FROM PAGE ONE
Thursday, January 20, 2022
ThE OBsErVEr — A5
DUII
Continued from Page A1
of the vehicle could be
impaired,” Hays said.
“The field sobriety tests
are used for the suspicion
of driving under the influ-
ence of alcohol, drugs or a
combination of both.”
State police support
Hays noted local
law enforcement puts
an emphasis on DUII
enforcement and pre-
venting its occurrence,
but increased calls to
other matters can limit
how proactive offi-
cers and deputies can
be. Oregon State Police
have taken an increased
role in patrolling Adams
Avenue and Island
Avenue to assist local law
enforcement.
“We are very active
in showing a police pres-
ence around the bars on
Baker County sheriff’s Office/Contributed Photo
Searchers on the dock just below Hells Canyon Dam on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022, look for Alberto Sillonis, a
missing fisherman from Weiser, Idaho.
Police believe Idaho angler
drowned in Snake River
well as checking hotels in
nearby towns, according
BAKER CITY
to a press release from the
— Police believe an
Baker County Sheriff’s
85-year-old Idaho fish-
Office.
erman drowned in
At about
the Snake River on
9:07 p.m., depu-
ties found Sillonis’
Monday, Jan. 17,
2008 Nissan Fron-
after falling from
tier pickup truck in
a dock just below
the parking lot at the
Hells Canyon Dam.
The Baker County
Hells Canyon Visi-
Sillonis
tors Center.
Sheriff’s Office
Deputies searched
received a report
the immediate vicinity and
about 6 p.m. that day that
found two fishing poles,
Alberto Sillonis of Weiser
with the line from one still
was overdue in returning
home from a fishing trip to in the water, on the center
dock below the visitors
Hells Canyon.
He had left his home
center.
that morning and planned
Sheriff Travis Ash and
to return home in the
the Baker County Search
evening.
and Rescue team deployed
Baker County dep-
at about 6 a.m. on Jan. 18
uties, along with depu-
to search for Sillonis.
ties from the Washington
Searchers covered the
County Sheriff’s Office in
area near the docks and
Idaho, began searching the along the river’s shore.
route to Hells Canyon as
Idaho Power Com-
Baker City Herald
pany employees used a
remote-operated vehicle
with an underwater
camera and sonar to
search the river.
Searchers found a felt,
short-brimmed hat on
rocks about 60 feet from
the docks, and Sillonis’
family confirmed that it
belonged to him. No other
signs of Sillonis were
found.
Sillonis is a white man
who stands 5-foot-8 and
weighs about 160 pounds.
He has white hair.
If anyone has infor-
mation about Sillonis,
they can call Ash at
541-523-6415.
The Baker County
Sheriff’s Office thanked
the Baker County Search
and Rescue volunteers
as well as Idaho Power
and their employees for
their assistance during the
search.
NEWMAN
Continued from Page A1
to expanding business
opportunities, while
working with the city and
the county.”
Newman is succeeding
Suzannah Moore-
Hemann, who served as
the chamber’s executive
director for three years.
She left the chamber at
the end of December to
take a position as assis-
tant director of stew-
ardship and scholar-
ship awards at Eastern
Oregon University.
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
DISTANCE
Continued from Page A1
close contacts.
“It was becoming an
organizational nightmare,”
he said.
School districts have
the option of operating
a test-to-stay program,
where students who are
exposed to someone with
COVID-19 can stay in
school if they test negative
and have no symptoms of
the disease and then test
negative again five to seven
days later.
Dixon said the test-
to-stay program was not
an option for the North
Powder School Dis-
trict because it does not
have enough COVID test
Good shepherd Medical Center/Contributed Photo, File
A medical malpractice lawsuit seeks more than $4.6 million from
Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston, and Dr. Andrew John
Haputa.
driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants, as well
as for third-degree assault,
reckless endangering
and reckless driving. He
pleaded guilty to the DUII
charge and the state dis-
missed the other charges.
He was sentenced to jail
and the suspension of his
driver’s license.
“Haputa’s arrest at
Good Shepherd and his
resulting criminal con-
viction were warnings
to Good Shepherd that
Haputa posed a danger to
Good Shepherd patients.
Good Shepherd was neg-
ligent in retaining Haputa
after those events,” the
document states.
The lawsuit added the
Oregon Medical Board on
Oct. 7, 2020, publicly rep-
rimanded Haputa.
Good Shepherd has not
yet responded to a request
for comment.
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Since Measure 110
went into effect in Feb-
ruary 2021, opinions have
varied on whether local
communities are seeing
a positive or negative
impact of the decrimi-
nalization of controlled
substances.
On the roads, con-
trolled substance-related
DUIIs have increased
locally, but it’s not certain
that Measure 110 is con-
tributing to the trend.
