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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 2016)
REGION Thursday, March 10, 2016 East Oregonian PENDLETON HERMISTON Former CIA agent talks to Sunridge students about his time undercover Victims’ parents make case for sex offender Ramirez sentenced to 18 months in jail By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Between discussions of espionage and spy recruitment at Sunridge Middle School, fomer CIA agent Bryan Wright had a lesson to impart. In front of a few dozen students during Brice Gundlach’s social studies and journalism classes, Wright told kids that youthful indis cretions could have repercussions later in life. Wright said he was hit by one of those repercussions during the CIA hiring process, when he was forced to recall stealing some cash from a basketball concessions stand as a teenager. Although he had to endure some additional grilling during the polygraph test, Wright went on to a career as an intelligence agent before making the decision to return to civilian life. Wright, 39, was invited to speak in front of the class by his niece, eighth grader Macy Rosselle Wright was already familiar with the area, having spent the ¿rst years of his life in Heppner. Following his parents divorce, Wright’s family lived in Pendleton and Medford before settling in Lewiston, Idaho when he was 12. Despite growing up poor, Wright was able to secure a fullride schol arship to Gonzaga University, where he graduated with a degree in interna tional studies. “I wanted to explore the world, I just didn’t know how,” he said. Wright found his answer when he was accepted into the CIA’s clandes tine service just after 9/11. Wright was sent to Africa as part of the agency’s counterterrorism efforts. Staff photo by Antonio Sierra Former CIA agent Bryan Wright talks to a Sunridge Middle School class Wednesday. While he couldn’t disclose the exact location or nature of his missions, Wright said that what he did wasn’t too different than James Bond or Jason Bourne. Wright regaled the class with slightly redacted stories of using a mysterious combination of numbers to locate a terrorist and unexpectedly recruiting a spy at a party he hosted. Asked by a student whether used any “ninja stuff” during his time with the CIA, Wright said his primary job as an agent was to be quiet and inconspicuous. “If I do my job well, I never have to use a gun,” he said. The work also “took a lot out of my heart and my soul,” Wright said. Besides the lies he told to cultivate sources and informants, Wright said a friend was killed by an alQaida double agent. Wright took a sabbatical from 20062011 to do some background check work for a private equity group in New York and left the agency for good in 2015. Wright returned home to Heppner and is interested in leveraging his experience in the agency to ¿gure out ways to keep rural areas vibrant in an increasingly urbancentric country. In the meantime, Wright is keeping himself busy by making media appearances on networks like Fox Business, consulting on Hollywood movies and writing articles about technology and international affairs. Although he’s happy to be back home in Eastern Oregon to spend more time with his family and has no plans to return to the agency, he has no regrets about his choice of career. “I’d go back in a heartbeat,” he said. 3KHODQZLWKGUDZV3HQGOHWRQ&LW\&RXQFLOFDQGLGDF\ East Oregonian Less than 24 hours into his ¿rst campaign for Pendleton City Council, Ward 3 candidate Tom Phelan with drew from the race and pledged his support for Dale Primmer. “I believe that Dale has the experi ence and knowledge to represent the people of Ward 3 and will do what is best for the city of Pendleton,” his withdrawal paperwork states. According to Phelan’s campaign Facebook page, which had amassed 192 likes since it was created Friday, Phelan is an insurance agent and a longtime Little League coach. Despite Phelan’s withdrawal, there are still three candidates in the Ward 3 races and 14 candidates overall in the municipal election. The remaining candidates in Ward 3 are Primmer, the Umatilla County director of community justice; Don Bennett, a retired Transportation Security Administration employee; and Cody Cimmiyotti, a bartender and customer service agent. The withdrawal deadline is March 11. /DFNRI¿QDQFLDOQXPEHUVVW\PLHV 8PDWLOOD&RXQW\GLVSDWFKFRPPLWWHH By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian The Umatilla Coun ty’s Dispatch Advisory Committee made no progress Tuesday on how much agen cies should pay for equipment upgrades and maintenance fees. The committee met for an hour at the Stafford Hansell Government Center, Herm iston, to sort out equipment cost sharing. Committee members, including Pend leton police Chief Stuart Roberts and Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith, wanted to know each agen cy’s