NORTHWEST
College safety officer pleads guilty to killing woman
East Oregonian
Page 2A
BEND (AP) — A man
accused of killing a woman
during his shift as a campus
safety officer at an Oregon
community college pleaded
guilty Monday to aggravated
murder.
Edwin Lara accepted a plea
deal that spared him a possible
death sentence but will keep
him in prison for life. Author-
ities said Lara kidnapped,
sexually assaulted and killed
Kaylee Sawyer, 23, in July
2016.
He then kidnapped a woman
in the state capital of Salem and
drove to California, where he
was accused of shooting and
wounding a man and carjacking
a vehicle, police said.
In his plea, Lara acknowl-
edged holding Sawyer in the
back of his security vehicle,
where he strangled and then
killed her with a large rock.
His sentencing began just
after his plea, with prosecutor
Mary Anderson telling the
packed courtroom that Lara
will serve a life sentence with
no chance for parole.
Members of Sawyer’s
Joe Kline/The Bulletin via AP, File
In this March 23, 2017 file photo, Edwin Lara sits with his
defense team during a hearing in Judge A. Michael Adler’s
courtroom at the Deschutes County Circuit Court in Bend.
Lara who is accused of killing a woman during his shift as
a campus safety officer at an Oregon community college
has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. Lara entered the
plea Monday.
family gave emotional state-
ments, with her grandfather,
Jim Waldren, saying he hoped
Lara would rot, The Bulletin
newspaper reported.
Sawyer and her boyfriend
lived on the edge of Central
Oregon Community College
and she had gone for a walk
on July 24, 2016, shortly after
midnight. Lara, uniformed and
equipped with pepper spray,
handcuffs and a ballistics vest,
was working a night shift.
Lara’s wife, Isabel Ponce-
Lara, later noticed that her
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
BRIEFLY
Ore. voters poised to have say on
national popular vote bill
husband was “acting out of
the ordinary,” according to a
statement she made to police in
their hometown of Redmond,
just north of Bend.
Ponce-Lara, who had
recently became a Bend police
officer, told investigators she
confronted her husband and
that he broke down and told
her he struck Sawyer with his
patrol vehicle, killing her, and
then panicked and hid the body.
Ponce-Lara
said
her
husband then grabbed a pistol
and fled. Sawyer’s body was
later found in a canyon west of
Redmond.
Lara traveled 130 miles to
Salem and took a 19-year-old
woman hostage as she left her
job at a clothing store, police
say. They went to Yreka, Cali-
fornia, where he’s accused of
shooting and wounding a man
at a motel.
The carjacking occurred at a
gas station with a woman and
her two sons inside the vehicle.
They were later released along
Interstate 5 before the car was
pulled over by the California
Highway Patrol.
PORTLAND (AP) — Senate President
Peter Courtney has repeatedly blocked a bill
that would permit Oregon to give all seven
of its electoral college votes to the winner of
the national popular vote during presidential
elections.
But that is poised to change at next month’s
legislative session.
Courtney has said he would allow the Senate
to vote on a popular-vote bill only if Oregon
voters have the final say on the matter.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that a
bill introduced Monday satisfies that demand. If
passed next month, Senate Bill 1512 would send
the popular-vote question to Oregon voters for
their approval or rejection.
Supporters of the popular vote model claim
it would be a more fair process than the current
Electoral College system, which they said tends
to underrepresent people living in more populous
states.
Feds make more than $2M
available to reduce fishing bycatch
(AP) — Federal ocean managers are making
more than $2 million available to try to help
fishermen catch less of the wrong fish.
“Bycatch” is a longstanding issue in
commercial fisheries, and fishermen have long
sought solutions to the problem of catching
rare species when seeking exploitable ones.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration says it is providing about $2.4
million for “projects that increase collaborative
research and partnerships for innovation” in
reducing bycatch.
The agency says it is prioritizing projects such
as gear modifications, avoidance programs and
improved fishing practices. NOAA also says it
wants to learn more about possible reduction of
mortality of fish that are released.
The agency is looking for pre-proposals by
Jan. 31 and full proposals by March 30.
