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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2017)
REGION Friday, November 17, 2017 East Oregonian BRIEFLY PENDLETON Police arrest two after car chase East Oregonian Two locals are behind bars following a police chase early Thursday. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts in a written statement said an officer shortly after midnight tried to stop Higheagle Gonzales a 2017 Dodge Journey for traffic violations near the 3100 block of Southwest the vehicle turned south on Hailey Avenue (above Burger South Market Road. The King). The Dodge continued SUV slid off the road into to Southgate (Highway 395) a ditch at Best and Motanic with the officer in pursuit, roads and the occupants fled. Officers found them then to Main Street before heading east on Interstate 84. hiding within a couple Roberts stated the super- hundred yards of the crash, visor discontinued the chase according to Roberts, due around milepost 213 as the to the assistance of a nearby Dodge exceeded 100 mph. landowner who called tribal The Umatilla Tribal Police dispatch. Police identified the driver Department picked up the pursuit at milepost 216 as as Joseph Higheagle Jr., 30, Page 3A of Pendleton, who had felony warrants. Police booked him into the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, for eluding, eluding on foot, reckless endangering and driving under the influence of intoxicants. Police arrested passenger Marissa Elizabeth Gonzales, 24, of Hermiston, on warrants and questioned passenger Kaitlyn Kelley, 23, also of Hermiston, before releasing her, though Roberts stated she also could face charges. The Dodge was a rental, which police impounded, according to Roberts, and officers also found approx- imately 3.5 grams of what could be methamphetamine in the car’s center console along with a scale. PENDLETON Pendleton Police searching for family of man found dead PENDLETON — Pendleton locals taking their dog for a walk Thursday morning found a man’s body. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said the body did not show signs of foul play and was wet, lacked outer clothing such as a jacket, as well shoes and socks. He said the man may have died from exposure to the elements, and the state medical examiner’s office plans to conduct an autopsy Friday. The body was near a frontage road off McKennon Road, between Crop Production Services and the Umatilla River. The area is popular with dog owners, and Roberts said that was who found the body. Police know the man’s identity, Roberts said, and his criminal history shows he lived many places but lacks any contact information for relatives. He said officers are working with several other agencies to notify his next of kin. Alcohol also may have been a factor. Roberts said the man’s final stay in the Umatilla County Jail ended Monday, after Pendleton police arrested him last week when he was in a vehicle that was not his and suffering what could have been alcohol withdrawal. That arrest occurred in the same area as the body. Roberts also said officers tracked down witnesses who said the man recently was in the area where he died and either had alcohol or seemed to be under the influence. Thrive nonprofit organization in Hermiston, and has previously worked at Aramark Uniform Services, and as a financial advisor in the Tri-Cities. Washington man arrested after chase on Interstate 84 A Washington man was arrested after leading police on a chase early Wednesday morning. Justin Sutton, 21, was arrested after a chase that started at milepost 171 on Interstate 84 eastbound. Sutton, driving an SUV, was pursued by law enforcement vehicles from Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Boardman Police and Oregon State Police. The call alerting law enforcement came in around 11:54 p.m. on Tuesday. Melissa Ross of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office said they did not know why Sutton took off, but that he reached speeds of around 70 miles per hour. She said Sutton ran over a spike strip, but kept driving for about 30 minutes, at eight to 15 miles per hour. She said the chase ended at Poleline Road in Boardman, where Sutton was taken into custody around 1:13 a.m. According to a press release from the sheriff’s office he was charged with DUII, attempt to elude, felony and reckless driving, driving while suspended and refusing to take a breathalyzer. Bail was set at $20,000. Christmas tree permits Report of a weapon sends available on national forests Pendleton police to Sunridge ‘Tis the season for a hike in the woods Photo contributed by Ken Jacobs Eighth-graders at Sundridge Middle School in Pendleton built 14 dog houses, 12 of which were donated to the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter. Amy Word, president of the Pioneer Humane Society, stands far left. Students transform old cabin into dog houses for PAWS By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian What used to be a cabin for Pendleton Outdoor School is now 14 new dog houses for local pets, thanks to students at Sunridge Middle School. Ken Jacobs, who teaches technical education, recently had his eighth grade shop class build the dog houses using wood and other mate- rials salvaged from the old cabin at Buck Creek Camp in the Umatilla National Forest, which was torn down over the summer. The students donated 12 dog houses to the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter, and the other two will be sold to provide money for classroom materials. “I try to teach the kids that we can use this program not only to build for ourselves, but to give back to the commu- nity,” Jacobs said. In past years, Jacobs’ classes have also built new picnic tables for outdoor school, as well as looms for Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, which were used earlier this year during a Navajo rug weaving workshop. It took just less than three weeks to build the dog houses, Jacobs said, with about 50 students divided into groups of four. “They were glad to do it,” he said. “I’m pretty proud of my kids.” The ultimate goal, Jacobs said, is to teach kids how to use tools, read plans and gain skills they can use for the rest of their lives. “It’s just the confidence knowing they can use these skills and take care of them- selves,” Jacobs said. ECHO Council waits to adopt social media policy By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian The Echo city council is awaiting