REGION
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Man shot, alleges
New Year’s Eve mystery for Agape House he was kidnapped
HERMISTON
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
As the last few minutes
of 2017 tick away, someone
isn’t going to live long
enough to join revelers in
raising a glass to toast in the
new year.
A New Year’s Eve
theme is featured during
the
upcoming
murder
mystery dinner theater event
presented by Agape House.
In addition to the meal and
whodunnit — “As the Ball
Drops on Times Square”
— those in attendance will
enjoy a chance to ring in the
new year in New York City
fashion.
“We’ll have a projection
screen and watch the ball
drop in New York City,” said
Dave Hughes, Agape House
executive director.
“As the Ball Drops on
Times Square” is Sunday
at 5:30 p.m. at the Maxwell
Siding Event Center, 145
N. First Place, Hermiston.
Guests can enjoy a catered
meal by Nookie’s Restau-
rant, which features prime
rib or lemon chicken,
veggies, rolls, dessert and
drinks, including coffee,
tea and lemonade. Also, the
New Year’s Eve celebration
is complete with party
favors and sparkling cider
to toast in the coming year.
The cost is $45 per person.
With limited seating, people
are encouraged to purchase
tickets in advance. Although
not required, those attending
are encouraged to wear
formal attire.
The idea for presenting
an alcohol-free New Year’s
Eve-themed murder mystery,
Hughes said, was suggested
by Monica Todd of Nookie’s
and Maxwell Siding. Agape
House has worked with
the local restaurant and
event center during its past
couple of murder mystery
fundraisers. Hughes said it’s
been a great partnership that
makes putting on the benefit
events a lot easier.
The murder mystery
centers around socialites
East Oregonian
File photo
Trish Rosell of Hermiston participates in a past Agape House murder mystery dinner
theater fundraiser. A New Year’s Eve theme is planned during Sunday’s event at
Maxwell Siding Event Center in Hermiston.
“We’ll have a
projection screen
and watch the
ball drop in
New York City.”
— Dave Hughes,
Agape House
executive director
File photo
Tina Ridings looks on while Boyd Sharp tries to shift
blame to another character during a past murder mys-
tery fundraiser for Agape House. A New Year’s Eve
theme is featured during Sunday’s event at Maxwell
Siding Event Center in Hermiston.
ringing in the new year at
a New York City hot spot.
Among the party guests are
actors, top chefs, singers,
powerful CEOs, and other
movers and shakers. And for
one reason or another, Reece
Vaughn has turned people
the wrong way — and he
ends up dead.
“Everyone has a motive
to do him in,” Hughes said.
“He’s pretty much unliked
by a lot of people.”
A “B” movie actor,
Vaughn is a shady character
who is known for seedy
activities. From trying to
influence his rich grand-
mother in changing her will
and attempting to interrupt
a major business deal with
a big corporate CEO to
destroying a Las Vegas
lounge performer’s career
and blackmailing a wealthy
entrepreneur — Vaughn has
given many people reasons
for wanting him dead.
Guests at the murder
mystery events, Hughes said,
seem to enjoy tapping into
their inner Sherlock Holmes
as they try to figure out who
committed the deathly deed.
The popular fundraisers,
which are held several times
a year, typically net about
$1,000 for Agape House.
The nonprofit organization
provides
assistance
to
people in need in Hermiston
and the surrounding area.
For more information, to
purchase a ticket or learn
ways to support Agape
House, call 541-567-8774.
———
Contact
Community
Editor Tammy Malgesini at
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4539
Police believe a man
was kidnapped and shot
Thursday in rural Morrow
County.
The 48-year-old man
from Eugene was discov-
ered about 7:30 a.m. in a
vehicle at Love’s Truck
Stop, west of Boardman.
He was suffering from a
single gunshot wound and
was transported to Good
Shepherd Medical Center,
Hermiston, for treatment.
According to Oregon
State Police, a preliminary
investigation revealed the
victim was shot at another
location and transported
to Love’s by a citizen who
was waved down by the
victim on Interstate 84 near
milepost 151.
The victim alleges to
have been kidnapped and
dropped off near that area
by abductors in a maroon
van who fled the scene
in an unknown direction.
