REGION
Thursday, September 30, 2021
East Oregonian
A3
Pendleton police identify suspect from August shooting
18-year-old Pendleton
man awaits extradition
to face attempted
murder, other charges
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pendle-
ton police on Wednesday, Sept.
29, reported a Pendleton teen is
in custody in Washington for the
shooting in August that left a man
injured.
Joseph R. Quintana Jr., 18, is in
the Yakima County Jail in Yakima
and on the hook for several seri-
ous charges associated with near-
deadly assault, including attempted
murder.
Pendleton police and other law
enforcement a few minutes after 8
p.m on Aug. 13 responded to numer-
ous 911 reports of a shooting in the
area of Southwest Emigrant Avenue
and Southwest Fourth Street,
according to the press release. On
arrival, offi cers were directed to a
man with a single gunshot wound
to his abdomen.
The victim, David G. Salazar, 37,
of Pendleton, was able to provide
offi cers with a statement.
Based on information and
evidence at the scene, Pendleton
police reported, offi cers learned
Salazar was driving his car east-
bound on Southwest Frazier Avenue
in the area of Fourth Street. He
passed two individuals who were
walking on the north sidewalk on
Southwest Frazier Avenue, and
they began calling out to Salazar
and gestured at him as he drove by.
Salazar circled the block to talk to
the two unknown individuals.
They approached Salazar’s
stopped vehicle, according to
police, and one pulled out a hand-
gun from his waistband and pointed
it at Salazar. Both individuals then
attempt to assault Salazar by punch-
ing at him through the open driver’s
side window.
Salazar drove away and parked
in the nearby parking lot of West-
ern Auto Home & Appliance to
call 911. As he tried to call, accord-
ing to Pendleton police, one of the
suspects ran at Salazar’s vehicle
and fi red several rounds at Salazar,
striking him once in the abdomen.
“It is important to note that Sala-
zar did not know the two individu-
als and just wanted to fi nd out what
they were yelling at him for,” the
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
A law enforcement offi cer walks toward the scene of a shooting Aug. 13,
2021, at the corner of Southwest Emigrant Avenue and Southwest Second
Street in downtown Pendleton. Pendleton police on Wednesday, Sept. 29,
announced Joseph R. Quintana Jr., 18, of Pendleton, is the suspect in the
shooting that left one man injured.
press release stated.
An ambulance rushed Salazar
to St. Anthony Hospital, Pendle-
ton, where he was treated for the
gunshot wound to his abdomen.
Police reported Salazar made a full
recovery.
Offi cers were able to locate video
camera footage from a nearby busi-
ness that captured the assault and
identifi ed the suspect who fi red the
handgun as Quintana Jr.
Offi cers attempted to locate him,
but based on information received
during the investigation they
believed he fl ed Oregon.
The district attorney’s office
on Aug. 19 presented informa-
tion related to the case to a grand
jury, which led to a secret indict-
Echo Market to hold fi nal event Saturday
Organizer says it will
return next year
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
ECHO — The Echo
Market wraps up its inaugu-
ral season Saturday, Oct. 2.
Teres Fair, the organizer
and founder of the Echo
Market called this market
“very successful.” She said
the market averaged 40
vendors a week, with a low
of 35 and a high of 45. The
opening day was June 5, and
except for a few cancella-
tions, operated on the fi rst
and third Saturdays of each
month since.
Rather than a farmers
market, Fair said, this was a
community market.
The Echo Market’s
season finale is 4-7 p.m.
and includes games, music,
farm animals and even the
Life Flight Network, which
Teres Fair/Contributed Photo
Zoe Russell and Eida Piercy browse the booths at the June
19, 2021, Echo Market. The market concludes its inaugural
season Saturday, Oct. 2.
will be donating a free
subscription to its air ambu-
lance service. Fair said 40
vendors and organizations
have signed up to appear at
the event, including the Echo
Public Library and the Echo
Quarterback Club.
Fair pointed out the
market is larger than other
outdoor markets in the
area. Hermiston, Pendle-
ton, Heppner and Kenne-
wick markets all have fewer
vendors, she said.
The Echo Market is a
fundraiser for the Echo Heri-
tage Association. The $12
weekly vendor fees support
the association’s eff orts to
restore a historical site —
Echo’s St. Peter’s Catholic
Church, deconsecrated in
1996. To date, the market has
raised around $2,500.
