Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 11, 2019)
A8 East Oregonian Thursday, July 11, 2019 Murder: Hedman admitted to police he struck victim with an ax multiple times Continued from Page A1 needed the tools for work, records stated. The two then smoked marijuana with Hedman in the afternoon. Detectives “pinged” Martz’s cell phone near North Powder. Oregon State Police later found and arrested a man match- ing Hedman’s description Monday night for allegedly stealing at least one vehicle — including the victim’s — and attempting to elude law enforcement in Baker City. The court documents state Hedman confessed to police that he killed Martz “with an ax, hitting him multiple times.” He also told investi- gators that Martz was “still on the property.” Hedman ran into police trouble this year when Pend- leton officers the morn- ing of June 5 responded to 916 S.W. Court Ave. for a male looking in cars and acting suspicious. Minutes later, a patrol sergeant spot- ted a person matching the description of the prowler just a block to the west. Pendleton police later confirmed the suspect was Hedman. The sergeant tried to stop Hedman, but he took off running north. Offi- cers had no probable cause for an arrest, so they mon- itored him while the ser- geant viewed surveillance video at the reporting busi- ness. The police observed Hedman cross private properties, vaulting fences between, according to the police report, and one prop- erty owner wanted the cops to arrest him for trespass. A pursuit ensued, and Hedman ducked into a property on the 300 block of Southwest Third Street. Police found him hiding there in a basement stair- well. He also had four war- rants for his arrest — three out of Hermiston and one from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. Not one of the six offi- cers at the scene recognized Hedman, according to the report, and police informa- tion listed him as a transient from the Heppner area. Police reported Hedman admitted to being high on heroin and had a syringe filled with a liquid. Medical staff at St. Anthony Hospital cleared Hedman before offi- cers booked him into county jail in Pendleton for trespass- ing, interfering with police, third-degree escape and second-degree disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors. The jail gave Hedman the boot on June 25 due to overpopulation. The release agreement noted his charges and a July 8 court proceeding. Umatilla County Sher- iff Terry Rowan said data showed the jail population that day was between 228 to 230. When the population reaches those levels, he said, the jail starts running out of mattresses, space and other resources. Several elements play a role in who the jail selects for release, from how quickly an inmate can get in front of a judge for an arraignment to the severity of their offenses. After working through the inmates that have court proceedings, jail staff rely on a matrix to whit- tle the remaining popula- tion. Rowan explained that system takes into account an inmate’s criminal his- tory. The more serious the offense and the greater the number of offenses, the higher the score. Rowan said he has seen scores as high as 2,025 for someone with serious felonies, but an inmate with many mis- demeanors might top out at 1,500. Misdemeanors often pro- duce scores as low as 100 or 200, Rowan said, and the lower an inmate’s score, the more likely the jail consid- ers them for release. Hed- man’s history consists of trespass and the like, Rowan said, and before now lacks assaults or other violent crimes. State court records show Hedman also has local con- victions for misdemeanors and low-level felonies going back to 2015. He completed two years probation in Morrow County for a 2015 menac- ing charge. That June, he pleaded guilty to attempt- ing to commit a Class A fel- ony and received 30 days in jail and three years pro- bation under community corrections. He pleaded no contest in 2016 in Wasco County for driving while suspended, which stemmed from ignoring a speeding ticket, according to the Oregon State Police citation. And Hedman pleaded guilty in February 2019 in Morrow County Circuit Court to giving false information to an officer and in a separate case pleaded no contest to driving uninsured. Martz worked at Whit- man for seven years and graduated with a gender and German studies degree in 2007, according to an email to staff from Whitman College President Kathy Murray. “I am at a loss for words for how to begin to under- stand this and I am sure many of you feel the same way,” part of Murray’s email said. Hedman faces Baker County charges of vehi- cle theft, trespass, reckless driving, criminal mischief and hit-and-run involving property. State court records show he has a hearing July 31 to enter a plea. He has no court proceedings in Walla Walla Superior Court until he leaves Oregon. ——— Walla Walla Union-Bul- letin Reporter Emily