approval from their legal counsel before adopting an ethics policy and set of social media guidelines for city staff and elected officials. The council looked over a draft of both sets of guide- lines during their council meeting Thursday but tabled them until the city attorney had finished reviewing them for legal problems. They also asked that the attorney lay out options the council could pursue against someone who violated the policies. City administrator Diane Berry said councilors have First Amendment rights, and their status as elected officials means that forcibly removing them from the council for misbehavior would require a citizen-initi- ated recall. “You may want to adopt something so you can kick someone off of the council, but you cannot,” she said. The idea for adopting social media policies came after councilor Lou Nakapalau made anti-gay comments on Facebook toward a gay man living in Hawaii after they disagreed about transgender rights on a public page. Nakapalau was not present at Thursday’s meeting. Councilors said even if they couldn’t force someone to abide by the guidelines set forth in the documents, which encouraged “maturity and professionalism” in social media posts, they were still good suggestions to ask city employees and officials to consider. One line, for example, directed councilors to tell citizens making complaints to them that they would take their concerns to the rest of the council, instead of making promises or trying to speak for the entire council on the spot. “Sounds like good things to remember,” councilor Karl Gaunt said. Berry said much of the ethics policy was based on state laws about things like conflict of interest, and could result in fines from the state ethics commission if not followed. During public comments at the beginning of the meeting, citizens Pam Reese and Brandi George criticized Nakapalau for not stepping down after creating the controversy. Reese said the council’s reaction, including a “quasi-apology” for anyone offended, seemed symptomatic of a larger problem of “complacency and reluctance on the part of council members to speak with conviction when discussing matters of impor- tance during meetings.” PENDLETON — Pendleton police Thursday afternoon swarmed Sunridge Middle School after receiving a report of a man there with a weapon. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said officers in those situation think “gun.” The initial report came in around 3:20 p.m. and described a man in a puffy blue coat. School was out by then, but parents were still picking up their children. Roberts said the school went into a lockdown to keep remaining students in rooms and a lockout to prevent people from coming in. Roberts said he was on the scene and police stopped traffic while other officers searched the school. Only one parent got upset with him, Roberts said, and the rest were understanding. Police gave the all clear to let students leave but continued the search for a suspect. Roberts reported officers found the weapon was a knife, and it was a student who had it, not an adult. He said police questioned the student shortly after 4 p.m., but no further information was available. Morrow County has new administrator Morrow County will have a new admin- istrator starting this month, filling a position that has been open since August. Darrell Green will begin Nov. 27, taking over the role from interim administrator Kim Cutsforth. Green has been a Hermiston resident for the last 12 years and will relocate to Morrow County for the job. For the past four years, he has served as the Blue Mountain Commu- nity College JOBS Program manager. “My whole goal in finding a job like (that) was to live, work and be a part of Hermiston,” he said. “I had the same opportunity with the position for Morrow County.” Green said he is still figuring out exactly what his priorities as administrator will be, but he hopes to work with others to improve the quality of life in Morrow County by increasing jobs or other opportunities. Green is the president of the Made to to find the perfect Christmas tree for the family. Permits are now available on the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur national forests, and fourth-graders are once again eligible for a free permit as part of the Every Kid in a Park initiative through the National Parks Foundation. Christmas tree permits are $5, and limited to one per household. Fourth-graders may receive a free permit by presenting a voucher from www.everykidinapark.gov to their local national forest office. Students must be present to claim the free permit. Permits may also be purchased from any forest service office or participating local businesses, including: • Bi-Mart and Southgate Mini-Mart, Pendleton. • Ace Hardware, Hermiston. • Zip Zone, Milton-Freewater. • Mentzer and Elliott and J&D Food Mart, Pilot Rock. • Rhode’s Supply, Ukiah. • Athena Grocery, Athena. • Heppner Mobil, Heppner. Christmas trees must be cut at least 50 feet away from any road, and the maximum height for trees is 14 feet. Trees cannot be cut on private land, in wilderness areas, designated campgrounds, active timber sales or existing tree plantations. For additional information and guidelines, call the Forest Service office in Pendleton at 541-278-3716. American Indian heritage event postponed PENDLETON — The Indigenous Awareness Rally set for Saturday has been rescheduled. The free event will feature a pair of films, “Historical Trauma” and “We Shall Remain,” Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. at Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St. Afterwards, the rally will include drummers, singers and guest speakers at Brownfield Park, 12 S. Main St., Pendleton. For more information, text/call Destiny at 541-215-3764 or email drowinter@gmail. com. The East Oregonian will not publish on Th anksgiving Day due to the postal holiday. Look for your Holiday Edition on Wednesday, Nov. 22 • Home for the Holidays special section • A guide to the upcoming Farm Fair • Wednesday and Thursday comics, features, puzzles and TV listings SATURDAY NOV 18 Pendleton Convention Center 9 AM - 4 PM Only $1 Admission! OVER 90 VENDORS! RAFFLE TICKETS FOR: $2,000 Cash, Gift Baskets, and Door Prizes! MEET SANTA! LUNCH AND DESSERTS! Raffle Tickets available at the door or from any Altrusan • BLACK FRIDAY INSERTS: Big 5 Sporting Goods Big Lots Bi-Mart D&B Supply Harbor Freight Tools Home Depot Rite Aid Sears U.S. Cellular Walgreens Walmart
