REGION
Saturday, June 22, 2019
East Oregonian
A3
Oregon’s new crime lab ready for business
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
new Oregon State Police
crime lab in Pendleton is
open and running.
Calvin Davis is the foren-
sic scientist in charge of the
lab at 612 Airport Road,
practically next door to the
local command for Ore-
gon State Police and the
headquarters of the Pendle-
ton Police Department. He
said the building is a sig-
nificant upgrade from the
old office space on the 700
block of Southwest Emi-
grant Avenue.
He stopped short of call-
ing that place “makeshift,”
but noted the old building
was better suited for typical
office work than it was the
demands of a crime labora-
tory. Stepping into the new
chemistry section, for exam-
ple, he said, feels not only
more comfortable but a good
deal safer.
State police had options
for converting other build-
ings and spaces into a crime
lab, but each came with big
downsides. Blue Mountain
Staff photo by Benjamin Lonergan
The team at the new Oregon State Police crime lab in Pendleton have the place up and running since moving in May 15, 2019.
Community College offered
to provide space at its Pend-
leton campus. Making the
lab secure, however, would
have been a significant issue.
State police decided to
pay about $4.5 million to
design and build a new lab.
The construction began last
August and wrapped in the
spring.
“We moved in on May
15,” Davis said, “but it took
us awhile to get up and going
and set everything up.”
Some of that was due to
the typical nature of mov-
ing across town. But Davis
said a forensic laboratory
takes more than plugging
equipment into outlets. He
said the scientific equip-
ment the lab depends on had
to go through calibrations
Friend remembers Trenton Williams
as ‘positive about everything’
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Jared
Warren of Hermiston recalled
his friend Trenton Williams as
a life-loving buddy ready for
just about any adventure.
“I tell you what,” War-
ren said, “that guy was never
stuck at this house. He was
always looking for something
to do.”
Williams, 20, died last
weekend while boating on the
Columbia River, along with
Janice Arsenault, 44, of Uma-
tilla. The Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Office continues to
investigate their deaths.
Warren said Williams
hailed from Kuna, Idaho, and
moved to Eastern Oregon
so funny.”
for work.
The past few weekends,
“He and I were hired out
together at the railroad last Williams took to spending
time on the Colum-
March,”
Warren
bia River and hanging
said. “We were good
out with Arsenault.
friends since then.”
Warren
described
Williams lived in
Williams and Arse-
Pendleton but came
nault as friends. He
to Warren’s home to
said it was unfortu-
enjoy video games
nate his friend died so
and barbecues. Wil-
liams recently got
Williams
young.
into rock climbing,
“Trent was a good
and earlier this year bought a kid,” Warren said. “He always
motorbike. Warren said Wil- had a smile on his face. He
liams ”absolutely loved” the was just positive about every-
machine and recounted the thing. He might have been
fun they had when he rode on ornery about it, but he was
always positive.”
the back with his friend.
An
online
donation
“It was just so funny,” he
said. “Two bigger-sized guys account at gofundme.com is
riding a motorbike. They raising money to help with
had to videotape it, it was the cost of Williams’ funeral.
Nearly 80 donors have con-
tributed $4,090.
And Laundry Smith of
Athena started an online dona-
tion account at gofundme.com
in memory of Michael New-
bold of Weston. The 16-year-
old student at Weston McE-
wen High School died June 11
in a car crash on a back road
in Umatilla County. Nearly
two dozen people as of Friday
contributed $1,180 toward the
account’s $10,000 goal.
“Nothing can replace
Michael,” according to the
statement on the page, “but
we hope this effort will relieve
some of the family’s stress and
bring an element of comfort
and support to them, during
this heartbreaking time of
deep loss.”
BRIEFLY
Wyden will hold
town hall in
Pendleton
every nook and cranny of our
state is essential to finding
solutions that work.”
PENDLETON — U.S.
Sen. Ron Wyden will hold
town halls on June 30 in
Umatilla County.
The town hall is scheduled
for 4 p.m. in the Bob Clapp
Theatre in Pioneer Hall at
Blue Mountain Community
College.
In fulfillment of his pledge
to hold at least one town hall
each year in each of the state’s
36 counties, Wyden has held
942 town halls statewide —
including 29 so far this year.