Thorn- ton contributed to this story. Decision: Lack of emergency services puts rural Americans at greater risk Continued from Page A1 that with $923,000 in funds for the Milton-Freewater EMS, there were 1,045 call responses last year. That comes down to approximately $883 per response. In nearby Athena, where its emergency services had $441,000 in fund- ing, White said there were 210 call responses. That equates to roughly $2,100 per response. The emergency medi- cal service employees are also underpaid compared to neighboring districts, and Saager told the board he wants to see their wages brought closer to their counterparts. In addition, many peo- ple who need ambulance rides struggle to pay the bill for it. Kilmer said the government’s cuts to reim- bursement through Medi- care and Medicaid have only compounded the prob- lem by placing a larger financial burden on those riding in the ambulance. The ambulances and equipment also need to be maintained and must be replaced every so many years. Purchasing a new ambulance can cost in the area of a $250,000 White said. Saager did not return calls for comment. Funding for emer- gency services has been an ongoing battle in Milton-Freewater. The ambulance district was originally voted on and established in Novem- ber 2011 with more than 86% of the vote, and the expectation was the dis- trict would raise $130,000 annually. Prior to the establish- ment of the district, Saager and Milton-Freewater EMS served the area since 1984 after the fire district devel- oped a quick-response team. By 2000, their ser- vices expanded to trans- porting Advanced Life Support patients. But insufficient funding in 2011 caused Saager and the EMS to almost suspend Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Milton-Freewater Rural Fire District is attempting to secure funding for a new ambulance district. services and kindled the discussions of forming an ambulance district. After a series of negotiations, the county helped keep the ser- vices running throughout the end of the year until the district could decide on a future provider. After the district passed, the board opted to keep the area’s services with Saager. Then being sub- sidized by local property taxes, Saager and the Mil- ton-Freewater EMS still struggled financially. Kilmer has been a board member for the Mil- ton-Freewater Ambulance Service Area Health Dis- trict for roughly six years and said it’s been known for several years the fund- ing was insufficient. Previ- ous attempts to remedy it by applying for grants have failed or fell short of the district’s needs. “I told them in their inception, ‘Be careful what you ask for because this is a permanent rate,’” said Paul Chalmers, Umatilla County tax assessor. Eight years later, the board is seeking to dissolve its district and again must ask voters to raise the tax- ing rate. “The question for them that,” Chalmers said. The proposed district would require the voters to pass three measures. First, to dissolve the current dis- trict. Second, to estab- “THE ONLY WAY WE CAN SURVIVE, IN OUR OPINION, IS TO RECEIVE MORE FUNDING.” – George White is how will it impact other districts,” Chalmers said. The challenge is the constraints of compression from raising the rate. With the state’s cap on collection and spending for local gov- ernment services at $10 per $1,000, the increase will ultimately impact other services. The difficult decision for voters will be determining how much value the dis- trict’s emergency services has while balancing this potential impact. “It becomes a political question as to whether or not folks want to vote into lish the new district. And last, to determine the new tax rate. If either measure doesn’t pass, the current district would remain as is. But failing to pass a new district would mean the potential end to the city’s ambulance service. When local emergency services were nearly sus- pended in 2011, the city was going to turn to the East Umatilla County Ambu- lance Area Health District (Medic 400), which has services based out of Ath- ena, and the Walla Walla City Emergency Services for help. The city of Pend- leton also offered to extend its services if needed. While these options don’t leave Milton-Free- water unaccounted for, they could double or triple wait and travel times. Ulti- mately, the board would have to mull over these and other options if the mea- sures don’t make it to the ballot or don’t pass when they do. Either way, Milton-Free- water’s emergency services can’t sustain itself as is. “I just want [the vot- ers] to understand we’re at a crucial moment,” White said. “We might not sur- vive another year.” The district’s fight for survival is emblematic of a nationwide problem plagu- ing rural communities. A 2018 National Rural Health Association policy brief stated roughly one- third of rural EMS are in “immediate operational jeopardy” due to lack of funding, staffing, and