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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2017)
70/54 HERMISTON FIREFIGHTERS QUASH BLAZE TIGERS LOSE BY ONE REGION/3A SPORTS/1B WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017 141st Year, No. 162 WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar Unease about white supremacy grows after Portland stabbings Christian defi ant during Tuesday court appearance By GILLIAN FLACCUS and STEVEN DUBOIS Associated Press Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP, Pool Jeremy Joseph Christian shouts as he is arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland Tuesday. Authorities say Christian started verbally abusing two young women, including one wearing a hijab. When three men on the train intervened, police say, Chris- tian attacked them, killing two and wounding one. PORTLAND — Unease about white supremacist activity in Portland deepened after the fatal stabbings of two men who tried to shield young women from an anti-Muslim tirade, and some people worry that the famously tolerant community could see a resurgence of the hostilities that once earned it the nickname “Skinhead City.” The attack aboard a light-rail train happened Friday, the fi rst day of Ramadan, the holiest time of the year for Muslims. Authorities say Jeremy Joseph Christian started verbally abusing two young women, including one wearing a hijab. When three men on the train intervened, police say, Christian attacked them, killing two and wounding one. Court documents released Tuesday for the fi rst time mentioned a fourth man who was the fi rst to intervene and was not attacked, but they did not identify him by his full name. Christian, 35, was defi ant during his brief initial court appearance Tuesday, shouting: “You call it terrorism, I call it patriotism!” He made repeated outbursts, saying, “You’ve got no safe place!” and “Death to the enemies of America!” Christian, who faces aggravated murder and other charges, didn’t enter a See STABBINGS/10A PENDLETON Lybrand faces sex crimes, witness tampering New charges prevent release from jail By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Chris Christensen uses a saw to cut lumber while working on the Speakeasy Clothing Co. on Tuesday in Pendleton. Business is blooming Three Pendleton businesses plan expansion with new buildings East Oregonian When three Pendleton central commercial district businesses needed more space, they didn’t look far to fi nd it. Two turned to store- fronts across from one another at the intersection of Southwest Court Avenue and 10th Street. Both sites were busy with renovations Tuesday, as Speakeasy Salon & Boutique and Robert Alan Pratt’s dentistry practice look to expand in June. Pratt’s practice will move to 916 S.W. Court Ave., a long-vacant building that previously housed an insurance agency and a 7-Eleven. Ruth Pratt, the dentist’s wife, said the offi ce needed See PENDLETON/10A Pendleton Veterinary Clinic owner Fiona Hillenbrand, center in the white lab coat, her staff and the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce ambassadors ceremonially broke ground at the site of the future clinic on Southwest Em- igrant Avenue Tuesday. Staff photo by Antonio Sierra Pilot Rock headed to state Pilot Rock’s Rhyanne Oates celebrates after crossing home plate during Tuesday’s state semifi nal 2A/1A soft- ball game against Union/ Cove. The Rockets beat the Bobcats 4-3 in extra innings and will advance to the state championship game against North Douglas on Friday. For more on the game and coverage of Stanfi eld and Pendleton’s semifi nal games see SPORTS 1B. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Downtown Pendleton business owner Jason Lybrand was due to get out of jail Tuesday for violating his drug probation. But charges of sex crimes are keeping him behind bars. Oregon State Police on Tuesday arrested Lybrand at the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on the following c h a r g e s : second-degree sexual abuse; two counts of contrib- uting to the sex delinquency of a minor; two counts of sexual misconduct; two counts of witness tampering; and Lybrand one count of using a minor to manufacture or deliver marijuana. Umatilla County Circuit Court records show the district attorney’s offi ce brought initial charges against Lybrand of one count of second-de- gree sexual abuse and two counts of witness tampering, all class C felonies. According to the charges, the state accused Lybrand of having sexual intercourse with the underage victim between Jan. 5 and May 17, although she could not consent, and on May 23 he sought to have the same victim either lie as a witness or not testify against him at all. Lybrand has been in the Umatilla County Jail since May 17, when the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team served three search warrants in Pendleton, including at Lybrand’s business, Wicked Kitty Tattoo and Piercing, 132 S. Main St., Pendleton. Police arrested Lybrand for violating his probation for drug crimes, which he started serving in early April. He was in court May 24 to answer to the probation violation. Chuck Byram, lieutenant with Pendleton police, testifi ed at the hearing and said he was part of the team that served the search warrant. In addition to fi nding drug evidence and ammunition, Byram said there was a 17-year-old girl at the business. Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen set Lybrand’s bail at $250,000. Lybrand has his next hearing in the new case June 6, where he likely will face charges stemming from a grand jury indictment. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833.
