REGION
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Benedict accepts
Cannon Beach
ire chief position
community.
A Portland native,
Matt
Benedict
is Benedict was recruited to
work for the Pendleton Fire
heading for the coast.
According
to
the Department in 1994 and
Cannon Beach Gazette, the has since made a life for
Pendleton Fire Department himself in Eastern Oregon.
In addition to his
assistant ire chief and
duties with the
ire marshal was
ire department,
offered the ire
Benedict
also
chief
position
serves as chief
at the Cannon
to the volunteer
Beach
Rural
Helix
Rural
Fire Protection
Fire Protection
District.
District while his
Interviewed
wife is a member
last week, Bene-
of the Helix City
dict said he has
Council.
accepted the job
His last day
contingent upon Benedict
with the depart-
contract negoti-
ations, which he doesn’t ment will be May 31.
Pendleton Fire Chief
expect to be an obstacle to
Mike Ciraulo commended
joining the district.
Benedict, 47, will earn Benedict for his new job
between $67,500 and and said he was well-liked
$75,000 at the district, in the department.
Ciraulo
said
Jack
which extends from the
a
former
Highway 101/26 junction Remillard,
to the northeastern tip Pendleton ire marshal and
of Tillamook County in Umatilla County emer-
gency manager, will cover
Falcon Cove.
Benedict said he was ire marshal duties on an
attracted to the job because interim basis while the
he and his wife wanted to department searches for a
be closer to their families full-time replacement.
While he’s encouraging
in Portland. Benedict also
said Cannon Beach is one department personnel to
of his favorite vacation apply for the position,
spots and he is looking Ciraulo said the city will
forward to serving out cast a wide net in looking
the rest of his career and for the next ire marshal-as-
retiring in the coastal sistant chief.
East Oregonian
Staff Photo by Jennifer Colton
Members of mariachi band Los Temerosos sing and play down Second Street on Sunday during the Cinco de
Mayo parade through downtown Hermiston.
Crowds celebrate Cinco de Mayo
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
Large crowds attended Hermis-
ton’s Cinco de Mayo celebration this
weekend, sampling food, vendors and
carnival rides to recognize the historic
day, which oficially takes place
Thursday.
The carnival opened in the parking
lot behind the Hermiston Public
Library earlier in the week, and the
main event kicked off at 1 p.m. Sunday
with a parade, live entertainment and
the “caballo bailando” — dancing
horse — competition.
The swath of Second Street opposite
Hermiston City Hall was closed off for
the event.
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, gave
the opening address, and Tom Spoo,
principal at Hermiston High School,
served as grand marshal for the parade,
which included more than 100 partic-
ipants — and more than two dozen
horses, most prepped and ready for the
exhibition and dancing contest.
The Hermiston event has grown
every year. This was the fourth year it
UMATILLA
TRCI inmate found dead
Children walk in the Hermiston Cinco de Mayo parade, Sunday.
has taken place in downtown Herm-
iston, and organizers have said they
hope to move to the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center in 2017.
———
Contact Jennifer Colton
jcolton@eastoregonian.com
541-564-4534
at
or
HERMISTON
Naked woman in ‘crisis’ arrested after four incidents
East Oregonian
Hermiston
police
were kept busy Monday
responding to numerous
incidents involving a woman
Police Chief Jason Edmiston
said in a news release was
“clearly having a crisis of
some kind.”
At approximately 2
a.m. oficers responded
to a disturbance at Tower
Apartments involving a
46-year-old woman who
had locked herself out of her
apartment and was causing a
scene.
At 7:15 a.m. they
Vejar-Garcia’s
next
of kin were notiied and
A 76-year-old inmate the Oregon State Police
Investigation
was found dead in his Criminal
cell Sunday morning at Division conducted an
Two Rivers Correctional investigation, as it does
with all unanticipated
Institution in Umatilla.
deaths.
Tomas Vejar-
Vejar-Garcia
Garcia had been
is the ifth TRCI
serving a sentence
inmate to die of
since June 1,
natural
causes
2012, for two
in the past nine
counts of irst-
weeks, according
degree sex abuse
to Stefancik.
in
Washington
Avis
County
and
Woodrum,
was eligible for
60,
Shawn
release on June 6. Vejar-Garcia
McMillian, 44,
Prison staff found
Ronald Marcus,
him unresponsive
in his cell at 7:53 a.m. 60, and Joel Abbot, 60,
have all died since February
Sunday.
County
medical 27.
TRCI
houses
examiner Rudy Stefancik
said the death was natural approximately 1,800 male
and no autopsy would be inmates and opened in
2000.
performed.
East Oregonian
Staff Photo by Jennifer Colton
contacted the woman again
after reports that she was
walking down the road
“acting crazy,” but she
refused offers of help.
At 9:30 a.m. Hermiston
police took the woman to
Good Shepherd Medical
Center after responding to
another call about her, this
time that she was walking
down Feedville Road naked.
And at 1:30 p.m. police
received “numerous calls”
from citizens who were
alarmed after the woman
walked away from the
hospital and down the road
with her bathrobe open.
At that point she was taken
to Umatilla County Jail in
Pendleton on charges of
disorderly conduct.
Edmiston said the chain
of events was an example of
a system that is “extremely
frustrating” for law enforce-
ment.
“The new trend across the
nation is to train oficers to
interact with people in crisis
differently than before,” he
wrote in a statement. “Inas-
much as that sounds great,
the reality is people who are
in crisis should be getting
treatment from professionals
not from line level police
oficers.
“In my opinion, the
system failed yet again in
this case as our agency was
forced to arrest a person
that clearly needs medical
treatment of some kind.”
Mother’s Day
Prime
Rib
Buffet
Sunday, May 8 10am - 2pm
Featuring
CARVED SLOW ROASTED PRIME RIB
ROASTED RED POTATOES
FRESH GREEN BEANS WITH BACON
CHICKEN BUNKHOUSE PASTA
WHISKY MEATBALLS
FESTIVE SCRAMBLED EGGS
APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON &
SAUSAGE PATTIES
HAMLEY BISCUITS & GRAVY
CHEESE BLINTZES
ASSORTED HAMLEY SALADS
HOT ROLLS & BUTTER
FRESH FRUIT SALAD
ASSORTED DESSERTS
5K RUN, 5K WALK, 10K RUN, KID'S BUTTE SCOOT
All races begin & end at Hermiston's Butte Park
DRAWINGS • FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
ALL YOU CAN EAT
26
1 6
$
per
person
$
kids
5-12
CALL TODAY FOR RESERVATIONS
541.278.1100 OPTION 2
COURT & MAIN, PENDLETON
p
U
n
Sig
Now!
Online registration & race information at
WWW.BUTTECHALLENGE.COM
All proceeds benefit
THE HERMISTON CROSS COUNTRY PROGRAM
Thank you for your support!
