REGION
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
East Oregonian
Christopher gets 29 years for sex abuse, rape
Christopher’s trial was July
9-10, and the state at the start
dropped all but nine counts —
Umatilla County jurors last week
five of first-degree sexual abuse
convicted a former Milton-Freewa-
and four of first-degree rape. The
ter man of raping his stepdaughter
remaining charges related to the
for years.
one victim who came to Pendleton
Now Kenneth Eugene Chris-
to take the witness stand.
topher, 49, will serve almost three
She is 22 now, according to a
decades in prison for his crimes.
sentencing
memo from prosecu-
Christopher
tor Jaclyn Jenkins, and testified she
Christopher pleaded not guilty
to 30 counts of sex crimes, including four of was 13 the first time Christopher molested her
first-degree rape, five of first-degree sexual and 14 the first time he raped her. She told
abuse and four of first-degree sodomy. The the jury she did not believe she could say no
district attorney’s office accused Christopher to Christopher because he was violent and
of molesting and sexually assaulting two vic- threatened to harm her animals and tear apart
tims, according to court records, in 2009 and the family.
2010 in Milton-Freewater.
From then and until she was 19, according
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
to Jenkins’ memo, Christopher “had persistent
and consistent sexual contact” with the girl.
Christopher on July 10 sought to move the
case, court documents show, arguing he could
not get a fair trial in Umatilla County. The jury
that same day found Christopher guilty on all
nine counts.
First-degree rape in Oregon carries a man-
datory minimum sentence of eight years, four
months, and first-degree sexual abuse car-
ries a mandatory minimum of six years, three
months. Jenkins in the memo asked the court
to put Christopher in state prison for a total of
45 years, 10 months.
Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen, according to
court documents, found Christopher deserv-
ing of a little more than 29 years. Lieuallen
handed down the sentence Friday.
MILTON-FREEWATER
Blues and brews on tap this weekend
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
Craft beers and cider tasting, as well as
musical entertainment, are featured during
the fourth annual Brews by the Blues Fes-
tival in Milton-Freewater.
The event is tapped to start Friday from
5-10 p.m. at the Milton-Freewater Jr. Show
Grounds, 84575 Highway 11, located
behind Bordertown Feed & Supply. The
activities continue Saturday from 2-10
p.m. Entry fees are $25 per day, which
includes a beer glass and five drink tokens.
Also, it’s $10 for non-drinkers and free for
kids under 13 years old. All tickets are sold
at the gate.
More than a dozen breweries and a
handful of cideries hailing from Oregon,
Washington, Wisconsin, Austria and Bel-
gium are represented and will be pouring
during the festival. In addition, there will
be vendors and food trucks on hand. Be
sure to pick up an event T-shirt.
Friday night music features Joker and
Contributed photo
Stompin’ Ground. Saturday entertain-
ment includes Diego & the Detonators. The Brew Barn offers people a place to mingle during a past Brews by the Blues
A recent McLoughlin High School grad- Festival. In its fourth year, the event is Friday and Saturday at the Milton-Freewa-
uate, Diego Romero has played solo at ter Jr. Show Grounds.
the last two brew festivals. He’s return- Grounds for those attending Brews by Brewing Company, Base Camp Brewery,
ing this year with a band to perform on the Blues. Recreational vehicle hook- Wild Ride Brewery, Barley Brown’s Beer,
the big stage. Also taking the stage are ups are $50 for one night or $80 for two. Iron Horse Brewery and Ciderboys Hard
Gary Winston & the Real Deal, Nerve Tent camping is $20. Due to limited Cider.
Ctr, and the Saturday night headliner is space, reservations are required by calling
For more information about the Brews
Badlandz, a classic rock band form the 541-861-1208.
by the Blues Festival, contact 541-938-
Tri-Cities.