share of the total cost. Sheriff’s Lt. Kathy Lieuallen, commander of the dispatch, said she did not have those ¿gures. Smith said those dollar amounts could affect how much Hermiston pays for dispatch services and perhaps trigger a new contract with the county for the upcoming ¿scal year. “We need to ¿gure that out or there will be no new funds,” he said. Umatilla County Commissioner Bill Elfering, who heads up the committee, agreed with Smith and others. “Everybody needs to know what they’re looking at here,” he said. Sheriff Terry Rowan said his staff would be able to get those numbers in a day or two and email them to committee members. The group decided to meet again March 22. Page 3A Elfering and Rowan are both running for reelection this year and have chal lengers. The sheriff’s of¿ce also wants participating agencies to help hire a new dispatcher. Lieuallen explained four dispatchers work a shift, but sometimes there is not enough staff available so supervisors ¿ll in on overtime. This year, she said, the dispatch center will spend almost $142,000 on overtime. Adding another position would cut down on that, she said, and allow supervisors to do their job and help dispatchers in the moment. Elfering said he wanted to see the cost difference between overtime and a new position. could participate in his own defense although his IQ was “signi¿cantly low.” After the evaluation, Davis ¿led a motion By JENNIFER COLTON for a change of plea. Davis said East Oregonian Ramirez is not “a predator” and is unlikely to reoffend with The victims’ parents tearfully treatment. asked the judge for leniency Ramirez then pleaded guilty Wednesday morning in the to two felony counts of ¿rstde sentencing of a man convicted gree attempted sexual abuse. of sex abuse. There was one charge for each Luis Alberto of the victims. Ramirez, 21, entered Each count is a the Hermiston Circuit deportable offense, Court with eight but the family asked counts of ¿rstdegree that Ramirez not be sexual abuse and two sent back to Mexico. counts of ¿rstdegree Temple said that sodomy involving decision is out of two female relatives her jurisdiction. The who were under the mother acknowledged age of 14 at the time Ramirez had a severe of the abuse. He left Ramirez problem, but said the courtroom with a he knows no one plea deal of 18 months in jail, in Mexico and comes from a four years of probation and a family that has suffered. The lifetime record as a sex offender. father of the victims also spoke. “We all do things, and we “I’ve known him as a child, have to pay for it,” the mother and I know something happened of the victims said through an to him. But he is a good boy and interpreter. “My daughters love he always respected us,” he him. My son misses him as well. said through a translator. “I’ve They say they forgive him.” always taught everybody from The court did not identify the childhood that when someone parents by full name to protect commits a crime, they have the identity of the victims. The to pay for it. That’s why he’s age of the victims was not here today — because we love released, other than that both him, not because we hate him. were younger than 14 at the … Lastly, I want him to know time of the incidents. Through that he’s not alone, that he can most of the hearing the parents, always count on us.” sitting in the back of the court Ramirez was sentenced to room, wore headphones and 18 months in prison, eligible for listened to a translation of the early release for good behavior. proceedings in Spanish while He was also sentenced to 200 Judge Eva Temple worked hours of community service through the case. work and 60 months of post Ramirez, born in Mexico, prison supervision. came to Hermiston via Cali Ramirez will be required to fornia to live with his aunt and register as a sex offender within uncle. Over a period of time in 10 days of his birthday every 2010 and 2011, while a student year. at Hermiston High School, Ramirez, clad in a yellow Ramirez allegedly assaulted the jumpsuit and handcuffs, victims, both his relatives. spoke little during the hearing, In October, Ramirez was providing yes and no answers to arrested on sexual abuse most questions. charges. He pleaded not guilty. “I just wanted to say that at According to defense the time I was going through a attorney Kara Davis, a lot of things being a teenager,” psychological evaluation in Ramirez told the court. “I just February determined Ramirez wanted to say I’m sorry.” For All Your Shooting Needs Elite Guns & Bows , LLC Celebrating Our 2 Year Anniversar y - Large N ew Inventory GET M ORE BAN G FOR YOUR BUCK See Elite before buying and SAVE! • Rifles We aim for the • Shotguns lowest prices • AR’s • Pistols • Highest Quality • Reloading • Product • Tactical Knowledge • Optics • Friendly Service • Gun Smithing 213 SE 2nd St., Pendleton, OR 97801 541-276-1243 www.elitegunsandbows.com