“Heading into the Fourth
of July when America cel-
ebrates our independence,
these upcoming open-to-all
town halls in Baker, Uma-
tilla and Sherman counties
put democracy into action
locally,” Wyden said. “I look
forward very much to throw-
ing open the doors of gov-
ernment and hearing from
residents of Eastern Oregon.
Listening to Oregonians in
Fatal stabbing
under investigation
by police
MILTON-FREEWATER
— A 22-year-old man died
after he was found with stab
wounds in Milton-Freewater.
According to a city of Mil-
ton-Freewater press release,
911 callers Friday at 12:24 a.m.
reported the stabbing victim
was on the 600 block of Ward
Street. Police and emergency
crews responded.
Paramedics transported
the man, who police did
not identify, to Providence
St. Mary Medical Center,
Walla Walla. He later died
en route to Kadlec Regional
Medical Center, Richland,
Washington.
The
Milton-Freewater
Police Department is inves-
tigating the death. Umatilla
County District Attorney Dan
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Primus said his office is work-
ing with the police, and this
case does not involve the local
major crimes team.
That team consists of
detectives and officers from
area agencies to help in big
cases. The district attorney
or a law enforcement agency
head can call out the team.
Milton-Freewater is an active
member of the team.
Local entities face
hefty fines for
polluting
PENDLETON — Local
companies and public bod-
ies are on the hook for thou-
sands of dollars for water and
air pollution.
The Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality
reported issuing 21 penalties
statewide totaling $292,752
in May for various environ-
mental violations. The larg-
est penalty was against an
Eastern Oregon entity.
The DEQ issued a
$48,683 fine against Union
County for violations at the
La Grande/Union County
Airport, La Grande. Accord-
ing to the agency, the county,
which owns and operates the
airport, had a permit requir-
ing the control and monitor-
ing of erosion. The county
did not do that, and the con-
struction starting in August
2018 of a rappel base for
the National Forest Ser-
vice resulted in significant
amounts of sediment enter-
ing a drainage ditch that
connects to a critical hab-
itat for Snake River Basic
steelhead trout.
and verification to ensure it
worked.
The lab staff also have
found a few things that need
a bit more work, such as
a blemish here or a sticky
drawer there. Contractors
are making those fixes, but
Davis said there have been
no major repairs.
Local law enforcement
remain keen on having the
lab nearby.
Hermiston police chief
Jason Edmiston said it sure
beats having to deliver evi-
dence to the OSP lab in Bend
or even to La Grande, where
state police considered mov-
ing the local lab. Umatilla
County’s population also
has the greatest demand for
an evidence team, he said,
and the staff in Pendleton
are top notch.
Pendleton police chief
Stuart Roberts said the
investment should signal the
end to regular talk of cutting
funding for the lab or yank-
ing it out of the county. He
said he argued year in and
out to keep the lab in town
since donning chief bars 17
years ago.
Like
Edmiston,
he
praised the lab staff for the
work it does, from gather-
ing evidence in the field to
prescreening DNA. He also
said the shiny jewel of a
new lab could entice young
forensic scientists to relocate
and stick around Pendleton.
Hermiston council
to consider local
improvement district
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — The
Hermiston city council
will consider an option
to form a local improve-
ment district for its South
Hermiston Industrial Park
on Monday.
The council meeting
will start with a work
session at 6 p.m. to dis-
cuss options for an LID
or urban renewal dis-
trict, followed by a reg-
ular business meeting at
7 p.m.
Local
improvement
districts are used by cit-
ies to distribute the cost
of improvements between
neighboring land owners.
In this case the improve-
ments being considered
would include new water
and sewer mains between
South Highway 395 and
Penney Avenue along an
unimproved right-of-way
and into property owned
by the Port of Umatilla. It
would also include paving
the currently undeveloped
Southeast 10th Street
right-of-way, turning it
into essentially a new
road, and paving Camp-
bell Drive.
A resolution up for vote
Monday would launch a
feasibility study for the
proposed LID, which
would be presented to the
council on July 8.
On Monday the coun-
cil will also hold a pub-
lic hearing and vote to
change the zoning of a
half-acre piece of prop-
erty at 1855 Northeast
North St. behind Com-
munity Bank. The reso-
lution would change the
map designation from
commercial to residen-
tial, allowing a proposed
duplex development.
Monday’s agenda also
includes two facade grants
for downtown businesses,
a presentation on tribal
cultural affairs and staff
and committee reports.
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