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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2017)
REGION Thursday, August 31, 2017 East Oregonian PENDLETON State accuses forgery defendant of new crimes while he was free By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris A wheelchair charging station has been installed on the ground fl oor of the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. Fifteen wheelchair charging stations have been installed in the county over the course of the summer. Courthouse gets power chair charger By EMILY OLSON East Oregonian The Umatilla County Courthouse received a new power chair charger on Wednesday, making it the 14th site in Umatilla County to receive a charger this summer. The charger, a gray box containing an air-cooled, fi ve-amp unit, is the brain- child of Pendleton’s Darrin Umbarger. Umbarger relies on a wheelchair because of his multiple sclerosis and dreamed up the charger two years ago as a way to mitigate fears of a dead battery. “I thought I’d just make a couple for Pendleton,” he said. “It’s only expanded from there.” Pendleton was the fi rst city in the United States to install the chargers, said Donnie Cook, superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department. The department Staff photo by E.J. Harris Ginny Kearns, Jim Setzer, Darrin Umbarger, Umatil- la County Commissioner George Murdock and Dan Lonia stand for a photo with the new wheelchair charging station at the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. alone put in 10, including two at the aquatic center. And this summer, Umatilla County Health installed 15 thanks to the Plan 4 Health initiative funded by Good Shepard Medical Center. Seven are housed in Pendleton, fi ve in Hermiston, two in Milton-Freewater, and one each in Stanfi eld and Pilot Rock. Ginny Kearns, an intern with Umatilla County Health who helped oversee the installations, said they had plenty of candidates for good spots — anywhere that was open and convenient. Based on the success in Pendleton, the department had no doubts people would use them. “Just having the chargers around is symbolic,” said Jim Setzer, the county health director. “We’d like to make it so it’s easy to be healthy in the community. The county is committed to inclusion, and we hope we’ll show the way for everyone else.” Umbarger said he’s unaware of any other compa- nies that make the charging stations. He’s already sold about 60 at a retail price of roughly $350. The Oregon State Capitol was one notable customer. This June, Oregon became the fi rst capitol with a charging station. One county in Ohio has also installed a few chargers, and Umbarger said he got a call from the St. Louis Zoo about two weeks ago. “These could be every- where,” Umbarger said. “If you have time to sit and wait, you could be charging.” BRIEFLY Historic cemeteries commission partners with SOLVE SALEM — Cemetery cleanup efforts are planned across the state to help ensure they are spruced up prior to Veterans Day. The Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries is partnering with SOLVE to bring cemetery cleanups into the statewide Beach & Riverside Cleanup, presented by the Oregon Lottery. Many of the cemeteries were established in the 1800s and are in need of helping hands to remove invasive weeds and woody debris, clean headstones, and assist in other tasks. Most of the planned cleanup efforts are Saturday, Sept. 23 unless otherwise noted at www.solveoregon. org/historic-cemetery- cleanups. For more information about the historic cemeteries commission, contact Kuri Gill at 503-986-0685 or kuri. gill@oregon.gov. Local students R-E-P-R-E-S- E-N-T Umatilla County SALEM — A pair of Umatilla County students are among the 63 star spellers from 27 counties across the state who will compete at the Oregon State Fair. Tad Farley of Hermiston and Zoe Russell of Pend- leton will participate in the Oregon Statewide Spelling Championship. KOIN 6‘s Andrew Dymburt is the master of ceremonies for the event, which is Saturday at 10 a.m. in Picnic Grove at the fairgrounds in Salem. Students competing in the championship have made their way through prelim- inary rounds at the school, district and county level. Following the champion- ships, Dymburt will emcee The Bee at the Fair. A verbal spelling bee that’s open to all Oregon State Fair patrons, the junior division starts at 2:30 p.m. and the teen/adults will compete at 3:30 p.m. It will be held in Columbia Hall. In its ninth year of spon- soring the contest, Oregon Spellers is an all-volunteer group funded solely by donations and sponsored by the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted. For more information, contact oregonspellers@kaynor.net or visit www.oregonspellers. org. HHS class of 1962 holds reunion HERMISTON — Members of the Hermiston High School class of 1962 are gearing up to celebrate 55 years since turning the tassel. The no-host gathering is Friday, Sept. 8 from 5 p.m. to midnight at Midway Bar & Grill, 1750 N. First St., Hermiston. For more information, search Midway Bar on Facebook. Youth theater gets set for zany season HERMISTON — Budding actors and actresses are invited to participate in the Children’s Community Theater program, which includes staging a comedy. The class provides information on stage presence, voice control and acting techniques. The group will rehearse Oct. 2 through Nov. 15 for upcoming performances of “Fearsome Pirate Frank.” Offered through Hermiston Parks & Recreation, the class will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. A pair of performances will be staged Saturday, Nov. 18. The play centers around the star of a popular pirate play. Fearsome Pirate Frank is the teen heartthrob of Page 3A every girl in Shakespearean England. However, he can’t seem to remember his lines. Laughs will be plentiful with the narrators and a stream of hilarious sign- carriers. The zany spoof also features pop culture, including an appearance by Spider-Man. The cost is $50 for Hermiston residents or $63 for non-residents. The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 15. For more information, visit www. hermistonrecreation.com, call 541-667-5018 or stop by the recreation offi ce at 180 N.E. Second St., Hermiston. Theater leaps into sensory-friendly viewing HERMISTON — A special viewing of “Leap!” provides a comfortable atmosphere with the lights up a little, the volume down and the fl exibility for audience members to move around. The Arc Umatilla County in conjunction with