OFF PAGE ONE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
East Oregonian
A9
Arrests:
Continued from Page A1
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Children scramble to collect candy Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, during the Main Street Cowboys’ Dress-Up Parade in downtown Pendleton.
Parade:
Continued from Page A1
The Dress-Up Parade launched with a
canon blast at 10 a.m. near Pendleton City
Hall, 500. S.W. Dorion Ave., headed east
to the Umatilla County Courthouse, 216
S.E. Fourth St., before looping around to
roll west on Southwest Court Avenue to the
Pendleton Round-Up Grounds.
Hundreds gathered all along the nearly
2-mile-long parade route, but the crowd
was sparser than in previous years. Main
Street Cowboys, clad in neon green and
purple attire, zipped up and down on
ATVs. Paradegoers listened to the Pend-
leton Mounted Band, cheered at the
Round-Up Board of Directors in their
black cowboy hats and watched as a giant,
pink, inflatable piggy bank rolled by.
“It’s about just having fun before
Round-Up,” said Johnny Blagg, the pres-
ident of the Main Street Cowboys, “and
getting out on a Saturday morning.”
The Main Streeters reported more than
70 parade participants — about 30 fewer
than in years prior — but the decrease
wasn’t overly surprising, Blagg said, and
they still had a great parade.
Memorial for local man
With the parade falling on the 20th
anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks,
the Main Street Cowboys also held a trib-
ute and moment of silence for Lt. Col. Mike
“Fuzzy” Selves, a 1965 Pendleton High
School graduate who lost his life at the
Pentagon in the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
They honored all who lost their lives that
day and the following days.
David Boatwright and Larry Koehne,
members of the Main Street Cowboys,
were exceptionally close friends with
Selves growing up and graduated from
Pendleton High together. Boatwright
recollected the days he spent riding bicy-
Fishing:
Continued from Page A1
At the event, Jon Cox of
Western States Equipment
Company said supporting
veterans is important both for
him and his company. West-
ern States provided bait for
Fish’n.
“They give us the freedom
to do what we do and live in
the nation we live in,” Cox
said of our veterans.
Rick Henderson, a veteran
from Moscow, Idaho, was in
the Navy from 1990 to 1994.
Saturday was the first time
he had been to this event.
He went because a friend
suggested it to him. He had
not fished in a long time, he
said, and he has rarely gone
to veterans’ events. As he
prepared for his day on the
river, he was excited.
“It’s nice to have people
recognize the service that
we signed up for,” he said.
“It sends a good message to
the young right now that it’s
worth joining our military
and taking on that sacrifice.”
Dave Winters, veteran,
served at the “tail end” of
Vietnam. From Heppner, he
said he was happy to make
the trip from his home to
Umatilla. It was his first time
at the event, as his friends
encouraged him to attend.
He said he was happy to
commune with his friends
and possibly make new
friends.
His brother was in the
Vietnam War, as were many
other people he has known.
People spit on those veter-
ans upon their return state-
side, Winter said. Finally,
those former servicemen and
women, as well as other veter-
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Runners sprint Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, down Southwest Court Avenue in Pendleton
for the Kyle Burnside Dress-Up Parade Fun Run in advance of the Main Street Cowboys’
Dress-Up Parade.
cles with Selves through town in the 1950s
and memories of the Lone Ranger.
“Him and I were great buddies,” Boat-
wright said.
This year felt different from others, he
said, and it was stronger after 20 years
had passed. Boatwright mentioned Selves
was supposed to celebrate his birthday five
days after the attacks — a couple of days
after his own birthday.
Koehne, who led the crowd in the
moment of silence, bit back tears as
he spoke about his friend, who had just
bought a house in Florida and was about to
retire to spend his days playing golf with
his wife before the attack.
“Let’s just take a moment of silence,
please,” Koehne said, “think about our
heritage in America. Think about how
lucky we are. Think about those lives we
lost and all the families that are still griev-
ing from that terrible time. Never forget,
folks.”
