REGION
Saturday, September 2, 2017
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK
Page 3A
BOARDMAN
Murder suspect
asks for settlement
for the settlement confer-
ence, but there is a pre-trial
proceeding in the case
David Alexander Alvarez Thursday.
Alvarez, 18, faces charges
of Boardman is looking to
go behind closed doors for of murder, second-degree
a deal on the murder case manslaughter and two counts
unlawful use of a weapon.
against him.
Alvarez’s
attorney, The state accused Alvarez
of shooting and
Dean Gushwa of
killing Evencio
Pendleton, fi led a
Salas
Birrueta,
request Monday in
27, of Irrigon,
Morrow County
the night of Sept.
Circuit Court for a
11, 2016, at the
settlement confer-
Wilson
Road
ence.
Circuit
Mobile
Home
Judge Eva Temple
Park, Boardman.
signed the order
In an unrelated
Tuesday.
case,
Cesar
Gushwa
in Alvarez
Corcuera Jimenez,
court documents
stated he reviewed the 27, is heading to a settle-
evidence in the case, ment conference Sept. 22
consulted with Alvarez and in Morrow County Circuit
concluded a “settlement Court. He faces charges of
conference mediated by a attempted murder, fi rst-de-
circuit court judge could lead gree assault and more. The
to a negotiated settlement in state accused Jimenez of
shooting and injuring Robert
this case.”
Gushwa also stated he Aguilera of Boardman with a
spoke with Morrow County .22-caliber rifl e on April 29.
Court records also show
District Attorney Justin
Nelson, and “he agrees such Jimenez has a two-day trial
a conference could help starting Tuesday in Umatilla
reach a resolution in this case County Circuit Court for
possession of metham-
short of trial.”
Nelson did not immedi- phetamine, unlawful use
of a weapon, fourth-degree
ately return a call Friday.
Most proceedings in assault and felon in posses-
Oregon courts are open to sion of a restricted weapon.
the public, but settlement The state accused him of
conferences are not. The committing the crimes in
court has yet to set a date January.
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A rafter of wild turkeys crosses a bridge over East Birch Creek on East Birch Creek Road outside of Pilot Rock in
January, 2013.
Roaming turkeys make trouble
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Pilot Rock City Council
will talk turkey Tuesday
night.
Hundreds of the wild game
birds are making their home
in the small town in the foot-
hills of the Blue Mountains.
City Recorder Teri Porter in
a memo to the council stated,
“Several citizens have called
city hall with concerns and
looking for help from our
city leaders.”
Citizens have complained
about the droppings left by
the turkeys and damage to
property and landscaping
caused by the roaming
rafters.
Mayor Virginia Carnes
said the situation sure is
interesting, and she saw
maybe a hundred or more
of the fl ightless birds a few
weeks ago near the commu-
nity center. The turkeys fl ock
in more than one group, she
said, and roost at night in the
trees along Birch Creek.
“Not every town has its
own turkey herd,” she said.
“But we don’t know what to
do about them.”
The city council plans to
discuss the matter when it
meets Tuesday starting at 7
p.m. at city hall. Porter in the
memo told the council she
spoke with Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
staff about how to get a
handle on the birds.
“First and foremost
DO NOT FEED THE
TURKEYS,” the memo
states. “They also suggested
knocking them off their
roosts after dark.”
Porter
recommended
asking someone from the
state wildlife department to
come to a council meeting
to serve up some possible
turkey solutions.
Adopting a taxing district
to support the Oregon State
University Extension Service
comes back before council
for consideration. Umatilla
County Board of Commis-
sioners gave its approval for
the district, which also would
span Morrow County. And
the city council of Hermiston
voted to put the matter on the
May 2018 ballot.
The council also will
consider updating city laws
to exempt assistance and
service dogs from licensing.
The move would bring the
city’s code into compliance
with state and federal laws.
And Pilot Rock Police Chief
Bill Caldera plans to ask the
council to make changes to
the code for dealing with
storing cars on city streets,
including allowing people to
store the vehicles in public
for 72 hours instead of 24.
Pendleton looks to cut old airport debt
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The
Pendleton
City
Council will look into paying
less for old investments at
the Eastern Oregon Regional
Airport before potentially
approving new ones.
With Round-Up week
wiping away the council’s
usual workshop on the
second Tuesday of the month,
the council will include
workshop items with regular
business at the Tuesday
meeting.
Among the workshop
items is a discussion of
writing off interest on $2.5
million in airport debt with
the city’s auditor, Rob
Tremper.
The city has long used
interfund loans to subsidize
the
airport,
previously
borrowing from the general
fund and library trust fund
before moving the source to
the sewer fund and system
development charge fund.
City Manager Robb
Corbett said state law gives
Pendleton fl exibility on how
EO fi le photo
The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton.
to pay back its interfund debt.
According to a spreadsheet
prepared by Tremper, Pend-
leton has paid more than $1.2
million in interest since 1995.