Prisons face worker shortages as retirements loom
grappling with an employee
shortfall. Agencies across the
country are struggling to find
qualified applicants. Prisons
face the additional challenge of
trying to overcome the negative
perception people have of
public safety jobs.
As employees become
eligible for retirement, the
shortfall could worsen.
“If you went to an elemen-
tary school and you interviewed
a bunch of fifth graders, you
would have some that say ‘I
want to be a police officer,’ ‘I
want to be a fireman,’ ‘I want to
be a ballerina’,” Cox said. “It’s
not often you hear someone
say, ‘I want to be a correctional
officer because it’s just not a
very recognized profession.”
The number of Oregon
corrections retirements has
climbed steadily since 2014
when 98 employees retired. By
the third quarter of 2017, 178
employees retired.
Almost 20 percent of the
staff is eligible to retire today,
Cox said. And in the next five
years, more than one-third of
the workforce could retire.
“If they all decide to file their
paperwork today ... we could be
By WHITNEY WOODWORTH
Statesman Journal
SALEM — With a staff of
4,700, the Oregon Department
of Corrections is struggling
to attract new employees as
almost one-fifth of its workforce
becomes retirement eligible in
2018.
Officials with the state’s
second-largest agency said
part of the blame rests on the
region’s flourishing economy.
The employee market is
similar to the stock market — it
goes up, it goes down, said
Steve Cox, workforce planning
administrator with the correc-
tions department.
When the economy is bad,
people tend to flock toward
jobs in law enforcement and
corrections.
“Right now, the economy
is very strong, which makes it
more difficult for public safety
agencies to hire,” he said. “We
have a shortfall because there’s
just not the inventory of quali-
fied applicants out there.”
DOC spokeswoman Betty
Bernt said the department has
about 330 job vacancies.
Oregon is not the only state
in a world of hurt,” he said.
Thankfully, he added,
many have chosen not to retire
because they enjoy their work,
feel like part of a family or
believe in the agency’s mission.
The operations divisions,
which include 2,549 security
staff, could see the most
retirements. Just under 300
correctional officers are eligible
to retire this year. Within five
years, that number will almost
double.
The department is also
facing a shortage of medical
professionals, especially nurses.
Officials have changed their
tactics to draw in a new genera-
tion of employees and retain the
ones they have, Cox said.
The department offers good
health benefits and retirement
benefits. Although they struggle
to compete with private sector
pay and hiring bonuses, espe-
cially when it comes to nursing
jobs, wages are still decent.
Many jobs, like correctional
officers, do not require a college
degree and come with great
benefits, Cox said.
But security jobs are only a
fraction of what the department
offers.
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A shower this
afternoon
Cloudy and breezy;
rain at night
46° 42°
51° 32°
THURSDAY
A shower in the
afternoon
FRIDAY
Some sun, a
shower in the p.m.
45° 33°
Occasional rain
and drizzle
48° 40°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
53° 31°
46° 41°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
49°
31°
42°
28°
67° (1897) -26° (1930)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Trace
1.15"
1.07"
1.15"
1.33"
1.07"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
52°
32°
43°
29°
64° (1968) -33° (1930)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Trace
0.79"
0.92"
0.79"
1.39"
0.92"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
First
Full
Jan 24
Jan 31
7:26 a.m.
4:48 p.m.
10:50 a.m.
11:50 p.m.
Last
New
Feb 7
48° 33°
51° 38°
Seattle
47/44
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
49° 36°
Feb 15
Today
SATURDAY
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
46° 35°
Spokane
Wenatchee
37/34
32/28
Tacoma
Moses
47/44
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 39/37
39/37
49/45
47/44
42/35
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
48/46
47/42 Lewiston
44/41
Astoria
43/38
53/46
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
49/45
Pendleton 40/35
The Dalles 46/41
46/42
42/37
La Grande
Salem
42/39
50/46
Albany
Corvallis 49/45
48/44
John Day
45/41
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
42/31
49/43
46/37
Caldwell
Burns
44/34
38/26
Corrections
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate
and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a
mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
53
40
46
52
38
40
49
45
46
45
45
42
40
50
50
54
42
44
46
49
49
50
37
40
48
47
42
Lo
46
33
37
46
26
35
43
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41
31
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37
38
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46
31
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42
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46
34
36
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42
35
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sn
sh
r
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Hi
50
42
45
49
42
43
47
51
53
48
41
45
43
46
49
49
44
51
51
50
48
49
40
42
50
50
49
Lo
40
25
26
40
19
25
35
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31
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WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
24
73
52
56
71
20
52
61
17
87
48
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
45/31
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
4
63
45
50
46
12
51
41
0
74
32
W
s
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sh
pc
pc
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Wed.
