REGION
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Pendleton man now
in prison also faces
sex crimes
One of those males
claimed to be the girl’s
brother but turned out
instead to be Kliever. He told
paramedics they smoked
marijuana but did not use
other drugs.
The ambulance crew took
the girl to the emergency
department of St. Anthony
Hospital, Pendleton. Medi-
cal staff there told Pendleton
police the girl had a stroke
and the fetus was in jeop-
ardy. Police also learned the
girl had marijuana in her sys-
tem as well as methamphet-
amine and other substances.
Police arrived at the hos-
pital, and staff reported the
fetus was dead. The hospital
transferred the girl to Ore-
gon Health Sciences Univer-
sity, and while she remained
sedated and intubated gave
birth to a stillborn infant.
The police wanted to
know who the father was,
and while the girl refused
to identify him, accord-
ing to the affidavit, the evi-
dence pointed to Kliever.
Police pieced together evi-
dence indicating they lived
together when she was no
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Bran-
don Kliever of Pendleton
faces sex crime charges in
connection to a 15-year-
old girl whose infant was
stillborn.
The case came to light the
night of Jan. 21, when a 911
call requested an ambulance
to the Go Fish RV Park, 1500
S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton,
for the teen who had seizures
and was four months preg-
nant, according to a Pend-
leton police search warrant
affidavit for Kliever’s DNA.
A Pendleton ambulance
crew found the girl in the
upper bunk of a fifth-wheel
travel trailer. She was unre-
sponsive and had a racing
heart rate. Paramedics had to
intubate her because she had
difficulty breathing.
According to the affida-
vit, one paramedic saw no
signs of trauma on the girl,
but he found a package of
sausage under her shirt and
taco shells down her pants.
Several men in their 20s
were in the trailer as well.
more than 14 and he was 22.
Police also have a record of
multiple calls for service
from 2017-19 involving the
girl and Kliever.
Pendleton police handed
its case to the Umtilla
County District Attorney’s
Office, which presented
evidence to a grand jury
on April 9. The grand jury
handed up the indictment for
charges of third-degree rape,
third-degree sodomy and
three counts of second-de-
gree sexual abuse, according
to state court records. The
district attorney’s office set
May 7 as the date to charge
Kliever.
But he did not make the
arraignment. Kliever at
the time was in the Mar-
ion County Jail, Salem, for
violating probation in an
attempted assault case. The
circuit court there on May
9 sentenced Kliever to three
years in state prison. Accord-
ing to the Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections, he now
is at the Coffee Creek Intake
Center, Wilsonville, await-
ing placement in the state’s
prison system.
East Oregonian welcomes
new Hermiston reporter
between Hermiston traffic
and Portland traffic.
While at PSU Pollard
wrote for several school
publications, including act-
ing as managing editor of
By JADE MCDOWELL
the Pacific Sentinel, and
East Oregonian
completed an internship for
the Willamette Week. She
HERMISTON — The said she has wanted to be a
East Oregonian has a new reporter since the fifth grade,
face in its Hermiston office. based on her love of talking
Jessica Pollard started to people and writing.
Monday as the paper’s new-
“Now it’s much more
est reporter. She will cover about getting information
education and public safety to people so they can make
on the west side of Umatilla good decisions,” she said.
County for both the
In her spare time
East Oregonian and
she enjoys writing
Hermiston Herald.
poetry, hiking and
Pollard recently
biking. She hopes to
finished up a bache-
learn to play the gui-
lor’s degree in geog-
tar this year, and said
raphy from Portland
she is looking for-
State University and
ward to exploring the
Pollard
said she is looking
Blue Mountains and
forward to getting to
high desert scenery.
know the rest of Oregon and
At the East Oregonian,
experiencing life in a more she looks forward to getting
rural area.
to know the school system
“I’m really excited for the and the area’s law enforce-
change of pace,” she said.
ment and fire districts.
She said she already
“I’m really excited to
appreciates the difference highlight the voices of stu-
Jessica Pollard
recently graduated
from Portland
State University
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LOCAL BRIEFING
State OKs
barbed hooks on
Columbia River
SALEM — The Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife adopted tempo-
rary rules to allow anglers
to use barbed hooks when
fishing for salmon, steel-
head and trout on the
Columbia River.
The change went into
effect Saturday. The reg-
ulatory agency reported
it adopted the rule so Ore-
gon’s fishing regulations
will remain concurrent
with Washington in the
jointly managed Columbia
River.
The rule will remain
in effect until further
notice, according to the
announcement
from
ODFW, or until it expires
in late November.
The rule can become
permanent only if the
state’s Fish and Wildlife
Commission approves a
rule change, which it plans
to consider in the future.
The state has required
anglers to use barb-
less hooks when fish-
ing for salmon, steelhead
and trout in the Colum-
bia River since 2013. The
Washington Fish and
Wildlife Commission in
March adopted a recom-
mendation to make the use
of barbless hooks volun-
tary, and Washington Fish
and Wildlife implemented
the rule to begin June 1.