Longterm, the city intends
to use revenue from the
Pendleton Unmanned Aerial
Systems Range to pay back
the debt.
Corbett said the council
won’t take action on Tuesday
but could vote on a resolution
to write off the interest at a
future meeting.
The council is set to take
action on another airport
project, a $995,323 contract
with Pioneer Construction
of Pendleton to install new
water mains and do road
work at the airport’s indus-
trial park.
According to a report
from City Engineer Tim
Simons and Public Works
Director Bob Patterson, the
need to improve the airport’s
water infrastructure was
discovered during the master
Police stun suspect during confrontation
East Oregonian
Milton-Freewater police
used a stun gun to take down
a burglary suspect. Police
Chief Doug Boedigheimer in
a written statement reported
the jolt of electricity from
the Taser prevented Rodrigo
Campos-Rodriguez
from
grabbing a nearby knife.
Milton-Freewater police
on Tuesday investigated
a burglary, Boedigheimer
reported, and developed
probable cause to arrest
Rodriguez, 21, who likely is
a vagrant in the Milton-Free-
water area.
While an offi cer was
contacting
a
burglary
victim, the city’s dispatch
told police Rodriguez was
trespassing just a few houses
away. Rodriguez was gone,
however, before the offi cer
arrived.
Another
Milton-Free-
water offi cer on Thursday
spotted Rodriguez riding
a bicycle in the area of De
Haven Street and Broadway
Avenue, ordered Rodriguez
to stop and told him he was
under arrest.
“Rodriguez refused to
comply, fl ed fi rst on the
bicycle, then on foot, to
the area of 115 N.W. First
St., which is an apartment
complex,” the chief reported.
“Multiple offi cers were
unable to locate Rodriguez
at this time.”
Later that day, police
received a tip that Rodriguez
returned and was at 115½
N.W. First St. Offi cers
contacted a resident there,
who confi rmed Rodriguez
was inside and allowed
offi cers in to make the arrest.
Rodriguez was “non-com-
pliant,” Boedigheimer stated,
and a knife was within his
reach, so police shot Rodri-
guez with a stun gun, which
“brought Rodriguez into
compliance.” Police arrested
him with no more problems.
Paramedics checked out
Rodriguez, and offi cers took
him to the police department,
then to the Umatilla County
Jail, Pendleton.
Rodriguez faces charges
of fi rst-degree criminal tres-
pass, fi rst-degree burglary,
fi rst-degree theft, third-de-
gree theft, resisting arrest
and interfering with a peace
offi cer. Police also arrested
him on a Umatilla County
felony probation violation
warrant for failure to appear.
Hearing set for Lifeways psychiatric hospital
HERMISTON — The
Oregon Health Authority has
set a date for a public hearing
for Lifeways’ proposed
psychiatric hospital, Aspen
Springs, in Hermiston. The
public hearing required in the
Certifi cate of Need process
for the hospital will be at 1:30
p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at the
Hermiston Conference Center,
415 Hwy. 395, Hermiston.
Anyone present at the
meeting will have the chance
to ask questions of the OHA
Public Health Division staff
about the proposed facility
and its functions.
Once the facility has its
certifi cate, there are several
other steps that Lifeways
will have to complete before
beginning operations at 1212
W. Linda Ave., Hermiston.
planning process.
“When the modeling
analysis was done as part of
the plan, it was found that this
water main backbone would
not be capable to support
future development in other
parts of the Airport Industrial
Area,” they wrote. “This
project will provide addi-
tional water fl ow capacity
to the entire area in the East
Airport Industrial Park, as
well as better supply to future
development to the west.”
The city will use funds
from an Oregon Legislature
bill passed in 2009 for the
Airport Road extension
project to cover the cost
of improving roads at the
airport.
Patterson and Simons
wrote that the money will
go toward reconstructing
Northwest H Avenue and
Northwest 49th Street in
addition to new overlays for
other streets in the airport
industrial area.
The council will meet at 7
p.m. at the council chambers
in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave.
With the
extra money,
my dream
car became
a reality.
Barn workshop coming Oct. 7
UNION — Restore
Oregon, a nonprofi t orga-
nization advocating for
the preservation of historic
places, will host its 2017
Annual Heritage Barn
Workshop on Friday, Oct. 7
at Oregon State University’s
Eastern Oregon Agriculture
Research Center in Union.
The workshop will be
held at the center’s 1914 “big
red barn,” and will feature
some of the state’s most
well-versed experts to share
their skills and expertise.
Barn owners can learn about
how to maintain, rehabilitate
and adapt heritage barns
for modern use, as well as
funding options available.
Local partners include
the Eastern Oregon Visitors
Association and OSU
Extension Service.
The event will run from
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and
includes lunch. Tickets are
$10, and can be purchased
at www.restoreoregon.org.
For more information, call
503-243-1923.
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