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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2017)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Local & Entertainment Man gets 60 days in elder abuse case On August 22, 2017, in Baker County Circuit Court Judge Greg Baxter sentenced Kevin Bernardy (dob 08-17-1953) of 1681 10th St. Baker City, Or- egon to 60 days in jail and fi ve years of probation for felony Criminal Mistreat- ment. This Criminal Mistreat- ment charge stemmed from Bernardy fraudulently using his elderly mother’s bank card. A restitution hearing is set for Novem- ber to determine how much restitution Bernardy owes his mother. The investigation began in January of 2016 when the Baker City Police De- partment discovered that Bernardy used a power of attorney granted by his elderly mother to refi nance her house. Bernardy used the funds from the refi nance exclu- sively for his benefi t. He also drained most of his mother’s money from her bank accounts, again using it exclusively for his own benefi t. According to District Attorney, Matt Shirtcliff, “A person holding a power of attorney for another is a fi duciary. The person with the power of attorney must use the funds for the benefi t of the person grant- ing the power of attorney. By diverting his mother’s money to himself Bernardy committed Criminal Mis- treatment as well as other felonies.” Shirtcliff utilized the new Elder Abuse Unit cre- ated by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in this case. The unit was created by the Attorney General in 2016 to combat the epidemic of elder abuse in Oregon. Dan Norris, former Malheur County District Attorney, is now the lead Assistant Attorney General in charge of this unit. Norris prosecuted the case as a Special Deputy District Attorney for Baker County. The elder abuse united supplemented the work of the Baker City Police Department by providing forensic investigators to take an in depth look at Bernardy’s accounts and the victim’s accounts and to trace fund transfers. This crime is not a Ballot Measure 11 crime carrying prison time but is governed by the sentencing guide- lines. Nonlethal methods didn’t work on wolves ODFW has confi rmed four livestock depredations by the Meacham Wolf Pack of Umatilla County this month, all to the same livestock producer in the same privately-owned pasture. This is despite substantial proactive non- lethal efforts to stop wolf- livestock confl ict. The producer has removed dead livestock carcasses from the prop- erty the same day they were discovered; moni- tored and removed animals that were weak or could be a target of wolves; em- ployed a range rider fi ve days per week to monitor the location of wolves in the pasture and maintain human presence; modifi ed their normal husbandry practices by putting larger, more mature calves in the pasture; and delayed pas- ture turnout for 30 days so calves were larger and to give wolves more time to move out of the area. Additionally, the produc- er has undertaken a speedy and expensive relocation of many of the cattle from The the pasture where wolves are depredating. ODFW received a lethal control request from the producer on Aug. 21, after the fourth confi rmed depredation this month. (An additional two depredations occurred in August 2016 and Septem- ber 2014.) The producer requested that the entire pack be killed but ODFW has decided to take an incremental approach instead. At the request of a pro- ducer or permittee, ODFW can consider lethal control of wolves under these circumstances: if ODFW confi rms at least two depredations of livestock; if the requester documents unsuccessful attempts to solve the situation thru non-lethal means; if no identifi ed circumstance exists that attracts wolf- livestock confl ict; and if the requester has complied with applicable laws and the conditions of any ha- rassment or take permit. ODFW may kill the two wolves but the depart- ment will also provide the producer with a limited duration Wolf Kill Permit. After the initial lethal take of two wolves, the situa- tion will be monitored to determine if further dep- redations or testing/chas- ing of livestock occur and additional lethal control is needed. “Oregon’s wolf popula- tion continues to expand in both number and range,” said Curt Melcher, ODFW Director. “While it’s disheartening for some people to see ODFW kill- ing wolves, our agency is called to manage wildlife in a manner consistent with other land uses, and to pro- tect the social and econom- ic interests of all Orego- nians while it conserves gray wolves,” Melcher added. “It’s important that we address and limit wolf- livestock problems while also ensuring a healthy wolf population.” “I am authorizing only incremental take in an ef- fort to take as few wolves as possible while still addressing wolf-livestock confl ict,” Melcher added. 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Mail the check with this completed form to: PO Box 567, Baker City, Ore. 97814 To pay by credit card, please visit www.Th eBakerCountyPress.com The Littles’ crossword puzzle Across 1- Mmes., in Madrid; 5- Winglike parts; 9- Trod the boards; 14- Maui dance; 15- In a bad way; 16- Like a smokestack; 17- Summer coolers; 18- Mall event; 19- Trap; 20- Large-leaved Euro- pean elm; 22- Hallowed; 24- Brainstorms; 26- Jargon suffi x; 27- English river; 30- Erupt with hives; 35- Muslim wise man; 36- Israeli statesman Abba; 37- Speaker of note; 38- Flub; 39- Between the bathyal and hadal zones; 42- Variety; 43- Like ___ not; 45- Enlist again; 46- Lyric poem; 48- Kidney-shaped; 50- Rope for leading an animal; 51- Rebellious Turner; 52- Military camp; 54- Very long; 58- Confi dent; 62- Alpha’s opposite; 63- Sorry!; 65- Uncommon; 66- Polite; 67- Complain; 68- “Rule Britannia” composer; 69- Furious; 70- Fish-eating eagle; 71- Vientiane’s land; Down 1- “Pygmalion” author; 2- New York’s Giuliani; 3- Actor Baldwin; 4- Japanese dish of raw fi sh; 5- Bridal paths; 6- South American ruminant; 7- 100%; 8- Stares at; 9- Birthplace of St. Francis; 10- Link; 11- Perfectly; 12- To be, in Toulouse; 13- Colored; 21- Tomato blight; 23- Big name in insur- ance; 25- Subjoin; 27- His and her; 28- Poker Flat chroni- cler; 29- Ohio city; 31- Coarse fi le, angry tone of voice; 32- Running wild; 33- São Paulo feature; 34- Gravel ridge; 36- Watchful one; 40- Thin soup; 41- Springs; 44- Monetary unit of Malaysia; 47- Of lung membranes; 49- Femme ___; 50- Pain in the neck; 53- Golf gimme; 54- Sites; 55- Islamic chieftain; 56- St. Petersburg’s river; 57- Long ago; 59- ___ avis; 60- Inventor Rubik; 61- Poor grades; 64- Lever for rowing;