East Oregonian : E.O., August 27, 2019, Page 3, Image 3

REGION
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Mutts strut on river walk
East Oregonian
Community college kicks off soon
Blue Mountain
Community
College seeing
an increase in
enrollment for fall
By JESSICA POLLARD
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Tina, a teacup chihuahua, rides with Norah and Jorie Heath as their goldendoodle, Cooper,
walks alongside during Saturday’s Mutt Strut on the Pendleton River Walk.
Western States burglary
suspect heads toward trial
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
burglary and aggravated theft
case against Levi Daniel Reed
of Pendleton is nearing its trial
date.
The Umatilla County Dis-
trict Attorney’s Offi ce has
accused Reed of ripping off
more than $10,000 in goods
from Western States Equip-
ment and one of its employ-
ees. Reed, 35, has pleaded not
guilty to charges of fi rst-de-
gree theft, fi rst-degree bur-
glary, unauthorized use of a
vehicle and fi rst-degree aggra-
vated theft.
According to a Pendleton
police search warrant affi davit
for Reed’s cellphone, some-
one late Feb. 12 to early Feb.
13 broke into Western States,
607 Airport Road, Pendleton,
just about across the street
from the Pendleton Police
Department, and took off with
about four dozen items rang-
ing from a pry bar to a $400
digital torque wrench. The
suspect or suspects also drove
off with a $40,000 2018 Ford
F-150 pickup, which police
later recovered in the parking
lot of St. Anthony Hospital,
Pendleton.
Pendleton police offi -
cer Travis McMasters the
morning of Feb. 13 took the
crime report and the next day
met with a Western States
employee, whose wife “sent
out information” about the
stolen goods. According to
the affi davit, they heard back
from Zyna Richardson, a
friend of his wife’s who was
willing to return some of the
property, but for a price. Rich-
ardson also said someone else
had the items.
The employee arranged the
meet, paid
to get back
the property
and got the
name of the
suspect —
Reed. Pend-
Reed
leton police
Sgt.
Tyler
Reddington the morning of
Feb. 17 met Richardson and
questioned her.
She claimed she talked
with another local offender,
Steven Ressler, who had two
iPads with stickers for West-
ern States. According to Rich-
ardson, Ressler traded 1/16th
of an ounce of methamphet-
amine to Reed for the iPads
and other Western States
property.
Richardson said she had
a deal to sell the iPads to the
employee and give $20 cash to
Ressler.
During that police inter-
view, Richardson received a
text from Ressler, the affi da-
vit stated, who needed a safe
place to receive more of the
items from Reed.
Reddington just after noon
that same day responded to
Kind Leaf, 1733 S.W. Court
Ave., on a complaint about
two trespassers behind the
business. Reed was there,
already in handcuffs thanks
to offi cer Cody Porter. Red-
dington saw Reed wore boots
that were similar to a pair that
Western State put on the prop-
erty list.
Reed was near several
pieces of property, accord-
ing to the affi davit. Redding-
ton checked and found the
items matched tools and more
belonging to Western States.
The police hauled in Reed
for questioning. He said he
wasn’t involved in any bur-
glary, but found the items
behind Kind Leaf. He also
said he found the boots he was
wearing in the trash at West-
ern States.
Police booked Reed into
the Umatilla County Jail for a
probation violation.
Reddington at about 7:30
that night caught Ressler in
the back seat of a 1999 Mer-
cury Sable at a traffi c stop
and seized more Western
States property, including two
welding masks and a welding
torch.
Reddington
questioned
Ressler at the police depart-
ment. Ressler handed over
his cellphone, and showed the
communications he had with
Reed, who got out of jail Feb.
12. The affi davit showed Reed
wanted help “playing hot
potato” with a “good amount
of spuds” he planted earlier.
Kessler asked Reed to
dump the code. Reed mes-
saged he had a stash of items
and needed help getting rid of
the items.
The messages led police to
fi nd the property in the area
of Korvola and Birch Creek
roads and under the Reith
Bridge on the Umatilla River,
both locations outside of
Pendleton. The affi davit also
revealed police found court
documents among the goods.
The documents had Reed’s
name for failing to appear in
a criminal case.
Reed remains in jail in
Pendleton. Court records
show the burglary and theft
trial start Sept. 9.
Reed also faces a charge
of unlawful possession of a
weapon by a prison inmate.
According to court records,
the state accused Reed of hav-
ing a weapon on April 6 while
he was in jail. That case goes
to trial Sept. 11.