Running for fun and scholarships
Just before the parade, the Pendleton
ans, are getting the respect
they deserve.
“It’s really nice that people
are taking the time to recog-
nize the sacrifice these men
and women made,” he said.
Dan Seimer, Irrigon, said
it also was his first appear-
ance at Fish’n. A veteran,
he described himself as an
“anxious fisherman,” as
getting on the water, and
being the subject of so much
attention, made him feel a
little overwhelmed.
“These guys are putting on
a real fine deal for us vets,” he
said. He participates in Amer-
ican Legion, and he likes
gathering with people who
share his military experience.
Bill Jennings, Hermis-
ton, also is a veteran, having
served 1969-70. When events
like this one occur, he said,
it shows people are looking
after veterans. This makes
him feel good, and he appre-
ciates the efforts.
Not a veteran, Lisa Rear-
don was one of the few women
at the event. A Hermiston
resident, she was a volunteer
deckhand at Fish’n. As she
has two sons who serve, she
said she is proud of the people
who have fought and continue
to fight for America. Wearing
a United States Marine Corps
sweater, she described herself
as a patriot. Several members
of her family have served, she
said, adding “service is a big
deal.”
“I think any way that you
can honor people who served,
have served, is the right thing
to do,” Reardon said.
Mark Ribbich, Umatilla
Chamber of Commerce exec-
utive director, is not a veteran,
though he said being at Fish’n
the Brave means a lot to him.
“I get a little choked up
High School cross-country team hosted
its annual dress-up fun run for the Kyle
Burnside Memorial Scholarship. Spec-
tators egged on runners dressed as fair-
ies, mobsters, 2021 Olympic marathon
bronze-medal-winner Molly Seidel and
... a banana.
The cross-country coaches participated
too, dressed as Toy Story characters with
head coach Ben Bradley as Little Bo-Peep,
coach Maddy Naughton as Buzz Lightyear
and coach Nicole Stewart as Woody.
“I smiled the whole way,” Stewart said.
“Huge smiles the whole way and every-
body was so excited.”
The run helped fund two $500 schol-
arships for Pendleton High School track
and field or cross-country athletes. The
scholarship started after Kyle Burnside, a
former Pendleton High School cross-coun-
try and track athlete, died in a car accident
in 2010.
Burnside and his family were involved
in Happy Canyon, “and it just made sense
to dress up in his honor and do a raffle to
fund the scholarship,” Stewart said.
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
From left, Randy Hurley, Danny Jacobson, Shaley Larson,
Travis Larson, Chris Hurley and Mike Larson were among the
participants and volunteers Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, on the
Columbia River near Umatilla for the annual Fish’n the Brave.
about that,” he said. His oldest
brother was wounded in the
Vietnam War, and he did not
survive his injuries. This
gave him an affinity for those
that did return from that war
and all the U.S. wars which
followed.
“We’ve got millions of
out there in the country, and
they need to be supported in
various ways,” he said. Any
chance he gets to be at veteran
events to support, he said, he
is “all in” in participating.
The chamber has been
supporting Fish’n as a spon-
sor for four years. Ribbich
called it the “signature event”
for Umatilla. There are other
events in Umatilla, but this
one is extra special. Several
organizations and local busi-
nesses also helped, he said.
Operating Engineers Local
280, Ranch & Home, the city
of Hermiston, Hagerman Inc.
and the city of Umatilla are
just a few other groups that
made this event possible.
“This is a marvelous
event,” Salud Campos,
Umatilla, said. This was her
third years as a volunteer.
Pablo Ames, Umatilla,
said providing food and fun
for veterans is important
to him. They deserve it, he
“Were you aware of that indictment, sir?” John-
son asked Wendelin.
“I was, as of yesterday,” Wendelin answered
via webcam from the Walla Walla County Jail.
After waiving extradition, Wendelin waved to
the courtroom and said, “Judge, if I may? I don’t
think I’ll get a chance to otherwise, so I just want
to say I love my fiancée more than life itself.”
