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Friday, December 22, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 51
Train strikes car in Haines
• FOUR
INDIVIDUALS
INJURED
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Around 9:04 p.m. on
Monday night, Baker
County Consolidated
Dispatch received a call of
a train versus passenger car
collision in Haines.
There were no fatalities.
The accident occurred
at the crossing located at
4th Street and the Anthony
Lakes Highway.
Four individuals, Cade
Browne, 19, Samantha
Sexton, 19, Jacob Sex-
ton, 18, and Sally Blair,
21, were in a white 2015
Dodge Dart driven by
Browne, when, according
to Sheriff Travis Ash, “A
train was stopped on the
railroad tracks located at
Front Street and Fourth
Street in Haines, Oregon,
with the crossing arms
lowered.”
Three of the victims are
from Haines, except for
Browne who resides in
North Powder.
Ash said that the vehicle
“attempted to cross the
railroad tracks and was
struck by a second train
traveling southbound.”
Personnel from the Bak-
er County Sheriff’s Offi ce,
Oregon State Police, Baker
City Police Department,
Haines Fire and Baker City
Ambulance responded to
the scene.
At least one of the female
victims was initially found
ejected from the vehicle on
the tracks with severe head
injuries.
Lifefl ight out of Ontario
was launched, with an
arrival time of 52 minutes
from that point.
EMTs responded quickly,
taking victims to Saint
Alphonsus in Baker City
for treatment.
Another ambulance was
later requested, and after
some delay, arrived on
scene in Haines slightly
ahead of Lifefl ight into
Baker City, and transported
a fourth victim, the other
male, also to the hospital
with head and hip injuries
according to scanner traffi c
that night.
The two females were
subsequently Lifefl ighted
to Boise.
There were no injuries
among the train crew.
Train traffi c resumed at
roughly 1:30 a.m., and the
following morning, Union
Pacifi c crews were on site
evaluating the crossing.
Investigators said that
alcohol does not appear to
have been a factor in this
accident.
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Union Pacifi c crews conducted inspections at the
crossing Tuesday morning.
Arrests
made in two
robberies
Beaver trapped, shot in city
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Local law enforcement offi cers had their hands full last
Sunday with two separate burglaries / robberies at two
local businesses.
By mid-afternoon, the suspects in both incidents were
in custody.
PIZZA HUT
Photo courtesy of ODFW.
Beavers are the largest rodent in North America, weighing up to 40 lbs. Trapped to near-extinction in the
1800s, they now maintain a healthy population, including along the Powder River.
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todds@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Earlier this month, Charles Risley, 75, of 3385 Kirkway
Drive, shot an adult male beaver behind his home, with
what was most likely a high-powered air rifl e, according
to Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner, among other
authorities.
The beaver had been suffering from a rotting hind leg,
caused by a trap that was still attached.
Lohner said the incident happened on Sunday, De-
cember 10, at about 4:10 p.m., and when offi cers fi rst
responded, the Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) were contact-
ed, because the beaver is a “fur-bearing animal,” a pro-
tected species that involves special regulations, regarding
hunting and trapping.
Lohner said, “Apparently, Fish and Wildlife wasn’t
concerned about shooting it, because it had a trap, and it
was suffering.”
ODFW Wildlife Biologist Brian Ratliff said, “If I had
walked up there and saw that animal like that, I would
have euthanized it. I’m telling you, I saw it, and I would
have done the exact same thing.”
Ratliff said that the beaver had an old trap still attached
to a hind leg, a trap that had been tied down, and the ani-
mal managed to free the trap somehow, and carry it off.
“It had been there for a very long time—the bone was
broken, and the leg was rotting—so, the animal was
clearly suffering,” he said.
SPENCE INDUSTRIAL
SEE BEAVER PAGE 3
Former rural fire chief indicted
Last Thursday, a De-
schutes County Grand Jury
charged former Baker Ru-
ral Fire Protection District
Chief Dan Weitz, age 60,
with the crimes of theft by
deception and offi cial mis-
conduct in the fi rst degree.
The charges arose from
Weitz’s purchase of a
self-contained breathing
apparatus compressor from
the Bend Fire Department.
The State alleges that
Weitz represented to the
Bend Fire Department
that he was purchasing the
compressor for use by the
Friday
Partly sunny, becoming mostly cloudy with a 30-
40% chance of afternoon snow showers. Highs
in the upper 20s. Southwest winds around 8-16
mph.
Saturday
Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 20s. North-
west winds around 5-10 mph. Saturday Night:
Partly cloudy with a lows around 9. South to
southwest winds around 5-10 mph.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with highs in the low 20s.Chance
of snow showers. Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy
with a lows near 7 and a 40% chance of snow
showers.
Baker Rural Fire Protec-
tion District when in fact
he was purchasing it for his
own personal use. Because
the $5,000 compressor was
purportedly being sold for
use by the Baker Rural
Fire Protection District the
Bend Fire Department sold
it to Weitz for a $4,000
discount.
Weitz is presumed
innocent and has the op-
portunity to contest these
allegations starting at his
fi rst court hearing on Janu-
ary 11, 2018 at 9:00 a.m.
The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast:
Our forecast made possible by
this generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
On December 17 at
approximately 12:30 p.m.,
Christopher Lee Scott,
age 33 of Aurora, Oregon,
entered the Baker City
Pizza Hut on Campbell
Street, and demanded
money while indicating to
employees there that he
had a knife.
Scott stole an unknown
Photo courtesy of the BCSO.
amount of cash and a cell
phone.
Christopher Lee Scott.
Baker City Police of-
fi cers responded to the
scene and with the help of an employee were able to
develop a suspect immediately.
The suspect and vehicle information were passed along
to other local law enforcement agencies and at approxi-
mately 1:50 p.m., OSP Trooper Eddie Mercado located
and Tim Zinn stopped the car on I- 84 near the 302 exit.
Scott was taken into custody without incident and
lodged at the Baker County Jail on charges of Robbery II
and Theft III.
Additionally, BCPD has seized the suspect’s vehicle
and a search warrant is pending.
Earlier that same day at
approximately 8:38 a.m.,
Baker City Police Offi cers
were dispatched to a re-
ported burglary at Spence
Industrial on Broadway
Ave in Baker City.
Offi cers discovered that
items with an estimated
value between $5,000 and
$7,500 had been stolen.
Offi cers were able to
speak with a witness who
provided the license plate
number of the suspect’s
vehicle, a silver-colored
Dodge Neon.
Photo courtesy of the BCSO.
Ian Eastland.
SEE ROBBERIES PAGE 5
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
New cafe opens in Gamer Haven
Huntington Coucil/Mayor recall info
County hears Dispatch updates
More meth arrests made
December’s “First Friday” coverage
Voice of Democracy winners
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