Rules requiring the use
of single-point barbless
hooks when fishing for
sturgeon in the Columbia
River remain in effect for
anglers in both states.
3-year-old still
in hospital after
fatal crash
BOARDMAN — Ore-
gon State Police reported
the child who survived a
deadly car crash Sunday
near Boardman remains in
a Portland hospital.
The crash occurred
Sunday around 3:16 a.m.
on Interstate 84 near mile-
post 175, according to
state police. The prelimi-
nary investigation revealed
Veronica Andrade, 39, of
Boardman, was driving
east in a silver 2003 Cadil-
lac CTS when she veered
off the road onto the right
shoulder and rolled.
Andrade and two chil-
dren, one 3 and the other
7 months, were in the
car. The crash ejected the
7-month-old, who suffered
fatal injuries.
Ambulances
rushed
Andrade and the 3-year-
old child to Good Shepherd
Medical Center, Hermis-
ton. An air ambulance then
flew the child to Randall
Children’s Hospital at Leg-
acy Emanuel, Portland.
State police Monday
morning reported the child
remains in the hospital and
was stable.
Good Shepherd staff
treated
and
released
Andrade, and Oregon State
Police arrested and booked
her in the in the Umatilla
County Jail, Pendleton, for
first-degree
manslaugh-
ter, first-degree assault,
driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants, reck-
less driving and reckless
endangering.
State
police
also
reduced I-84 to one lane for
approximately three hours
for the crash investigation.
The Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Office, the Boardman
Police Department and
the Oregon Department
of Transportation assisted
state police.
Morrow County District
Attorney Justin Nelson
said his office is reviewing
the probable cause affida-
vit from state police and he
anticipated bringing initial
charges against Andrade at
3 p.m. Monday. He said he
also would ask the court to
set bail and set a prelimi-
nary hearing for next Mon-
day, June 10. That would
provide enough time to
present evidence to a grand
jury for recommendation
of formal charges.
Bledsoe case has
trial dates
PENDLETON — The
manslaughter case against
Leman Louis Bledsoe of
Milton-Freewater is mov-
ing to trial.
Bledsoe, 77, has been in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton, since his arrest
Aug. 15, 2018, for driving
drunk through a road con-
struction zone on High-
way 11 near Weston and
crashing into and killing
flagger Tyresa Monaghan.
Bledsoe had a hearing in
mid-May to change his
plea, according to court
records, but that did not
happen.
Kara Davis, Bledsoe’s
defense attorney, said they
did not take the offer from
the state.
“This is an incredi-
bly difficult case,” she
explained. “When consid-
ering the different issues
for the case and Mr. Bled-
soe’s advanced age and ill
health, it is an incredibly
difficult case to come to
mutual resolution on.”
The court set Bledsoe’s
trial for Aug. 5-9. The
Umatilla County District
Attorney’s Office is seek-
ing to bring in 10 out-of-
state witnesses to testify.
State court records also
show Bledsoe on May 13
asked for release from the
jail. Circuit Judge Chris-
topher Brauer the next day
denied that request.
Bledsoe faces first-
and second-degree man-
slaughter,
hit-and-run
involving an injured per-
son, driving under the
influence of intoxicants,
reckless driving and sev-
eral counts of recklessly
endangering others.
The next proceeding
in the case is a motions
hearing on June 28, then
a trial readiness check on
July 10.
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dents and teachers, and do
some broader stories,” she
said.
East Oregonian editor
Andrew Cutler is excited
about Pollard’s potential.
“Just based on her back-
ground and her short time
on staff, she’s has already
shown a desire to develop
into a strong journalist,”
Cutler said. “We’re thrilled
to have her in our Umatilla
County where we’re confi-
dent she’ll put her skills and
motivation to good use in
informing readers of both
newspapers well through
strong journalism and
reporting.”
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THE TRIPPER RICE
MEMORIAL TEAM ROPING
Was held over Memorial Day weekend
This roping has been a great success and continues to grow each
year. One hundred percent of all proceeds benefit the Tripper Rice
Memorial Scholarship Fund. This Scholarship is for members
of the lntermountain High School Rodeo Team.
The Rice Family {Paul & Cindy Rice Jodi & Ryan Endicott} would like
to recognize the following donors and event organizers. We truly
appreciate your support for this great cause; remembering Tripper
and helping students continue their education. It’s all for the kids.
Riverside Vet Clinic
Powerhouse Diesel Performance
Mustangers
Les Schwab Tire Center
Virgil’s at Cimmiyoti’s
Chute Help
Northwest Farm Credit Service
National Ropers Supply
J & B Contractors
Wheatland Insurance
Kelly Lumber
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Matt & Alecia Funk
Vic Thompson & Family
Fred Robinson DVM
Jake & Ashley Stanley
Pat Beard
Tom & Carol Gibson
Larry & Jayne Patterson
Louise Thompson
Tom & Joe Bostwick
Jodi & Ryan Endicott
Jim Ward
BIG THANKS TO ALL THE ROPERS AND VOLUNTEERS
WHO CAME TO SUPPORT THIS EVENT.
ALL ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED
HealthyMC.org
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