’s
Annual Heritage Luncheon
“ A Right Yorkshire Lass: Fannie Kay
Bishop and the Founding of
Pendleton Woolen Mill ”
Guest Speaker John Bishop
Sat rday October 5, 2019
12pm-2pm
Pendleton Convention Center
Heritage Luncheon 2019 tickets
UMATILLA COUNTY
— With a month to go
before the start of the term,
Blue Mountain Community
College is seeing an uptick
in enrollment.
Casey White-Zollman,
vice president of public
affairs at BMCC, said that
as of this week, full-time
equivalent enrollment is up
by 5%.
She said the college wel-
comes the increase, which is
markedly unusual.
“Oftentimes when the
economy is very good, com-
munity college enrollment
tends to be on the decline.
When the economy has a
downturn, that’s when we
tend to see our enrollment
increase,” White-Zollman
said.
White-Zollman
noted
that enrollment tends to ebb
and fl ow on a weekly basis,
and that these numbers
could change.
“To have a bit of an
anomaly is a great thing for
us right now,” she said.
BMCC Hermiston Cen-
ter Director Jacelyn Keys
said the Hermiston Center
is seeing high enrollment
across the board, including
in language acquisition and
GED classes.
“We’re a part of that
(increase). I think that comes
from having the largest
school district in Eastern
Oregon in our backyard,”
she said.
And while fall term,
which starts Sept. 23, will
surely reveal new student
faces on campus, it will also
represent the start of incom-
ing president Dennis Bai-
ley-Fougnier’s fi rst full year
on the job.
Bailey-Fougnier
was
hired in March, and pre-
viously served as the vice
president of community
college affair at Colorado
Mesa University in Grand
Junction, Colorado, and
as chief executive at West-
ern Colorado Community
College.
He got his bachelor’s
degree at the University of
Oregon and later earned a
doctorate degree in com-
munity college leadership at
Oregon State University.
Earlier in the summer,
BMCC secured $13 million
in legislative funding for the
FARM II Project, a facility
that would provide room for
agriculture and veterinary
training.
White-Zollman
said
that as of this summer, the
grounds — situated on land
owned by the Pendleton
Round-Up — are cleared
and will be used as a parking
lot during the rodeo event. In
winter, the school will begin
the request for proposal pro-
cess to fi nd an architect for
the FARM II building.
While incoming students
won’t see much of a change
in available classes this year,
the college is looking into
offering unmanned aerial
systems classes in the future,
White-Zollman said.
“We’re always working
to try to meet the needs of
the community,” she said.
Keys said that the Herm-
iston Center is working to
develop new continuing
education courses, which
will debut next school year.
Registration for classes at
BMCC runs through Sept.
27.
Incoming students are
invited to the BMCC event
Welcome to the Pack on
Sept. 18 for an opportunity
to meet faculty, orient them-
selves, and learn about cam-
pus resources. The event
includes a free lunch and
runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m at
the Pendleton campus.
BRIEFLY
Walmart adding 100 jobs to
distribution center
HERMISTON — Walmart announced
Monday that it will be hiring 100 addi-
tional associates to fi ll orders at its Herm-
iston distribution center.
Interested candidates for the new posi-
tions are encouraged to attend a hiring
event Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at
the distribution center on 1455 Southeast
Feedville Road in Hermiston. Applicants
will have the possibility of an on-the-spot
offer. Those who can’t make it to the hir-
ing event can also apply online at careers.
walmart.com.
Wages start at $17.15 an hour but can
go up to $18.85 for shift work and week-
ends. Benefi ts for full-time employees
include medical, vision and dental as well
as access to Walmart’s program that offers
access to online college classes for $1 per
day.
The Hermiston center, which cele-
brated its 20th anniversary in the commu-
nity last year, serves 106 Walmart stores
in the Pacifi c Northwest. At that time the
company announced that $54 billion in
goods had passed through the center, and
company executives touted it as one of the
company’s most productive distribution
centers in the country.
With close to 1,000 associates working
at the distribution center in Hermiston and
hundreds at stores in Hermiston and in
Pendleton, Walmart is already one of the
largest employers in Umatilla County.
— East Oregonian staff
Angela Jones
Medical Assistant
Since 2014
“It’s not just what I do,
it’s who I choose to be.”
Dedicated, Focused, Grateful, Supportive
A Healthier Morrow County is Within Me.
Working here, I can honestly say, I am where I
want to be. I love to help people and doing it in the
community I grew up in is truly a blessing. Aside
from working with amazing people, I love that
MCHD’s vision for growth is 100% focused on how
best they can serve others.
UCHS Members/ $50
General admission/ $55
Purchase tickets in advance
at Heritage Station Museum
or call 541-276-0012.
Ticket price includes a catered lunch
from CG Catering.
Read About How We are Working
Together to be a Healthier Community
Today and
HealthyMC.org
Sponsored by:
A3
Where healthier is happening...
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