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