REGION/3A
STORM
WAVES
POUND
COAST
GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN
DRAWS NEAR
Tip of the
hat; kick in
the pants
NATION/6A
OPINION/4A
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018
142nd Year, No. 67
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Your Weekend
HERMISTON
Man steals, crashes cop car
•
•
•
Police fi nd man two
hours later after search
Women’s March on
Pendleton, Saturday
Cabin Fever Concert
Saturday in Hermiston
Dinner Dance Fundraiser
for HHS band
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
For times and places
see Coming Events, 5A
Weekend Weather
Fri
Sat
Sun
Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan
A sheriff’s vehicle sits in a ditch after it was stolen,
crashed and abandoned by a thief Thursday morning.
48/37
47/35
A Hermiston man was arrested twice
Thursday: in the morning for burglary and
trespassing, and in the afternoon — after
stealing and crashing a sheriff’s offi ce
vehicle and leading police on a two hour
manhunt — for escape, vehicle theft and
eluding police.
Christopher Phillips, 23, is behind bars
at the Umatilla County Jail facing charges
on those crimes and possibly more.
Phillips was fi rst arrested at 8:50 a.m.
in a vacant house
near 33464 E. Punkin
Center Road east
of Hermiston. The
Umatilla
County
Sheriff’s Offi ce had
been called to the
area on the report of a
suspicious vehicle that
a 911 caller said might
Phillips
be related to recent
burglaries in the area.
Deputy Chris Daugherty responded
and found the vehicle, a red 1994 Ford
Explorer, as well as Phillips and Tyler
Morris, 19.
Daugherty arrested and handcuffed
See ARREST/8A
48/36
PENDLETON
ECHO
Nakapalau
Nakapalau
resigns his
council seat
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Echo city councilor Lou
Nakapalau has resigned.
Nakapalau became a
divisive fi gure after making
anti-gay comments to a gay
fi lmmaker on Facebook in
October. The scrutiny created
by the controversy brought
to light past felony charges
for nine counts of possession
of child pornography, for
which he was found guilty in
Clark County, Washington,
in 2000.
City administrator Diane
Berry said she found a “very
short” resignation letter in
the city’s dropbox earlier
this month.
“This is my letter of
resignation from the Echo
City Council, effective Jan.
2,” it read.
The council was set to
discuss the resignation at
its regular council meeting
Thursday,
but
Berry
canceled the meeting shortly
before noon after fi nding
See NAKAPALAU/8A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Al Plute points to a fl oor plan for a residential remodel of the third fl oor of the Bowman Building from one of the studio apartments
Thursday in Pendleton. Plute’s plans would add 18 more residential apartments to the downtown area.
New housing for the new year
Pendleton developers
announce plans as 2017
fi nishes on strong note
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Looking to expand his property
portfolio beyond Portland, developer
Nate Brusselback looked at some of
the largest cities in the Southwest.
But he ended up purchasing several
apartment complexes in a much
smaller desert town.
Brusselback’s investment in
Pendleton didn’t stop there. He
recently secured building permits to
construct a 25-unit duplex complex
on Southwest 28th Drive near
Juniper House.
“I didn’t know anything about
Pendleton ... but it’s really grown
on me,” he said in an interview
Thursday.
Brusselback now owns 128 apart-
ments in three different complexes.
In the last year, he purchased
Pendleton Point Apartments, South
Hills Apartments and Edgewater
Apartments.
He eventually read a housing
study commissioned by the city,
which showed not only need for
housing in general, but a specifi c
need for three-bedroom housing.
With a property available
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The third fl oor of the Bowman Building may transition from offi ce space to residential apartments.
across the street from South Hills
Apartments, Brusselback decided
to expand his fl edgling group of
Pendleton assets.
Brusselback said the duplexes
will span 25 units and an offi ce, each
unit 1,262 square feet with a one car
garages.
Current plans call for 20
three-bedroom units and fi ve
two-bedroom apartments with dual
master bedrooms. Brusselback
thought the latter option could be
popular with college students who
want to live with roommates.
The complex will also include
See HOUSING/8A