A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019
IN BRIEF
Ecola State Park
closed for hazard
tree removal
Colin Murphey/
The Astorian
Ecola State Park is
closed for repair work.
Ecola State Park will be
closed Tuesday through Thurs-
day while crews remove hazard
trees along the park’s entrance.
Park rangers have identifi ed
several dead, diseased or unsta-
ble trees.
The Oregon Parks and Rec-
reation Department has hired
Tillamook-based Whitehead
Reforestation for $7,000 to
complete the project.
— The Astorian
R.J. Marx/The Astorian
Veterans in Seaside on Saturday marked the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
DEATHS
Dec. 7, 2019
DUNN, Muriel C.,
81, of Warrenton, died
in Warrenton. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Dec. 6, 2019
STAECKER,
Erica
G., 92, of Astoria, died
in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
Astoria mayor hails ‘courage’
shown at Pearl Harbor
Event took place in
Seaside on Saturday
MEMORIALS
Saturday, Dec. 14
BAKER, Amy Sue —
Remembrance gathering
from 1 to 4 p.m., the Lau-
relhurst Club, 3721 S.E.
Ankeny St. in Portland.
LENDE, Dr. Rus-
sell M. “Russ” — Cel-
ebration of life from 3
to 5 p.m., Bob Chisolm
Community Center, 1225
Avenue A in Seaside.
BIRTHS
Nov. 25, 2019
COPE, Kelly and
Brendan, of Astoria, a
boy, Toivo Alexander
Cope, born at Colum-
bia Memorial Hospital in
Astoria. Grandparents are
Steve and Becky Roman,
Kathie Cope and Tyrone
Cope, all of Astoria.
Nov. 16, 2019
KNUTSEN,
Sarah
and Ross, of Warren-
ton, a boy, Maverik Ross
Knutsen, born at Colum-
bia Memorial Hospi-
tal . Grandparents are
Bob and Liz Knutsen,
Tim Malinen and Sue
Larsen.
ON THE RECORD
Criminal trespass
• Mitchell Simonsen,
35, of Hammond, was
arrested Saturday at the
AutoZone in Warrenton
for criminal trespass in
the second degree.
Harassment
•
Samantha Ann
Brown, 36, of Seaside,
was arrested Saturday on
Hamlet Road in Seaside
for harassment.
DUII
• Ricky Criss, 33, of
Oregon City, was arrested
Sunday in Seaside for
driving under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants and
reckless driving. His
blood alcohol content was
0.18%. Police say Criss
was spinning his vehi-
cle in circles in an empty
parking lot at the Seaside
Outlet, which caused his
engine to catch on fi re.
The fi re also caused dam-
age to a Tesla charging
station in the parking lot.
• Cameron King, 20, of
Seaside, was arrested Sat-
urday on S.W. Birch Court
in Warrenton for DUII,
minor in possession of
alcohol and hit-and-run.
• Kenneth Nielsen,
72, of Hammond, was
arrested Saturday on Lake
Drive at the Hammond
viewpoint for DUII, hit-
and-run and reckless driv-
ing. His blood alcohol
content was 0.17%.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Planning
Commission, 10 a.m.,
Judge Guy Boyington
Building, 857 Commercial
St., Astoria.
Lewis & Clark Fire De-
partment Board, 6 p.m.,
main fi re station, 34571 U.S.
Highway 101 Business.
Warrenton City Commis-
sion, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S.
Main Ave.
Clatsop Community
College Board, 6:30 p.m.,
Columbia Hall Room 219,
1650 Lexington Ave.,
Astoria.
Astoria Planning Commis-
sion, 6:30 p.m., City Hall,
1095 Duane St.
Gearhart City Council and
Planning Commission,
6:30 p.m., work session on
county housing study, City
Hall, 698 Pacifi c Way.
WEDNESDAY
Astoria School Board,
5:45 p.m., work session,
7 p.m. regular meeting,
Capt. Robert Gray School
third-fl oor boardroom, 785
Alameda Ave.
