REGION
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022
THE OBSERVER — A3
Morrow County commissioners fi re county administrator
Darrell Green is
terminated in
2-1 vote on June 28
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — Morrow
County no longer has a
country administrator.
Country commissioners
at a packed public meeting
Tuesday, June 28, voted 2-1
to immediately terminate
the employment of Darrell
Green, who has held the
county administrator job for
four and a half years.
The county board on
June 27 called an emer-
gency closed-door meeting
to consider fi ring Green.
But Green insisted on the
meeting being held in public
rather than behind closed
doors in executive session.
Board Chair Jim
Doherty at the start of the
meeting explained this was
about one topic — con-
sidering Green’s employ-
ment. And the board would
hear from only one person:
Green.
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
The Morrow County Board of Commissioners listen Tuesday, June 28, 2022, as Darrell Green, center in the lavender shirt, gives a statement to
the board about the call for his termination as county administrator. The board voted 2-1 to immediately fi re Green.
Green told the board
he learned in August 2021
there may have been a com-
plaint against him and an
investigation to see if he
violated nepotism rules. But
no one addressed the com-
plaint with him at the time.
He told the board that in
his tenure he never received
any verbal or written warn-
ings, and even today does
not have the full informa-
tion about what led to this
moment.
Green asked commis-
sioners what they knew
about any complaint against
him. Doherty and Com-
missioner Melissa Lindsey
said they would not make
statements on the advice of
attorneys.
But Commissioner Don
Russell did. He said he had
been trying to obtain infor-
mation about the investiga-
tion for the last year, with
no luck.
Without knowing more,
he said, he could not sup-
port Green’s termination.
Doherty called for the
vote, and he and Lindsey
voted in favor, while Rus-
sell stood against. With
that, Doherty closed the
meeting.
The decision drew ire
from many in attendance,
some calling this a “witch
hunt,” and another shouting
“recall.”
Morrow County Clerk
Bobbie Childers was
present. After the meeting
she said her offi ce has
received requests for recall
information, and her offi ce
has sent that information.
Several people com-
plimented Russell for his
position.
“I have to be able to look
at myself in the mirror,” he
replied.
Offi cers catch man after kidnapping at Walmart
East Oregonian
Baker County Library District/Contributed Photo
A new public “no-pay pay phone” has been installed outside the
Baker County Library, 2400 Resort St., Baker City.
Baker County Library
adds public phone
Baker CIty Herald
BAKER CITY —
The Baker County Public
Library has installed a
new public phone at the
Baker City branch, 2400
Resort St., where users can
make local calls, and out-
bound-only long-distance
calls up to 20 minutes, for
free.
“It’s like a no-pay pay
phone,” Perry Stokes,
director of the Baker
County Library District,
said in a press release.
“Instead of dropping in
coins or entering pre-
paid call plan numbers,
you only have to pick up
the handset and dial a
number.”
The long-distance calls
are free because the phone
makes calls through the
library’s internet connec-
tion rather than a landline.
“Previously, due to cost,
we had to block long-dis-
tance calls on our cour-
tesy phone,” Stokes added.
“These days, that is a huge
barrier to just making a
simple call to a mobile
phone with an out-of-area
number, even though that
phone owner is a local res-
ident. But with VoIP over
the internet, long-distance
becomes a non-issue.
“Now we have a phone
on-site that kids can use
to check in with their par-
ents when they’re here
at the library or in the
park, seniors can use to
schedule bus rides from
Community Connections,
and anyone can use in
an emergency or to stay
in touch with family and
friends anywhere in the
country,” Stokes said.
He said he’s also
excited about the place-
ment of the new phone
— it’s outside, on the
east side of Resort Street
near the entrance to the
library’s north parking lot.
“This provides
enhanced privacy for
callers, and less disruption
to the library from loud
talkers,” Stokes said.
The phone is under a
blue hood, and the unit is
made of industrial-grade
stainless steel and fi ber-
glass designed to pro-
tect against weather and
vandalism.
The library district
spent about $2,200 from
its general fund to buy
and install the phone. The
district will spend about
$300 per year for the
subscription that routes
calls through the internet
system.
PENDLETON —
Pendleton police reported
arresting a Tillamook man
Saturday, June 25, for kid-
napping a woman and
fl eeing offi cers in a high-
speed chase.
Charles Frederick
Seeling, 34, now is in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton.
Pendleton police in a
press release reported local
emergency dispatchers
June 25 at 10:11 a.m.
received several 911
calls from witnesses at
Walmart, 2203 SW Court
Ave., reporting a female
screaming for help in a
vehicle in the parking lot.
Witnesses reported about
what appeared to be an
abduction, as a male took
a female by force and sped
out of the parking lot.
Witnesses also pro-
vided a good vehicle
description and location
of travel, according to the
press release. While offi -
cers were responding,
the female in the vehicle
called 911, screaming she
had an emergency before
the line was disconnected.
The female called again
screaming for help and
stated her boyfriend was
hitting her before the call
was disconnected again.
The victim also was able
to give her location as they
were passing a business in
the 1400 block of Southeast
Court Avenue. She called
911 again and reported the
suspect was in possession
of a hammer and she was in
fear he was going to use it
against her.
Before the line discon-
nected again, she gave their
location as approaching
Interstate 84’s eastbound
milepost 213 on-ramp.
Offi cers located the
vehicle on I-84 approaching
Exit 216.
“When offi cers
attempted to stop the
vehicle, the suspect male
driver refused to stop,”
according to the press
“Real Food for
the People”
“While taking the male
suspect into custody,”
according to police, “he
was actively smoking fen-
tanyl in the barn.”
Offi cers arrested Seeling
for fourth-degree domestic
violence assault, fi rst-de-
gree kidnapping, felony
fl eeing and reckless
driving. Police also arrested
Seeling for driving with a
suspended license and on
warrants out of Tillamook
and Clatsop counties.
Medical personnel
attended to the victim
and did not take her to St.
Anthony Hospital, Pendeton.
Once all police reports
are in, the case goes to the
Umatilla County District
Attorney’s Offi ce for con-
sideration of charges.
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release. “The suspect male
took Exit 216 with Pend-
leton Police Department
offi cers in pursuit on South
Market Road. A high-
speed pursuit continued for
approximately 10 minutes.”
By this time, assisting
units from Umatilla Tribal
Police, Oregon State Police
and Umatilla County Sher-
iff ’s Offi ce were in the area.
The driver abandoned
the vehicle and the victim
in a fi eld at the end of
Marsh Hawk Lane, then
barricaded himself in a
barn.
After about 15 minutes
of unsuccessful negotia-
tions with the suspect male,
offi cers entered the barn
and took the male into cus-
tody at 10:59 a.m.
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