Jail staff then led Wendelin away to begin his
journey to Griffin, Georgia.
Wendelin and Montgomery each face charges
of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and
three counts of violating the Street Gang Terror-
ism and Prevention Act of Georgia, according to a
Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Officials with the sheriff’s office called the
arrests “the first step in a joint investigation” into
the West Coast Pagan’s club. Additional charges
are pending.
Boedigheimer said the case began with an
assault investigation the Spalding County Sheriff’s
Office in Georgia conducted along with the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He
said those two agencies eventually traced the two
men to Walla Walla County and recruited the help
of the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began to take shape locally
when a training was held in Walla Walla regard-
ing gang enforcement, specifically surrounding
the Pagan’s MC, including discussion of a chap-
ter that was operating inside the city limits of
Milton-Freewater.
A Milton-Freewater police detective began
working with the Georgia-based officials on the
investigation. In the meantime, Wendelin was on
local law enforcement’s radar.
“A separate, local criminal investiga-
tion had been opened ... involving Wendelin,”
Boedigheimer said.
The case allowed the detective to write up
search warrants and further investigate Wendelin’s
property for the Georgia case, too.
The investigators then worked with a Umatilla
County deputy district attorney on the complicated
legal process in executing a multi-state warrant on
three properties in and around Milton-Freewater,
Boedigheimer said.
On Sept. 8, about 30 law enforcement officials
— including the deputy attorney and members of
the FBI and ATF — held a briefing to discuss the
operation.
The next morning, just after 5 a.m., the offi-
cials sprang into action by first arresting Wendelin
at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla. After
7 a.m., the three search warrants in Milton-Free-
water were served. After 8 a.m., Montgomery was
arrested.
“Numerous items of evidence were found
and seized pursuant to the search warrants,”
Boedigheimer said.
The police chief said the Oregon Department
of Human Services was called to assist any chil-
dren involved.
Boedigheimer called the operation a “prime
example” of a collaborative effort in the criminal
justice system.
“Every agency and entity (involved) contrib-
uted in a positive way to this mission, which met
a positive end,” Boedigheimer said.
Also involved in the investigation and arrests of
the two men were: the Georgia Bureau of Investi-
gation; Drug Enforcement Administration; DOC
Special Investigations Service; Washington State
Patrol; Oregon State Police; Umatilla Tribal Police
Department; Morrow County Sheriff’s Office; and
police departments in Hermiston, Boardman,
Pendleton, Portland, Seattle and Spokane.
said, and he feels satisfied
to see smiles on their faces.
As a serving member of the
National Guard, he said he
likes veterans’ events such as
this one. It kind of gives him
a look at his future, he said.
He said he likes to hear their
stories, too.
Darla Huxel, Umatilla
chief of police, is a member of
the American Legion Auxil-
iary. Not a veteran herself, she
is appreciative of those who
served. She also is proud of
her town and all the volun-
teers who helped.
Being that Fish’n was on
Sept. 11, the day of remem-
brance for terrorist attacks in
2001, this event has deeper
reason for extra thought, she
said. She said she remembers
the people who were lost on
Sept. 11 and the soldiers who
took up arms in defense of the
country after the attacks.
The Umatilla Police Offi-
cers Association was among
the groups that donated items
to be raffled for the event.
As he was preparing his
boat to take veterans fishing,
Larson Travis said he is glad
to give veterans a good time.
In addition to helping others,
he also is able to enjoy the
experiences himself, as he
likes listening to the stories
told.
Cathy Stolz, Hermiston
resident and president of the
American Legion Auxiliary
Unit 37 of Hermiston, was
another one of the volunteers
and said she had been encour-
aging veterans to participate
because Fishn’ participation
is limited. Participants need
to sign up prior to the event.
They can do so at fishersca-
tchoutfitters.com/fishn-the-
brave.
This year was full, and
next year looks to be the
same.
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