Wickiup Water District
Board, 6:30 p.m., 92648
Svensen Market Road,
Svensen.
Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners, 6:00 p.m.,
Judge Guy Boyington
Building, 857 Commercial
St., Astoria
THURSDAY
Seaside Convention Center
Commission, 5 p.m., Con-
vention Center, 415 First Ave.
Gearhart Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall,
698 Pacifi c Way.
Warrenton Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall,
225 S. Main Ave.
By R.J. MARX
The Astorian
SEASIDE — Astoria
Mayor Bruce Jones, a retired
U.S. Coast Guard captain,
provided a remembrance at
the 78th anniversary of Pearl
Harbor commemoration at
the Seaside Civic and Con-
vention Center on Saturday
morning.
Jones honored the mem-
ory of local Pearl Harbor
survivors Spurgeon D. Keeth
and William “Bill” Thomas,
who died over the past few
years . Thomas was the cata-
lyst for Seaside’s Pearl Har-
bor Memorial Bridge, chris-
tened in 2000.
“We honor the military
and civilian dead,” Jones
said. “We honor the thou-
sands of soldiers, sailors,
airmen, Marines and Coast
Guardsmen, as well as civil-
ians and volunteers, who
survived the attack and
then demonstrated remark-
able resiliency, courage and
teamwork not only fi ght-
ing back, but fi ghting count-
less terrible fi res, rescuing
trapped victims from burn-
ing ships, from the water,
and from under debris; per-
forming emergency medical
care to terribly wounded and
burned victims, even when
still under attack.
“‘Remember Pearl Har-
(USPS 035-000)
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offi cer Luke Thomas. There
was a welcome greeting by
Kim Wright of American
Legion Post 99.
Dozens joined the cere-
mony , followed by the toss-
ing of a wreath from the Pearl
Harbor Memorial Bridge
into the Necanicum River.
“It’s gratifying to see so
many people to take time
out of their morning to come
out on their Saturday and
pay their respects to veter-
ans of World War II, Viet-
nam and Korea,” Jones said
afterward .
The remembrance is a
reminder of “the signifi cance
of an attack on our country
and what that means in terms
of protecting our nation in
the future,” he added.
State wants more
money to help defendants
with mental illness
By SAM STITES
Oregon Capital Bureau
Reforms to Oregon’s sys-
tem for dealing with peo-
ple unfi t to stand trial aren’t
working as planned, with
judges challenged to fi nd
local treatment options for
those they used to send to the
Oregon State Hospital.
As a result, the state hos-
pital has not seen a sig-
nifi cant reduction in the
number of patients need-
ing hospital-level care. And
mental health advocates say
legislation passed earlier
this year inappropriately left
in place language that con-
tinues to stigmatize people
needing public help.
In recent years, Oregon
judges have sent more and
more patients to the state
hospital for treatment to
regain competency to help
in their own defense against
criminal charges. From 2017
to 2018, there was a 15%
increase in patients sent to
the state hospital , from 610
to 719. So far in 2019, there
have been 633 patients found
unfi t to stand trial sent to the
facility .
Under legislation passed
this year, judges were asked
to fi nd local treatment for
people deemed unfi t to stand
trial, reserving hospital-level
care for those found to be
dangerous to themselves or
others.
In the 12 months leading
up to Senate Bill 24, the state
hospital received on average
59 aid and assist patients per
month. In the four months
following the law’s passage,
the hospital received an aver-
age of 54 per month.
While mental health pro-
fessionals agree that treating
patients in their own com-
munities leads to better out-
comes, many counties don’t
have the ability to provide
treatment, forcing judges to
either keep defendants jailed
— violating their civil rights
— or release them to the
streets.
A work group of 50 indi-
viduals representing the
courts, public defenders,
prosecutors, mental health
advocates and behavioral
health professionals is now
working on fi xes to ensure
mentally ill criminal defen-
dants get the help they need.
One of those members is
Multnomah County Judge
Nan Waller. She recently
addressed lawmakers on the
legislative joint Judiciary
Committee on what’s being
done to fi x issues created by
the reform measures.