reimbursement. For those residing in Milton-Freewater and other rural areas, this makes the issue of survival quite literal. The same NRHA report said rural Americans face 50% greater risk of trau- ma-related death as a result of limited emergency ser- vices and the longer wait and travel times associated with it. In America, one of the most common causes of trauma-related deaths are drug overdoses, and thus the rising opioid crisis exacerbates these risks. While many EMS pro- viders target a response time of eight minutes or less for Advanced Life Support patients, the NRHA report found rural communities face an average of 20-30% longer response times. Spe- cifically in the case of opi- oid overdoses, this added average of 9.4 minutes per call is often the difference between life and death, according to the report. “Unfortunately, these problems are not unique to Milton-Freewater,” county commissioner John Shafer said. Shafer served on the Medic 400 board when its service area also faced funding issues and had to establish a new district that raised its rate to $1 per $1,000 in 2016. For now, the next steps lie with the district board placing its future in the voter’s hands. “It’s important that we get it onto the bal- lot,” county commissioner George Murdock said. The Milton-Freewa- ter Ambulance Service Area Health District plans to present its proposal for approval at the city council meeting on Aug. 12, which will take place at 7 p.m. inside the Albee room at the library. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners also will hold a public hear- ing Friday, July 26, where the new district’s proposed boundaries will be con- firmed. Then, a second hearing where the commis- sioners can officially refer the issue to the ballot will be held on Aug. 16. Bill: One of the last bills passed was also one of the more important Continued from Page A1 will put its trade programs in one place. The center will have space to train electri- cians and plumbers, as well as students studying fire sci- ences and emergency medi- cal operations. And Treasure Valley Community College will get $4.9 million to build a facil- ity to train nurses and other health care workers. The state Department of Administrative Services had $24 million carved out in HB 5006 to buy a former Micro- soft building in Wilsonville. It’s something the state has had its eye on, DAS spokes- woman Liz Craig said. The building comes with office, warehouse and labo- ratory space. Right now, a specific pur- pose isn’t outlined. “We believe the build- ing could solve a number of space needs for various agencies, including lab space and secure storage, in a cen- tral location,” Craig said. DAS expects to decide whether to buy the building by the end of the year. While some dollars go to fund new projects, much of the funding will improve existing buildings. The Oregon Youth Author- ity received $6.4 million to fund four projects, the bulk going to upgrading medical and dental clinics at the Til- lamook Youth Correctional Facility, MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility and Oak Creek Youth Correc- tional Facility. Right now, the Oak Creek and Tillamook facil- ities don’t have space for a dentist to come in, so youths have to be taken off cam- pus for dental work. An expansion of the facilities will allow dentists to come on-site, agency spokes- woman Sarah Evans said. The expansion of the medical clinics at Oak Creek and Tillamook will provide quicker access to services. At Oak Creek, the space is currently so tight that it lim- its how often doctors can come visit. “Both are just so small,” Evans said. “If you look at an exam room, you don’t even have room to fit a doc- tor, nurse and a youth all in the room at the same time.” MacLaren will get $1.8 million to upgrade its infir- mary, clinic and pharmacy. Evans said these services were in an old building and the new one will be better suited to dealing with sick people. “If you walk into a place that’s cold, old and run- down looking, it’s not going to make you feel better,” she said. Several Salem buildings are getting upgrades through the Oregon Military Depart- ment. Almost $10 million is dedicated to improv- ing Army Aviation Support facilities in Salem and Pend- leton. The buildings will be seismically retrofitted and receive backup generators. The Oregon Supreme Court building will get a seismic upgrade, along with other renovations and ener- gy-efficiency upgrades, using $28 million in state funds. The Oregon Department of Corrections got more than $47 million to upgrade radios, cameras and building maintenance. The depart- ment is also going to use $1.6 million to upgrade the software it uses to track inmates. The software now in use today was developed in the 1980s, according to testimony submitted to the Legislature, and is the black- screen-green-font sort of software now mostly seen in decades-old movies.