Those confirmed for the event include 5563,
mfchamber@mfchamber.com
Also, the festival features a corn hole Dragon’s Gate Brewery, Blue Mountain or visit www.facebook.com/brewsby-
tournament. It runs Saturday from 3-9 p.m. Cider Company, The Prodigal Son Brew- theblues. For information about volun-
The team entry fee is $20. Winners will ery & Pub, Ordnance Brewing, Wolf Tree teer opportunities, which includes free
receive cash prizes and bragging rights. Brewery, 2 Kilts Brewing Co., Grixen entry and festival swag, send an email to
For more about the corn hole tournament, Brewing Company, Side A Brewing, Free- amber@vbowles.com.
contact Lora Zink at 509-386-6619 or water Cider Co., D’s Wicked Cider, Stiegel
zinkl@bakerboyer.com.
Brauerei, Huyghe Brewery, Bruery Maple,
Camping is available at the Jr. Show AleSmith Brewing Company, Riverbend
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Chamber hires
executive director
with tourism past
By BRITTANY NORTON
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Chamber of Commerce
announced Tuesday that it hired a new exec-
utive director.
Janet Duffy Murphy will join the chamber
in August from Laughlin,
Nevada.
According to the cham-
ber, Duffy Murphy has
more than 18 years of
experience in chambers
of commerce and eco-
nomic development orga-
nizations in Montana and
Nevada.
Duffy Murphy
She served as vice pres-
ident of the chamber of commerce in Great
Falls, Montana, from 2002 to 2006, where
she worked in tourism promotion, and was
awarded Tourism Partnership of the Year by
the governor in 2005.
Later, she served as the executive director at
the Laughlin, Nevada, Chamber of Commerce
from 2006 to 2011 doing business develop-
ment and workforce recruitment.
Duffy Murphy said she became involved
in those organizations because “believed in
the values of chambers.” She was a chamber
member when she owned her own business,
and when her public relations firm was con-
tracted to do work for the Great Falls Chamber
of Commerce, she agreed to stay on for a year
to implement the strategies her firm suggested.
When the year was up, she continued to work
with the chamber and assumed the vice presi-
dent role.
“It became clear that I had an affinity for it,”
she said. “I found my niche.”
As for her goals in Pendleton, Duffy Murphy
said she is looking forward to getting to know
the community and then moving forward.
“The board drives the chamber, and my job
is to lead that vision,” she said.
The Pendleton Chamber of Commerce has
been searching for someone to permanently
fill the executive director position since the
beginning of the year, when Gail Nelson left
for a job with Umatilla County. According to
interim executive director Chuck Wood, the
recruitment process included a national search.
Wood will stay on the chamber board as
Duffy Murphy transitions into her new posi-
tion, but then will later return to his retirement.
Wood said Duffy Murphy stood out among
candidates because of her past experience, and
“she fit in well with the goals and ambitions at
the chamber of commerce.”
SUPPORT FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS
Sheriff’s office
recovers property,
seeks theft suspect
PENDLETON — The
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Office remains on the look-
out for a theft suspect after
recovering stolen vehicles
and more.
The sheriff’s office in a
written statement reported
detective Loren Westmo-
reland on July 11 received
a tip regarding several sto-
len vehicles at a prop-
erty on Echols Road near
Hermiston.
“Detectives went to the
location,” according to the
sheriff’s office, “and saw
some of the stolen vehicles.”
The sheriff’s office
obtained a search warrant
for the property, according
to the statement, and recov-
ered two Chevrolet pickups,
a John Deere front loader,
a dump trailer, copper wire
and much more.
But suspect Zachary
Lawrence Bartz, 25, was not
at the location and remains
at-large. State court records
show Bartz has convictions
from 2011 through 2014 for
vehicle theft, fleeing police,
theft, burglary and more.
Sheriff’s investigators
questioned two other indi-
viduals at the scene and
released them. The sheriff’s
office now is asking for the
public’s help and would like
anyone with information on
the case or the whereabouts
of Bartz to call the agency at
541-966-3651.
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