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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2017)
REGION Thursday, September 7, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A HERMISTON UMATILLA Alleged attempted kidnapper of high school athlete arrested Cardenas had demonstrated similar behavior in other inci- A man was arrested dents, and encouraged those Wednesday, accused of trying who might have additional to kidnap a Hermiston High information or concerns to School student the previous call the department. The same evening he is week. Joel Cardenas, 35, of 990 accused of accosting the high W. Juniper Ave., Hermiston, school athlete, Cardenas was later reported to was charged with have walked inside harassment and two the 11th Street counts of sex abuse Market and grabbed in two different the breast of a incidents. He 34-year-old female was lodged in the employee. Umatilla County The store did not Jail. report the incident A 16-year-old until a few days female student later, and the officer was jogging in the involved in the case area of Southwest Cardenas was not able to talk Seventh Street and West Quince Avenue around to the employee immediately. 5 p.m. on Aug. 28 when a Edmiston said the incident in man allegedly grabbed her. the market occurred between The girl reported the incident 9 and 10 p.m. on Aug. 28. to the Hermiston Police It was reported Aug. 30. In Department about two hours that incident, Cardenas was later. She told police she charged with sex abuse in the believed the man tried to get third degree and harassment. Edmiston added that the her into his car. The identity of the man cooperation of his department was unknown at the time, but with other entities, along with the girl and other witnesses sharing the information on described him as about 5 feet social media, let to Cardenas’ 9 inches tall, balding, with eventual arrest. “Inasmuch as social facial hair, noticeable tattoos and driving a dark-colored media can be distracting with misinformation, calls and tips Toyota Prius. Hermiston Police Chief were made to our department Jason Edmiston said his from the Facebook post that department believed there assisted (in this case),” he was a strong likelihood that said. East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris A firefighter uses a ladder to enter the second story of the Tillicum Inn while fighting a fire in the hotel Wednesday in Umatilla. Fire damages Tillicum Inn hotel Five or six people were evacuated East Oregonian Umatilla’s Tillicum Inn was heavily damaged by fire Wednesday. The hotel, located at 1481 Sixth Street, was the scene of hours of active firefighting and mop-up by fire departments from throughout the region, including those as far away as Pendleton. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known. But around 12:30 p.m., Umatilla Police Chief Darla Huxel said it was thought to have been related to maintenance work. “They were working on a water line, or doing some soldering,” Huxel said. She said she did not know if the person doing the maintenance work was an employee of the inn. Huxel and other Umatilla police officers directed traffic as crews BRIEFLY Sunset Park celebration canceled Staff photo by E.J. Harris Firefighters from Umatilla and Morrow county respond to a fire at the Tillicum Inn on Wednesday in Umatilla. from Umatilla Fire Depart- ment battled the fire. They received mutual aid from Umatilla County Fire District 1 and Echo Rural Fire Department, Pendleton Fire Department and others. Five or six people were staying in the motel at the time and were evacuated. Inn manager Josephine Kepich said she did not know details about what happened and could not comment until she could get in touch with the owner. Outside the hotel, employees were discussing how to re-house their guests. The hotel has an annex behind the main building. PENDLETON Airport area gets OK for nearly $1M in improvements East Oregonian The Pendleton City Council continues to spend significant money at the airport. At a meeting Tuesday, the council unanimously approved $995,323 in street and water main work in the airport industrial area. Pioneer Construction’s bid will cover water main work that will boost capacity for the airport industrial area, roadway reconstruction on Northwest H Avenue and Northwest 49th Street, and roadway overlays on surrounding streets in the Airport Industrial Area, mostly between Northwest 46th Street, Northwest 53rd Street, Northwest A Avenue and Northwest H Avenue. In other council action: • Pioneer Construction also won the bid to recon- struct Southwest Marshall Avenue and Southwest First Street. According to a report from City Engineer Tim Simons, the 1,100-foot section of road between Southwest Nye Avenue and Southwest 14th Street is deteriorating because it was originally built with minimal gravel and asphalt and the soil underneath it has a tendency to