“All the players to the
aid and assist process have
one goal, and that is to make
sure that people get the treat-
ment we’re obligated to pro-
vide them in the most appro-
Motorcyclist struck by vehicle
in crash on Highway 101
Established July 1, 1873
bor’ became a rallying cry for
our nation,” Jones continued.
“The resilience, determina-
tion, courage and resolve
demonstrated by young men
like Bill Thomas and Spur-
geon Keeth and thousands of
others on Dec. 7, 1941, stood
as a model for all Americans
from that day forward.”
Saturday’s remembrance
came after a proclamation by
the city honoring the victims
and veterans of the Japa-
nese attack. “On that day, life
changed in America, and the
course of history was altered
forever,” the proclamation
states.
Guests included Jones,
Seaside Mayor Jay Barber,
pastor Dave Barnet and Clat-
sop County veterans service
The Astorian
A motorcyclist was seri-
ously injured after being
struck by a vehicle Friday
on U.S. Highway 101 and
Patriot Way.
A driver reportedly
stopped to turn left into
Camp Rilea before turning
and crashing into a motorcy-
clist traveling southbound.
The driver told police he did
not see the motorcyclist.
The motorcyclist was
seriously injured and taken
to a Portland area hospital.
The highway was closed
to one southbound lane
during the investigation.
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Statesman Journal
The state wants more criminal defendants with mental illness
treated in local communities instead of the Oregon State
Hospital.
priate setting. Nobody wants
people languishing in jail.
Nobody wants the capacity
issues at the hospital to get
out of hand. Nobody wants
mentally ill people on our
streets,” Waller testifi ed.
According to Waller, her
court time includes dealing
with individuals who suf-
fer from signifi cant mental
health issues, many of whom
have committed misdemean-
ors that often relate to pov-
erty and homelessness. She
said the Oregon Judicial
Department is hiring six new
employees to collect data to
identify the gap is between
the services people need and
what’s available.
Researchers will report on
the numbers of cases where a
defendant is unfi t to proceed
or pending an evaluation for
fi tness, evaluations ordered,
those transferred to the state
hospital , number of in-cus-
tody review hearings held,
number of cases dismissed
due to a defendant’s lack of
fi tness and more.
“As somebody who every
week has to make decisions
about releasing people from
jail who do not have any
place to go, there is nothing
more disheartening than to
say to somebody, ‘Do you
have a coat? Is there any-
one you might call? Is there
any place you have to go?’”
Waller testifi ed. “I have
released people because
we haven’t had any place
and not met hospital-level
of care. That is unfortunate
and not as a society what we
should be doing.”
Most stakeholders agree
that the recent legislation
was just one step to address
Oregon’s mental health
issues.
“We all realized this bill
had some big missing pieces,
so the crux of this work
group is to look at some of
those big cracks and fi gure
out how to ensure there’s a
smooth, effi cient and consti-
tutional process,” said Emily
Cooper, legal counsel for
Disability Rights Oregon.
Pedestrian seriously injured
after hit-and-run in Seaside
The Astorian
SEASIDE — A pedestrian
was seriously injured after
being hit by a car Saturday
night in the area of 12th Ave-
nue and N. Holladay Drive in
Seaside.
Erick Yetzael Mendez
Lopez, 22, was arrested for
assault in the third degree,
driving under the infl uence
of intoxicants, reckless driv-
ing, two counts of recklessly
endangering another person
and two counts of failure to
perform the duties of a driver.
His blood alcohol content
was 0.15%.
Police say Mendez Lopez
was driving northbound on N.
Holladay Drive and caused
signifi cant damage after hit-
ting a stopped vehicle. Men-
dez Lopez continued north-
bound and then struck Justin
Powell, 36, who was walking
across the street through the
intersection.
Powell was taken to
Columbia Memorial Hos-
pital in Astoria with serious
injuries.
Police say Mendez Lopez
fl ed the scene and was found
walking on 15th Avenue
between Holladay and Roos-
evelt Drive.