other ways, like organizing client paperwork, managing computer equipment, acting as interpreters, or making sure everything runs smoothly. There’s a role for everyone. Sign up at aarpfoundation.org/taxaide. An Independent Insurance Agency Reed & Associates for excellent service LOCALLY! Nicole Cathey OSP was assisted at the scene by the Wallowa Fire Department, Wallowa County Emergency Medi- cal Services, the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Offi ce, the Enterprise Police Depart- ment and the Oregon De- partment of Transportation. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the bereaved family. To access the account, go to www.go- fundme.com and search for “funeral expenses godson Oregon.” 975-2000 Joe Horst spike strip blew two of the Char- ger’s tires. La Grande police took Akil in to custody and soon handed him off to the state police, who brought Akil back to the Uma- tilla County Jail. The district attorney’s offi ce brought the initial charges against Akil on Tuesday. Ac- cording to the court documents, the state alleged Akil stole the Dodge from MLK Auto Sales, Portland. Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen set bail Akil’s at $40,000. the case has a probable cause hearing Tuesday. Medicare, Auto, Home insurance and Annuities Toll Free 1-866-282-1925 www.reed-insurance.net Kevin Reed