According to police, there
is no evidence at this time
indicating there is a threat to
the general public regarding
this incident.
Anyone who may have
witnessed any suspicious
circumstances or observed
the victim and suspect
vehicle on Interstate 84 near
milepost 151 on Thursday
are asked to call the Oregon
State Police Southern
Command Dispatch Center
at 1-541-664-4600 and
reference case number
SP17461025.
BRIEFLY
IMAC plans benefit breakfast
IRRIGON — A pancake breakfast to benefit the
Irrigon Multicultural Arts Center is planned this weekend.
The meal will be served Saturday from 7:30-10:30 a.m.
at Stokes Landing Senior Center, 150 Columbia Lane,
Irrigon.
The cost is $4.50 per person. The money raised will
help the nonprofit group in developing a regional arts
center and preserving Irrigon’s 1921 school building. For
more information, call Peggy Price at 541-567-3806.
Croatia trip offered to travel buffs
HERMISTON — Travel enthusiasts are invited to learn
about an opportunity to visit Croatia with the Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce Travel Club in October 2018.
An informational meeting is planned for Wednesday,
Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. at the Hermiston Chamber office, 1055 S.
Highway 395, Suite 111, in Cornerstone Plaza.
The nine-day adventure includes round-trip airfare
from Portland, first-class hotels, 12 meals, a professional
tour director, motor coach transportation, admission
to all sites on the itinerary, comprehensive sightseeing
and baggage handling. Stops on the tour include Old
Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Zadar, Split and Plitvice. The trip
begins Oct. 30, 2018.
The informational meeting is open to everyone, but
RSVPs are requested. Contact Debbie Pedro at 541-567-
6151 or debbie@hermistonchamber.com.
———
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.
Man sues Wallowa County, state for issuing birth certificate
Claims he is resident of Kingdom of Heaven
By STEVE TOOL
EO Media Group
One man’s hope of
becoming a billionaire at the
expense of Wallowa County
and the state of Oregon
taxpayers was quashed at a
dismissal hearing at Wallowa
County Circuit Court Nov.
29.
Ricky Tippett filed a
rambling and somewhat
incoherent tort against the
state for $973 million and
Wallowa County for $250
million for perpetrating a
number of alleged crimes
against
him,
including
intentionally
causing
him emotional distress,
conspiracy, fraud, construc-
tive fraud, identity theft,
arrest and “conversion.”
Judge Thomas Powers
presided over the case while
attorney Bruno J. Jagelski,
of Ontario represented
the county and filed the
motion for dismissal. Seth
Karpinski, senior assistant
attorney general, appeared
for the state in the matter
and joined the county in its
motion. Tippett represented
himself. All the parties,
with the exception of Judge
Powers, appeared by phone.
According
to
the
complaint filed Aug. 24,
the charges resulted from
the county having the
audacity to issue his parents
a marriage license and to list
him as a citizen of both the
state and county on his birth
certificate.
Tippett contended he was
only a child of God and a
resident of the Kingdom of
Heaven, and the state and
county had caused him harm
by their description of his
parentage and citizenship
status.
Jagelski, speaking first,
told the judge that the motion
to dismiss was based on what
he called “an unintelligible
complaint that is packed full
of conclusions of law with
no ultimate facts that support
the alleged case for relief.”
He added that after reading
the complaint, he was unable
to ascertain what the county
did or how it would have
damaged the plaintiff.
The county’s attorney also
stated that the tort violated
the Oregon Tort Claims Act
by failing to serve notice to
the defendants, which would
have allowed them time to
investigate the complaint. He
also asked Powers to dismiss
the case with prejudice
because of the lack of a valid
claim or even a potential
claim against the county.
Karpinski said he had little
to add to Jagelski’s state-
ment, although he did say
that the state had received an
amendment to the complaint
that didn’t include Wallowa
County and a motion for
summary judgment, which
is a motion that contends that
all necessary factual issues
are settled or are so over-
whelming they need not be
tried. He added that both the
summary judgment motion
and the amended claim were
equally unintelligible.
Powers made clear that
he had received notice of the
aforementioned claims and
motions and several others
as well.