Hermiston Stadium 8 Cinema is offering the sensory-friendly showing. Individuals with special needs and their families or caregivers are invited to attend. The sensory show is Saturday with the doors opening at 10 a.m. at 355 W. Theater Lane, off Highway 395 in Hermiston. The movie starts at 10:30 a.m. and costs $5 per person. The Arc advocates for the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They offer activities to help connect families and community members and focus on expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. For more information about The Arc programs, services and activities, call 541-567-7615 or visit www.facebook.com/ arcofumatillacounty. Book club to discuss ‘The Japanese Lover’ HERMISTON — A novel by best-selling author Isabel Allende is featured at the upcoming Hermiston Public Library book club meeting. Bookminders will discuss “The Japanese Lover,” which is described as a magical and sweeping love story that focuses on a couple who is forced to hide from the world. The gathering is Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. at The Pheasant Bar & Grill, 149 E. Main St., Hermiston. The book club, which is free and open to everyone, meets the second Wednesday of each month. For more information, call 541-567-2882. ——— Submit information to: community@ eastoregonian.com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541-966- 0818 with questions. Dustin James Verrall of Pendleton was on Wednes- day’s circuit court schedule to change his plea to charges of making counterfeit money. But Pendleton police arrested him Tuesday morning for illegally entering a vehicle and trespassing at the Pendleton Baptist Church, 3202 S.W. Nye Ave. And Verrall by Wednesday afternoon the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Offi ce charged Verrall with multiple counts in fi ve more cases. Prosecutor Jameson Hayes told Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen the circumstances moved fast and “came to a head” Wednesday. He said while Verrall was out of jail he continued to commit new crimes. In addition to the charges of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and second-degree trespassing from Tuesday, court records show the state charged Verrall in the following cases: • second-degree theft and unlawful entry into a motor vehicle from a July 23 theft of tools and attempt to steal a motorcycle; • unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and two counts each of identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card on Aug. 7 and 8; • attempted second-de- gree theft; unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, two counts of identity theft, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card; and seven counts of aggravated identity theft. Hayes also charged Verrall with possession of methamphet- amine. The deputy district attorney explained the crime occurred Nov. 15, 2016, but the state was waiting on results from the Oregon State Police crime lab. Lieuallen set bail on the new cases at $90,000 and set preliminary hearings in each for Sept. 7. Verrall is one of fi ve Pendleton men the state charged with altering $1 bills to look like $100 bills. Co-defendants Zachary James Norton, 33, and Timothy McMurphy, 30, are serving probation after pleading guilty to fi rst-de- gree forgery. Court records show the other two, Dan Elmer Wilson Jr., 33, and Tyler Dunn, 18, remain at large with warrants for their arrests. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. Judge Lieuallen takes no guff from jail inmate By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Kimberly Diane Dooley of Pendleton earned herself more than a month in the Umatilla County Jail for cussing at a judge. Dooley, 27, was in the jail in Pendleton for failure to appear on methamphetamine possession and delivery case and on a case of felon Dooley in possession of a fi rearm, according to court records, as well as for violating probation. She appeared Wednesday afternoon in circuit court in Pendleton via video from the jail. Dooley’s court appointed attorney, Kittee Custer, told her the district attorney’s offi ce offered a deal of 15 months in prison on the charges, but it upped that to 16 because she skipped a previous court appearance. Dooley became upset and stated she needed time to prepare her residence for her prison stay and wanted to say goodbye to her son. Custer and Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen told her not to talk in open court. Dooley ignored them and pleaded for release. Lieuallen said he hears hard-luck stories often, but Dooley did not show for her required court appearance. Dooley responded by calling the judge “a [expletive] punk.” Lieuallen said that earned her two days in jail for contempt of court. Dooley didn’t stop, however and the judge ordered the deputy at the jail to mute her microphone. Lieuallen allowed her to speak moments later to deal with her probation viola- tion. He said she did not complete key provisions of her probation and owed more than $400 in fees. Custer said the state would revoke her probation as part of the 16-month deal. “I’ll take the 16 months, I’ll take the revoke, or what- ever,” Dooley said. “Then I’m done.” Custer told her she would have to stay in jail until next Wednesday, when she would have a change of plea hearing and could receiving sentencing. Dooley again fl ung invec- tives and again called the judge “a [expletive] punk.” Lieuallen, keeping his composure, said “that’s gonna cost you 30,” and closed the hearing. Dooley’s change of plea remains on the court schedule for Sept. 6. TWO HOURS every morning paid off my credit card debt. ! e s u o H n e p O SAT. SEPT. 2nd, 10-Noon 1 HEATHER CT., HELIX, OR. NE HELI W X PR ICE Jerry Baker Broker $177,500 REALLY NICE 3 BED 2 BATH 1484 SQFT(M/L) manufactured home on a corner lot in a private culdesac. It has a handicap ramp, oversized interior doors and a walk in shower. Covered patio in the back and with an oversized carport with open breezeway . Nicely landscaped, house sits on .34 acres but also includes another .18 acre easement for replacement drain field. Includes a 12x15 outbuilding that is wired and insulated and set up for storage and has a covered porch. Jerry Baker 541-969-6378cell. #17269206 37 SE Dorion Ave 541-276-0021 W H I T N E Y & A S S O C I AT E S www.coldwellbankerwhitney.com Become an East Oregonian Carrier. 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton or call: 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255
