FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
Capa’s handler transition
going smoothly at BCPD
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
“The transition is going
very well,” said Baker City
Police Chief Wyn Lohner.
The transition is that of
changing the department’s
new drug dog Capa’s
handler from Officer Co-
leton Smith to Sgt. Wayne
Chastain.
At the end of February,
Smith resigned from his
handler duties. He had
served as Capa’s han-
dler since returning from
Florida with the dog last
Halloween.
Lohner said the de-
mands of keeping up on
the required maintenance
training with the dog, on
top of the responsibilities
of being assigned a full-
time patrol shift, and then
caring for a police animal
24/7/365 became difficult
to manage, and led to the
resignation.
Chastain was assigned
to the role that same week
due to his prior experience
as a canine handler—he
was one of the handlers for
former drug canine, Turbo,
who retired last year.
Said Chastain, “I handled
Turbo for the first couple
years he was with us. I
attended a two-week han-
dler’s course in Northwest
Washington sponsored by
the kennel we bought Tur-
bo from. After that, Turbo
and I spent another week in
Portland training and from
there obtained double certi-
fication as a drug detection
team. One certification
from the Pacific North-
west Police Detection Dog
Association, and one from
the Oregon Police Canine
Association.”
In Turbo’s 121 deploy-
ments, the dog helped
seize: 47 ounces of
marijuana (just shy of
four pounds), 1.3 ounces
of methamphetamine,
one gram of cocaine, two
firearms and one stungun,
one ounce of ketamine,
200 pills of Oxycontin, 662
pills of Ecstasy, $16,651
cash related to drug sales,
and over 41 pieces of drug
paraphernalia—and 43
persons were arrested for
drug crimes as a result of
Turbo’s searches.
Chastain went on to say,
“Capa is a two-year-old
puppy that had very little
obedience training at his
kennel in Florida. My
family and I are starting
obedience training with a
local dog trainer Wednes-
day March 16, 2016, and
this will be ongoing until
both our family and Capa
are adjusted. Capa and I
have been working and
training together now for
Johnston
sentenced
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
Photo Courtesy of the BCPD.
Sgt. Wayne Chastain with Capa.
about two weeks while at
work, and we are ready to
take the certification test-
ing. I will not have to go
back to a basic handler’s
course as the concepts
have remained the same
from when I worked
Turbo. We are scheduled
to take the certification test
in Mountain Home, Idaho,
on March 28th.”
There are other big dif-
ferenced between the dogs.
Said Chastain, “Turbo
was an aggressive alert
dog, meaning he scratched
at the source of the odors
he was trained to find.
Capa is a passive alert dog,
meaning he sits and stares
at the source of the odor.
“This has been my big-
gest adjustment because
as a passive alert dog, the
dog can be more dependent
on the handler during the
alert—meaning he will
alert and then look at me
to deliver the toy when
the objective is to have the
dog continually stare at the
odor—because they are
trained to think the odor is
their toy.”
Chastain added, “After
working with Capa for the
last couple of weeks, I am
excited to get us certified
and working as a team.
He is a great dog and will
provide a great service to
our community in the years
to come.”
Johnston was convicted
of propelling blood at
Baker City Police Chief
Wyn Lohner by tossing a
used tampon at him during
the course of an arrest on
March 30, 2015 for a re-
straining order violation.
The tampon hit him in
the hand and chest.
Lohner said Tuesday that
Photo courtesy of the
the restraining order had
Baker County Sheriff’s Department
been intended to prevent
her from contacting her
Marlene Johnston.
juvenile daughter.
The State called Chief
Lohner as their only wit-
ness in the case.
“I was on the stand twice,
but couldn’t tell you for
sure how long. Maybe an
hour at the most,” said
Lohner.
The defense called Tom
Johnston and the defendant
Marlene Johnston as wit-
nesses.
At trial, Marlene Johnston
claimed that she dropped
the tampon and did not
Kerry McQuisten /
The Baker County Press
throw it in the direction of
Lohner.
Chief Wyn Lohner.
Johnston was remanded
to the Baker County Jail
following the verdict and
her sentencing was announced Monday.
Said District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff, “She was sen-
tenced pursuant to the Oregon sentencing guidelines—
three years, formal probation, 30 days jail, 50 hours
community service and complete a psychological evalua-
tion and to follow any recommended treatment from that
evaluation, and a $200 fine.”
Shirtcliff added, “We were pleased with the jury’s
verdict. The Oregon Legislature passed this law to protect
law enforcement officers and corrections employees from
being subjected to dangerous bodily secretions being
intentionally thrown or propelled at them. Being sub-
jected to these types of substances like blood put officers
at risk.”
Lohner concluded, “This case was not personal to me,
but rather it became a matter of principle. In my opinion,
the actions perpetrated showed a complete disrespect
for law enforcement and the role every police officer is
tasked with. If society ever condones such absolute con-
tempt for the police, we will have lost our ability to serve
our communities in a safe and productive manner.”
Crash
Photo courtesy of Carl Dedrick.
One driver died Tuesday on I-84 outside Huntington.
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
All eastbound traffic had stopped to include a 2015
Kenworth pulling a 2012 Utility semi-trailer, operated by
Abraham Garza Tanguma, age 33, from Rio Grande City,
Texas, at milepost 348.
At about 11:55 a.m., a 2015 Freightliner pulling a
Great Dane semi-trailer, operated by Milton Vaughn, age
62, from Altoona, Kansas, was also driving eastbound,
when he approached the stopped traffic and crashed into
the rear of Garza Tanguma’s vehicle combination at high-
way driving speeds.
Vaughn’s vehicle was transporting hazardous materials
(Aluminum Oxide Powder UN3175) and the containers
were breached and leaking. Hazmat 14 with the Ontario
Fire Department arrived and were assisted by H20 Envi-
ronmental from Boise, Idaho for cleanup.
Vaughn sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced
deceased at the scene. Berezin was life flighted to Saint
Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, Idaho and Garza
Tanguma was transported by ambulance to Saint Alphon-
sus Medical Center in Ontario.
The Interstate was closed westbound for approxi-
mately four hours and eastbound for approximately nine
hours.
OSP was assisted by Oregon Department of Transpor-
tation, Hazmat 14 with the Ontario Fire Department, H20
Environmental, the Baker County Sheriff's Office, and the
Huntington Rural Fire Department.