move. The city rebuilt previous sections of Marshall in 2004, 2008 and 2014. Due to city utility work over the summer, First Street will be reconstructed from Southwest Goodwin Avenue to Southwest Hailey Avenue. • The council finalized a deal with Newburg developer Saj Jivanjee to move some city-owned liens at his Pendleton Heights subdivision, unanimously approving an ordinance that will reassess a local improvement district between Jinvajee’s develop- ment company and the city. The city placed $320,000 in liens on the townhouses to help cover $1.3 million in infrastructure improve- ments, which Jivanjee was originally supposed to pay once they were completed. As a part of the deal, Jivanjee agreed to pay the city $200,000 now and will pay the other $120,000 when he completes a planned 100-unit apartment complex on the property. • Although the council took no action, City Manager Robb Corbett and Rob Tremper, the city’s auditor, presented early proposals to significantly reduce the airport’s $2.5 million in interfund loan debt through an interest write-off. “It’s a huge number that hangs over our head and it becomes a problem,” Corbett said. “Once a year, there’s a newspaper article that’s written when we pass our budget that talks about this interfund loan, because not everybody does it in the way that we do it.” Some council members said they wanted more time to have the proposals explained to them at the a future workshop. Due to Round-Up, the council won’t hold its usually scheduled workshop next week. COMING EVENTS THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 PRESCHOOL STORY AND CRAFT TIME, 10:30 a.m., MIl- ton-Freewater Public Library, 8 S.W. Eighth Ave., Milton-Freewa- ter. (Lili Schmidt 541-938-8247) BOARDMAN SENIOR MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Boardman Senior Center, 100 Tatone St., Boardman. Cost is $4 for seniors 55 and over or $5 for adults. (541- 481-3257) HERMISTON SENIOR MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church parish hall, 565 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston. Cost is $4 for adults, free for children 10 and under, $4 for Meals on Wheels. Extra 50 cents for utensils/dishes. Bus service to parish hall by donation. (541-567-3582) PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL SERVICE, 12-1 p.m., Pendleton Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50 or $6 for those under 60. Pool, puzzles, crafts, snacks, Second Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels, call 541-276-1926. (541- 276-7101) SENSORY STORY TIME, 12:30 p.m., Boardman Public Li- brary, 200 S. Main St., Boardman. For children from birth to age 4. (541-481-2665) SKILLS FOR LIFE, 3-5 p.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Gym activities and life skills for middle and high school students. Registration requested. (Danny Bane 541-379-4250) CASON’S PLACE GRIEF SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF EASTERN OREGON ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, 5:30 p.m., Pendle- ton Early Learning Center, 455 S.W. 13th St., Pendleton. Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. followed by general meeting at 6 p.m. All those interested in volunteering are encouraged to attend. (Matt Terjeson 503-720-1620) YARN CLUB, 5:30 p.m., Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541- 567-2882) ARTIST’S RECEPTION: MALCOLM PHINNEY, 5:30-7 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. A new series of paintings featur- ing Zumwalt Prairie in Wallowa County will be on display through Sept. 30. Refreshments; beer, wine and soda available for a do- nation. Free admission. (Roberta Lavadour 541-278-9201) THE ARC UMATILLA COUN- TY BINGO, 6-10 p.m., The Arc Building, 215 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston. Doors open at 6 p.m., seats may be held until 6:30 p.m., then all seats first come, first served; games begin at 7 p.m. Proceeds benefit Umatilla County citizens with developmental dis- abilities. 18 years or older, must have proof of age and photo I.D. Basic pot $20, prizes range from $20-$750. (541-567-7615) FIDDLERS NIGHT, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Brookdale Assisted Living, 980 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston. Enjoy light refreshments, listen to some favorite oldies or join in the jam session. All ages welcome. (541-567-3141) FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 HEPPNER FARMERS MAR- KET, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Heppner City Park, 444 N. Main St., Heppner. Local produce, crafts, baked goods and more. (Don or Jo Ann Shannon 541-676-8957) STORY TIME, 10:15 a.m., Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541- 567-2882) PENDLETON FARMERS MARKET, 4-7 p.m., 300 block, South Main Street, Pendleton. Lo- cal produce, baked goods, crafts, jewelry, live music, food vendors and more. (Cheryl Montgomery 541-969-9466) VFW BINGO, 6 p.m., Herm- iston VFW, 45 W. Cherry St., Hermiston. Doors open at 6 p.m., games begin at 7 p.m. Everyone welcome. (541-567-6219) SPAGHETTI DINNER FUND- RAISER, 6-8 p.m., Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church parish hall, 565 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston. Meal features spa- ghetti, soup, salad, garlic bread and dessert. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for ages 10 and under or $30 for a family of 6. Proceeds benefit the Knights of Columbus scholarship program. (541-567- 5812) SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 POW SATURDAY BIKE RIDE, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton. Weekly bike ride by Pendleton on Wheels. Rides are open to the public, as far and at a speed comfortable for you. (Christine 734-755-7034) L’IL BUCKS OPEN GYM, 8:30 a.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. For students in first- third grades. AARP SMART DRIVER CLASS, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m., St. An- thony Hospital, 2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton. Learn valuable defensive driving skills, proven safety strategies, current technol- ogies and rules of the road, and how to accommodate for age-re- lated changes in vision, hearing and reaction time. Cost is $15 for AARP members (bring card) and $20 for non-members, prereg- istration requested. Lunch is on your own. (Nikii Murtaugh 541- 861-0024) HERMISTON FARMERS MARKET, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Festival Plaza, Northeast Second Street and Main, Hermiston. Local pro- duce, baked goods, crafts, jew- elry, art, live music, food vendors and more. HERMISTON — A planned celebration at Sunset Park has been canceled due to wildfires in the Columbia Gorge. The city, Moda Health and the Portland Trail Blazers’ vice president of social responsibility were set to host a ceremony Thursday to celebrate Hermiston receiving new playground equipment as the winner of the Moda Assist online competition. But parks and recreation director Larry Fetter said the Blazers asked to reschedule the ceremony and outdoor youth basketball clinics in light of Interstate 84 closures and heavy smoke in the area. Fetter said he is still working with them to set a new date. Man resisting arrest tased, tackled HELIX — A man was tased and tackled at Vansycle Road and Raymond Road outside of Helix on Saturday, after allegedly resisting arrest by an Oregon State Police trooper. Brett Raymond Leake, 55, of Helix, was spotted by OSP trooper Ryan Sharp standing in a driveway, and the officer recognized him as having an outstanding warrant out of Umatilla County for failure to appear on a DUII charge. Trooper Sharp noticed Leake was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and while being handcuffed Leake resisted and tried to escape. Sharp eventually tased him, but the taser was not completely effective, and Leake wrapped the officer’s legs up. After a scuffle on the ground, Trooper Sharp sat on Leake and handcuffed him, then radioed for backup. Leake was able to get away, and ran around the officer’s vehicle until he was tackled. Officers later found Leake was carrying a small bag of methamphetamine. Leake was transported to St. Anthony Hospital, and then lodged at the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton. Possible stabbing sends one to hospital, one to jail IRRIGON — An Irrigon man was hospitalized and another is missing after a fight that may have included a stabbing. The Morrow County Sher- iff’s Office received a call around 7:51 p.m. Tuesday regarding men fighting near Highway 730 and West Fourth Street in Irrigon. One combatant reported having possibly been stabbed, and officers responded with assistance from the Boardman Police Depart- ment. Deputies were on scene within two minutes of the call and the Irrigon Ambulance crew transported the victim, Jeffrey Alan Kelly, 39, to the Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston. Officers were able to locate a suspect, 31-year-old Joel Ernesto Rodriguez. Rodriguez was arrested and lodged in the Umatilla County Jail for menacing, first- and fourth-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. Bail is set at $275,000. Law enforcement officials are also looking for a potential second victim, a male who left the scene before officers arrived. The unidentified male is being sought for a welfare check and as a potential witness. Members of the public are asked to contact the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office if they have any information at 541-676-5317. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@eastorego- nian.com TWO HOURS every morning paid off my credit card debt. Become an East Oregonian Carrier. 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton or call: 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255