Josh English, owner of
Pendleton Wood Crafters,
said he has been involved in
the market since its incep-
tion.
He said he does not “sell
a ton” at the market, but he
enjoys its atmosphere and
he does receive orders for
custom work. He and his
wife bring their children
along to enjoy themselves.
He also sets up games for
other youths.
“It’s a good community
event,” he said.
English said he intends to
return for next year’s market,
which Fair said will be even
bigger and better.
Man pleads guilty for role in meth traffi cking
Sentencing in
early 2022 of Noel
Lomas Murillo
caps investigation
that began in 2017
East Oregonian
PORTLAND — A Cali-
fornia man with local ties
pleaded guilty Tuesday,
Sept. 28, in federal court for
his role in traffi cking meth-
amphetamine for dealing in
Northeastern Oregon and
Southeastern Washington.
Noel Lomas Murillo, 33, of
Vacaville, California, pleaded
guilty to conspiring to possess
with intent to distribute and
distribute methamphet-
amine, according to a press
release from the U.S. Attor-
ney’s Offi ce for the District of
Oregon.
Murillo is the brother of
Abel Lomas Murillo, 28,
of Weston. Abel Murillo in
2019 began serving almost 20
years in federal prison after
pleading guilty to one count
of conspiracy to possess with
the intent to distribute meth-
amphetamine.
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Attorney’s Office, Abel
Murillo was getting the drugs
from his older brother. Noel
Murillo would transport the
drugs to Klamath Falls or
Medford for a courier to pick
up and bring to Abel Murillo,
who then distributed them
throughout Umatilla and
Morrow counties and south-
eastern Washington.
The Blue Mountain
Enforcement Narcotics
Team and Oregon State
Police in late 2017 began
investigating a drug traf-
ficking organization Abel
Murillo led.
The investigation revealed
that as early as July 2017,
Noel Murillo transported
drugs from Vacaville to
Klamath Falls, where a
courier would deliver them
to his brother. Abel Murillo
also made multiple trips to
Medford to pick up drugs and
transport them to Morrow
and Umatilla counties for
distribution.
In January 2018, accord-
ing to the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, an OSP trooper
stopped one of the Murillo
brothers’ couriers, Luis
Alberto Navarro, 33, of
Boardman, near Klamath
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Falls en route to Umatilla
County. A search of the
vehicle revealed 11 packages
containing more than 8 kilo-
grams of meth in the vehicle.
Abel Murillo in May 2018
enlisted another courier Noel
Ponce Villegas, 28, also of
Boardman, to drive meth-
amphetamine from Medford
to Boardman, according to
the press release. Investiga-
tors had Abel Murillo under
surveillance as he traveled
from Umatilla County to a
storage locker in Medford
and loaded a trailer pulled by
his truck.
“Abel Murillo paid Ville-
gas to drive his truck and
trailer while he followed him
to minimize his own risk,”
the press release stated.
Investigators from BENT,
OSP and FBI early on May 6,
2018, stopped Abel Murillo
and Villegas on Interstate 84
near Biggs.
Law enforcement during
the stop seized 42 packages,
most of which were concealed
in a false bottom of a propane
tank, that contained approx-
imately 17.6 kilograms of
meth. Later the same day,
investigators seized 29 fi re-
arms and body armor from
Abel’s residence and another
10 pounds of meth and fi ve
firearms from the storage
locker in Medford.
Navarro in May 2018
pleaded guilty to possess-
ing with intent to distrib-
ute methamphetamine. His
sentencing is Feb. 1, 2022.
Abel Murillo in April
2019 pleaded guilty to
conspiring to possess with
intent to distribute metham-
phetamine and in September
2019 began serving almost 19
years in federal prison.
Villegas in April 2019
pleaded guilty to possess-
ing with intent to distrib-
ute methamphetamine. He
was sentenced in December
2019 to time served and three
years of supervised release.
A federal grand jury in
Portland in December 2019
handed up a two-count
indictment charging Noel
Murillo with conspiring to
possess with intent to distrib-
ute and distribute metham-
phetamine and possessing
with intent to distribute
methamphetamine.
