Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
B5
Cougars killed in Klickitat County
Report
■ Staff
Columbia Gorge News
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office
responded to two separate cougar
sightings in the month of March. Sheriff
Bob Songer wrote in a news release that
the killings were justified in the matter of
public safety in the two incidents.
On March 7, 2021, the County Dispatch
Center received a call of a cougar sighting
next to a residence on Sunset Drive just
outside of Goldendale. Deputy Dustin
Vorce responded to the call. Deputy
Vorce stated the complaining party in-
form him that she was sitting in her office
room when a mountain lion (cougar)
walked just outside her window at the
base of her house. Deputy Vorce checked
around the outside of the complainant’s
residence but did not locate the cougar.
Just as Deputy Vorce was about to leave
the area, another complaint came into
the County Dispatch Center about anoth-
er cougar sighting on Clyde Story Road
just outside of Goldendale. This most
likely was the the same cougar that was
seen at Sunset Drive a short time earlier.
However, this time the cougar was seen
going under a porch at a residence on
Clyde Story Road.
One of the Sheriff’s Office hound han-
dler’s were called to see if he could assist
in locating the cougar. However, Deputy
Vorce arrived at the Clyde Story road
residence and located the cougar under
the back porch of the residence prior to
the hound handler’s arrival.
Deputy Vorce euthanized the cougar
with his firearm in the interest of public
safety. Deputy Randy Wells transport-
ed the cougar and turned it over to the
Washington State Wildlife Agency.
On March 19, 2021, Songer received a
phone call from a Centerville area resi-
dent that he and a friend shot a cougar
that was under the house where the
foundation skirting was missing. Songer
informed the reporting party that he
would have a deputy dispatched to the
residence to take a report, according to
the press release.
Sergeant Joe Riggers responded to
the residence on Dalles Mountain road
where the cougar was killed. Sergeant
Riggers stated that there were domestic
animals on the property as well as a large
number of cattle on both sides of the res-
idence. Sergeant Riggers further stated
that the evidence shows that the cougar
was shot and killed while it was under the
residence. The cougar was turned over
to Washington State Wildlife Agent Dan
Bolton.
Songer said the agency has received
numerous complaints in regards to
cougar sightings in Goldendale, town
of Klickitat, Bingen-White Salmon,
Glenwood, Husum, and other neighbor-
hoods throughout Klickitat County.
“This is a serious PUBLIC SAFETY
CONCERN,” said Songer in the release. .
“In 2019, I established a program in
accordance with Washington State Law,
(RCW 77.15.245(2a), which allows better
protection for Public Safety, the protec-
tion of domestic animals and livestock
within and throughout Klickitat County
from Dangerous Wildlife,” Songer wrote.
“The Sheriff’s Office responds to all com-
plaints where cougar or bear are a threat
to public safety, domestic animals and
livestock.”
Sex offender arrested in TD
A resident of The
Dalles was booked into
Northern Oregon Regional
Correctional Facility on 11
counts each of encouraging
child sexual abuse in the first
and second degree.
Gregg Martin Jensen,
70, was arrested April 2 at
his residence on 805 Court
street. Jensen is being held
on bond in the amount of
$330,000.
Sergeant Austin Ell of
The Dalles City Police said
the agency worked with the
Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force to per-
form the investigation into
Jensen. With the collabo-
ration efforts, the partners
were able to figure out
that “specific images were
found in connection to the
investigation.”
“Their group is incredible
on that,” Ell said of ICAC.
“We appreciate their work.”
Ell confirmed that there
are no local victims in con-
nection to the case.
Jensen had a plea hearing
April 15 but was postponed
to May 4.
Sexual
Assault
Awareness
Month
Helping Hands Against Violence, a
non-profit that has been based in Hood River
for 40 years and serves the Gorge region,
shone a light on sexual assault during the
month of April with a variety of activities that
included tying teal ribbons to trees in down-
town Hood River with “love letters” attached
— notes of encouragement or quotes from
survivors — that included Helping Hands’
information at the bottom.
“Dear Survivor, you are not alone. Ever,”
begins one such love letter. “It is not your
fault. You deserve to feel loved, safe and val-
ued. It is okay to have mixed feelings. There
is no right or wrong way to feel about this. We
believe in you.”
Helping Hands Against Violence has a 24-
hour crisis hotline, 541-386-6603, for those
needing to talk to someone or are seeking
shelter.
SUBSCRIBE
April 21 — W. Cherry
Heights Road, 1900 block
— Male cited for dog as a
public nuisance for killing a
chicken.
Assaults, harassment,
menacing and domestic
violence:
April 16 — W. Highway
30 — Domestic dispute
reported.
April 16 — Celilo Village
Road — Assault reported.
April 17 — Celilo Village
Road — Disturbance
reported.
April 17 — Chenowith
Creek Road and Sevenmile
Hill — Harassment reported.
April 19 — Sevenmile
Hill Road — Disturbance
reported.
April 20 — S.E. Second
Street, Dufur — Harassment
reported.
April 20 — Wallace Street,
Wasco — Male arrested for
domestic assault IV.
April 21 — Sevenmile
High Road — Harassment
reported.
April 23 — Fifteen Mile
Road — Disturbance report-
ed. A medic was requested.
Disorderly conduct, mis-
chief, criminal trespass and
vandalism:
April 17 — Spur Road
— Verbal warning given to
campers in wildland urban
interface no camping area.
They were given two hours
to relocate.
April 17 — White River
Fire Closure — Five verbal
warnings and one written
warning issued to mush-
room pickers.
April 19 — Antelope —
Trespass reported.
April 19 — Digger Road,
2000 block, Mosier —
Trespass reported.
April 20 — W. Highway
30, 4300 block — Unwanted
subject reported. The subject
was unaware it was a private
drive and was escorted out
of the area.
April 20 — Bret Clodfelter
Way — Disorderly conduct
reported.
April 21 — S.E. Heimrich
Street, 100 block, Dufur —
Male and female trespassed
from a property.
April 21 — Threemile
Road, 2500 block — Trespass
reported.
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April 22 — Mill Creek
Road — Unwanted subject
reported.
Driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants:
April 22 — Bakeoven
Road, 300 block, Maupin —
Intoxicated subject reported
to have attempted to buy
alcohol.
Motor vehicle crashes,
incidents, offenses and
impounds:
April 17 — I-84 at mile-
post 76 — Vehicle vs. elk
reported.
April 18 — Highway 216
at milepost 23 — Male cited
for speeding (75 mph in a 55
mph zone).
April 22 — Mariposa
Drive, Tygh Valley — Hit and
run reported to a mailbox.
Theft, burglary or
robbery:
April 16 — Fifteenmile
Road, 3800 block — Theft of
a catalytic converter from
a bus reported. Cost was
estimated at $5,000.
April 20 — Sunset Valley
Drive, 700 block — Stolen
vehicle reported. The igni-
tion had been cut and the
catalytic converter stolen.
April 20 — Sevenmile Hill
and Chenowith Creek Road
— Stolen vehicle located.
Other:
April 16-22 — Wasco
County — Deputies
responded to one mental
health and four welfare
check calls.
April 20 — Spur Road
— Warning issued for
unattended campfire and a
second warning issued for
a vehicle with expired tags
and no fenders.
for less than a fancy cup
of coffee per month.
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