“None of those filings, as
I can see, have been accepted
by the court,” he said. “They
were not properly filed or
properly served as far as we
can tell, so those are not of
record.”
He told Tippett that the
court was only examining
the motion to dismiss. He
asked that Tippett confine
his remarks to the dismissal
motion.
Tippett ventured an
argument that he had not
received any evidence that
he was an Oregon resident
or that such evidence even
existed. He said he was not in
a valid contract with the state
of Oregon, and if anyone
disagreed, they needed to
supply the contract so he
could review it. He recited
Saager's Shoe Shop
a U.S. Supreme Court case
that bore hazy connection to
his case.
Powers asked Tippett to
ascertain whether he was a
resident of Oregon. Tippett
replied “no.”
Powers then said as the
complainant did not claim
to be a resident of the state,
which provided an additional
reason to dismiss the case
because of the court’s lack
of jurisdiction. Tippett began
to recite another case when
Powers cut him off, telling
him it was not an Oregon
case and therefore irrelevant
to the motion for dismissal.
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the entire hearing took
less than 20 minutes from
beginning to end, including
Powers’ finding in favor of
the county and state’s motion
for dismissal because of
its failure to follow the tort
claims act. He also dismissed
the complaint with prejudice,
which means the case is
dead. Tippet cannot refile,
reamend or appeal.
County
commissioner
Susan Roberts wasn’t sorry
to hear of the demise of
Tippett’s case.
“It was an interesting
concept but not very well
fleshed-out,” Roberts said.
PLASTIC IS NO LONGER RECYCLABLE
WHAT:
Mixed plastics #1-#7 is no longer recyclable. Our depot collection containers
for this material near Fallen Field and at the Transfer Station will be removed
on or before January 1, 2018.
WHY:
The only market for these materials was China. Eff ective January 1,
2018 China is implementing its “National Sword” policy to increase the
environmental quality in its own country, which will stop all mixed paper
and mixed plastics from being imported. This is a national and international
issue, but the eff ects are very local. There are no markets to absorb what
China has refused to accept.
WINTER CLEARANCE SALE
Up
To
Tippett tried to interrupt
but Powers reiterated he
wanted to hear a direct argu-
ment pertaining specifically
to the dismissal motion. The
claimant essentially replied
that the state’s tort act was
invalid and that the book of
Revelation 9:12 described
the alleged deception of the
state, and because the Bible
is the Word of God, it is good
enough for the circuit court.
The verse Tippett used to
make his case says: “One
woe is past; and, behold,
there come two woes more
hereafter.”
Not surprisingly, perhaps,
WHEN: By January 1, 2018 the plastics collection containers will be removed and
these plastics must be placed in the trash. Plastic water bottles and many
other drink containers may still be taken for the $0.10 redemption at grocery
stores or redemption centers.
WHO:
All Pendleton residents and surrounding areas who use Pendleton Sanitary
Service recycling collection containers.
OTHER COMMUNITIES: Other communities that have “co-mingled” recycling (all
recyclables in one roll cart at their home) will be very severely impacted by
these market changes. Pendleton’s impact is small in comparison.
WHAT CAN I DO?: Continue to recycle whenever and whatever is possible. Recycling
is still the right thing to do – it saves energy, natural resources, and creates
a sustainable future, but be very careful about contamination. If an item
is questionable for recycling - “When in doubt, throw it out” is the best
policy. For complete recycling information, please visit our website at
pendletonsanitaryservice.com or call our offi ce at (541) 276-1271.
Pendleton Sanitary Service, Inc. is committed to off ering a recycling
collection program supported by our customers and turning this diffi cult
situation into an opportunity to strengthen the future of recycling. If
markets for recycled plastics become available in the future, we are
committed to reinstate our collection of plastics and adapt to
current market conditions.
613 N. Main St.,
Store Hours:
Milton-Freewater, OR
Mon - Sat: 8 AM - 6 PM www.saagershoeshop.com
Sun: 12 PM - 4 PM
541-938-5162
LOCATION: 5500 NW Rieth Road • Pendleton, OR 97801
PHONE: (541) 276-1271 • OFFICE HOURS: Mon - Fri: 8 AM - 4 PM