Noel Murillo’s sentencing
is Jan. 5, 2022, before U.S.
District Court Judge Michael
H. Simon.
ment arrest warrant for Quintana
Jr. for menacing, unlawful use of
a weapon, recklessly endanger-
ing another person, second-degree
assault, first-degree assault and
attempted murder.
Pendleton police detectives
began working with out-of-state
law enforcement partners to locate
their suspect. Thursday, Sept. 28,
at about 7 p.m. the Pendleton Police
Department received word Quin-
tana Jr. was arrested in Grandview,
Washington.
Detectives with the Pendleton
Police Department had been in
contact with the Grandview Police
Department, the Yakima County
Sheriff ’s Department and its Violent
Off ender Task Force regarding a
possible location of Quintana Jr.
Officers found him near an
apartment complex and after a short
foot pursuit, which included send-
ing a police dog, took Quintana Jr.
into custody. Pendleton police also
reported he was in possession of a
handgun at the time of his arrest.
The press release also reported
the district attorney’s offi ce is in
the process of extraditing Quin-
tana Jr. to Pendleton to face the
local charges.
Hermiston City Council
OKs new lease at airport
Councilor suggests
chamber needs
to revamp Spanish
language on some
restaurant materials
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — The
Hermiston City Council at
its meeting Monday night,
Sept. 27, voted 7-0 in favor of
a new 20-year ground lease
at the Hermiston Municipal
Airport.
K 2 Aerial Applica-
tion LLC has been oper-
ating from the airport for
at least five years and is
looking to build a hangar
covering 8,352 square feet.
City Manager Byron Smith
explained to the council the
lease facilitates that project.
Under the terms of the
lease, according to meeting
documents, the city receives
$1,420 per year through 2028
for the ground the hangar
will stand on, and the rent
increases to $1,587 per year
for 2035-38. The total for the
20 years comes to $29,482.
Smith told the council the
length and price per square
foot of the lease are consis-
tent with other ground leases
at the airport.
Smith also gave an update
on fi lling the key city depart-
ment heads. He said the city
has received 10 applications
for the parks and recreation
director and court adminis-
trator. The closing date for
applications looks to be the
end of the week, but that
could extend 15 days beyond
to allow for more candidates.
At last count, Smith said,
the city received four appli-
cants for the court adminis-
trator and 10 for the parks
director.
The council also brought
in cupcakes to celebrate the
retirement of Gary Luisi as
city attorney. His successor,
Richard Tovey, starts this
week.
There were some sparks
early in the meeting, when
the council took in a presen-
tation on the Restaurant
Assistance Program, a part-
nership between the city and
the Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce, to encourage
dining at local restaurants.
The city early in 2021
gave the chamber $50,000
for an assistance program
to benefi t local restaurants
struggling because of the
pandemic. The chamber
created three programs:
Dining Dollars, in which
restaurants honor a $10 gift
certifi cate and submit that
to the chamber of reim-
bursement; a direct $10 gift
certifi cate diners can use at a
restaurant; and a third option
in which chamber directors
use $10 in cash to cover a
diner’s meal at an event.
Chamber President Kris
Bennett walked the coun-
cil through the details of the
programs, including exam-
ples of the coupons and gift
cards and English and Span-
ish promotional fl yers. Some
of the Spanish language
drew criticism from Coun-
cilor Roy Barron.
“Some of the word-
ing … It’s wrong,” Barron
told Bennett, “and it might
convey a swear word.”
Bennett defended the
wording, explaining the
chamber relied on the work
of a certifi ed Spanish trans-
lator. But Barron suggested
the chamber needs to take a
second look at some of the
language.
Bennett replied the cham-
ber will “run it by” the trans-
lator, and if Barron wanted
he could come to the cham-
ber to go through the word-
ing with him.
“That’s kind of what I‘m
doing now,” Barron replied.
Mayor Dave Droztmann
moved on, and said he was
excited for the program and
hoped the community recog-
nizes the importance of
supporting local businesses.
Barron then came back
to his point with a sugges-
tion for the language he
found problematic. Bennett
said he was welcome to give
those to the chamber offi ce.
And Councilor Phillip
Spicerkuhn, who serves on
the chamber board, said he
would take Barron’s sugges-
tions to the chamber.
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