Hi
27
70
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66
20
55
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14
83
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Lo
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63
43
42
44
9
47
42
0
74
28
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REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Snow, accumulating
2-4 inches in the north, with a mix turning
to rain in the south.
Cascades: Periods of snow today, ac-
cumulating 3-6 inches. More snow expected
tonight.
Northern California: Cloudy today; a little
morning rain at the coast.
Today
Wednesday
NE 3-6
SSE 7-14
S 7-14
S 10-20
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
1
1
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Wed.
WINDS
Medford
50/38
Coastal Oregon: Breezy today with periods
of rain. Breezy tonight with rain, heavy at
times.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly cloudy
today. A morning rain or snow shower, then
rain and drizzle near the Cascades.
Western Washington: Periods of rain today
into tomorrow. Thursday: remaining cloudy
with occasional rain.
PORTLAND (AP) — A Multnomah County
grand jury has cleared a U-Haul employee in
the shooting death of a man who tried to rob the
business at gunpoint earlier this month.
Portland police said 53-year-old Robert Porter
brandished a handgun while demanding money
at the U-Haul location on Southeast Powell
Boulevard. Employee Tyson Pfau fired his
handgun, striking Porter multiple times.
The grand jury decided Friday that no
criminal prosecution was warranted. The
27-year-old employee is licensed to carry a
concealed handgun.
Detectives believe Porter had robbed other
Portland businesses before hitting U-Haul on
Jan. 3.
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
WEDNESDAY
Grand jury: U-Haul worker
justified in killing robber
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
TODAY
Each prison is like a small
town, needing maintenance,
public safety, medical, psycho-
logical, food service, electrical
and transportation officials.
“Anything that is in a small
city, we pretty much have those
same jobs,” Cox said.
Each prison faces different
hiring struggles and employee
markets. Snake River Correc-
tional Institution, with its prox-
imity to the Boise metro area,
draws in applicants from Idaho
because of its higher wages.
Coffee Creek Correctional
Facility in Wilsonville and Two
Rivers Correctional Institution
in Umatilla struggle the most
with attracting new hires.
Turnover rates also vary,
with Snake River reporting a
turnover of about 4 percent and
Two Rivers logging a rate of
more than 12 percent.
As part of its 10-year
mission plan, the agency has
made mental and physical
wellness a priority.
“The focus we have as
an agency toward work-life
balance and focusing on our
staff and their families, I think
is one thing that does help retain
employees,” Cox said.
0
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Rain and thunderstorms will extend from Florida to Maine today, as ice
is forecast to change to rain in northern New England. Snow will wind down over the Upper
Midwest as rain returns to the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 84° in Immokalee, Fla.
Low -18° in Jeff rey City, Wyo.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
44
55
54
62
37
54
44
54
74
47
35
44
60
38
40
57
-14
26
82
66
38
74
40
60
53
74
Lo
22
34
38
33
25
29
34
36
40
30
22
25
38
18
22
28
-30
16
73
40
24
41
25
39
29
50
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pc
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pc
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sf
pc
pc
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Wed.
Hi
47
50
45
45
45
52
46
40
61
36
33
30
63
50
30
58
-24
29
83
63
34
61
47
61
56
74
Lo
24
31
27
24
31
28
34
20
37
24
24
23
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-29
17
71
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pc
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Today
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
42
48
82
34
27
45
62
58
53
33
62
72
47
55
70
40
51
54
38
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71
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66
50
Lo
31
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69
20
17
28
42
37
28
21
35
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34
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35
18
31
39
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Wed.
Hi
39
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78
30
30
46
58
42
57
39
43
76
36
41
53
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56
56
44
45
73
56
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73
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Lo
28
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63
24
18
26
40
26
35
23
26
48
12
21
29
26
29
41
28
32
51
46
39
43
29
36
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
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