Pointing to direct
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Suit stems from
April 2021
gallbladder surgery
taking photographs during
surgery to help identify and
locate the key organs and
“failing to discontinue the
surgery rather than cutting
what he could not see.”
Helms in the com-
plaint claims she has suf-
fered an extended hospi-
talization and corrective
surgery because of inju-
ries resulting from the sur-
gery, in addition to pain
that limits her “normal and
usual activities.”
She seeks the $4.6 mil-
lion to cover the loss of
physical abilities, med-
ical bills, impairment of
past and future earning
capacity.
The lawsuit further
claims Good Shepherd
is negligent in retaining
Haputa. It states that six
months after being hired,
police arrested the doctor
at Good Shepherd Med-
ical Center, Hermiston, for
Measure 110 impact
causes can be diffi-
cult, especially with the
COVID-19 pandemic
impacting mental health,
which plays a role in
crime trends and in drug
and alcohol abuse.
The full scope of the
newly enacted measure
will take time to fully
evaluate. With the new
landscape regarding drug
use and law enforcement’s
approach to controlled
substances in Oregon,
it remains to be seen if
DUII trends will see an
impact.
“As the numbers
reveal, we are not really
seeing any trend changes
in impaired driving
during the pandemic
versus pre-pandemic,”
Hays said. “We are seeing
more drug impaired
driving post Measure 110
though, so it will be inter-
esting to see how this pat-
tern trends after a longer
study period.”
Scott Newman, the new executive director of the Union County Chamber of Commerce, speaks with
Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage at the chamber’s office in La Grande on Tuesday, Jan.
18, 2022.
Lawsuit against Good Shepherd
seeks more than $4.6 million
HERMISTON — A
medical malpractice law-
suit against Good Shep-
herd Healthcare System
and a doctor seeks more
than $4.6 million.
Kimberly A. Helms, of
Ione, is bringing the law-
suit, which claims negli-
gence on the part of Dr.
Andrew John Haputa as
well as “vicarious lia-
bility” by Good Shep-
herd. Attorney Kelly L.
Andersen, of Medford,
filed the complaint Jan. 10
in Umatilla County Circuit
Court.
According to the doc-
ument, Helms received
gallbladder surgery from
Haputa on April 3, 2021,
and during the surgery
Haputa cut her common
bile duct and her right
hepatic artery.
“Not realizing his mis-
takes, he then compounded
his errors by using surgical
clips to clamp the common
bile duct and the hepatic
artery,” the complaint
states.
The lawsuit also accuses
Haputa of several acts of
negligence, including per-
forming a surgery beyond
his abilities, not obtaining
a “critical view” during the
surgery of key organs, not
Friday and Saturday night
in a prevention effort to
encourage others to not
drink and drive,” Hays
said.
With OSP’s assis-
tance, law enforcement
can maintain a visible
presence and investi-
gate suspected impaired
drivers when local officers
are responding to other
situations.
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Moore-Hemann thinks
Newman will do an out-
standing job as the next
executive director of the
Union County Chamber
of Commerce.
“I’m super excited. He
has a great perspective,
and his business back-
ground will help him con-
nect with people,” she
said.
Moore-Hemann said
Newman will bring a
fresh perspective to the
position.
“This will help drive
the chamber to the next
level of success,” she said.
Newman, who is from
Stoughton, Wisconsin,
will wear two professional
hats in Union County.
He has also been hired
by EOU to work as a
public address announcer
at Mountaineer sports
events.
Newman served as the
public address announcer
at sporting events for six
years at Stoughton High
School before moving to
La Grande. He said he has
a passion for doing PA
work.
“It is fun to get the
crowd involved,” he said.
“When you have fun, the
crowd has fun.”
kits under the current
circumstances.
The good news for the
school district is that plans
are in place for students
to be back on campus Jan.
24. Dixon said by that time
North Powder will have
been away from each other
in school for 10 days, more
than the state’s required
quarantine time after a
close contact or a positive
test. The span was length-
ened by the fact there was
no school on Jan. 17 due to
the Martin Luther King Jr.
holiday.
“Thank God (Jan. 17)
was a holiday,” he said.
No online instruction
was given Jan. 18 to allow
teachers time to prepare
to provide Comprehensive
Distance Learning. Dixon
said teachers are experi-
enced with CDL and the
system is in place after
providing online instruc-
tion for a portion of the
2020-21 school year.
“It is easy for teachers
to start CDL again if they
have a day to prepare,” he
said.
The superintendent
said he thinks shutting
down in-person instruc-
tion this week will pay div-
idends over the long term
because it will allow the
school district to be in a
better position to control
the COVID-19 outbreak
when in-person instruction
begins again on Jan. 24.
“It is the best solution
and will keep students out
of school for the shortest
time possible,” Dixon said.
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