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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2022)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Clatsop County asks ODOT for help detering suicides tion of deterrence measures to help prevent future loss of life by way of the bridge. “Tools such as fencing and netting have proven to be highly successful in deterring and preventing tall bridges from being used to take one’s life,” the statement said, “and we would enthusi- astically encourage ODOT to consider these measures with regards to the Megler.” There have been several suicides off the Astoria Bridge in the past couple of decades, but the state does not keep an official count, said Don Hamilton, a depart- ment of transportation public information officer. “We really don’t know,” he said. The deaths have prompted difficult discussions among county leaders, social services agencies and law enforcement about mental health and substance abuse treatment on the northern Oregon Coast. While Neikes was in the county jail, he had two meetings, including one on Jan. 11, with Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare counselors, according to Sheriff Matt Phillips. “He never indicated to anyone that he was suicidal, at least not to us,” Phillips said. “So that was just a flat shock.” On Jan. 12, Neikes had By ERICK BENGEL The Astorian ASTORIA — Another fatal jump off the Astoria Bridge prompted Clatsop County to ask the Oregon Department of Transpor- tation to consider ways to prevent more suicides. In a letter to Bill Jablon- ski, ODOT district manager, the county board of commis- sioners requested the state partner with the county and local mental health profes- sionals to assess a full range of prevention options. On the afternoon of Jan. 12, James Neikes, 29, of Astoria, jumped off the bridge. He landed on the grass east of Suomi Hall. Still breathing when police officers arrived, Neikes was taken to Columbia Memo- rial Hospital, then flown to a Portland-area hospital, where he died. “These deaths not only impact the individual fami- lies who experience the tragic loss of life, but also their community peers, co-workers, and bystand- ers,” according to the coun- ty’s letter, signed by Mark Kujala, the board’s chairman. Clat sop Beh av ior al Healthcare, the county’s mental health and substance abuse treatment contractor, said in a statement the agency supports “the implementa- Ed Hunt/For The Astorian A recent fatal jump off the Astoria Bridge has Clatsop County officials asking the Oregon Department of Transportation to consider ways to prevent more suicides. a virtual hearing in circuit court with Judge Cindee Matyas. Neikes was jailed 10 days earlier for two misde- meanors — second-degree criminal mischief and tres- pass — and two probation violations. His attorney, Kristopher Kaino, noted at the hearing that cases such as Neikes’, where substance abuse and mental health issues interact, seem to be rising. Forecast for Pendleton Area | Go to AccuWeather.com TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY A snow squall this afternoon Cold; a little afternoon snow Clouds breaking for sun; milder Increasing cloudiness Partly sunny 38° 25° 34° 30° “We see more and more of these types of cases, and they become somewhat frustrat- ing to try to help folks with, because I’m not sure what the best avenue is,” the attorney said. Kaino said when he started criminal defense work in the 1990s, he might have seen half a dozen mental health-related cases a year. “I’ve got three or four a month now with mental PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 47° 28° 48° 28° 48° 34° 44° 28° 35° 32° 49° 30° 49° 30° 46° 38° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 45/32 31/14 40/21 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 38/23 Lewiston 43/32 44/28 Astoria 45/34 Pullman Yakima 34/21 46/30 40/21 Portland Hermiston 43/34 The Dalles 44/28 Salem Corvallis 44/31 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 33/18 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 45/32 38/24 29/21 Ontario 34/17 Caldwell Burns 49° 38° 45° 29° 69° (1971) -27° (1950) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 44/33 0.04" 0.93" 1.14" 0.93" 0.59" 1.14" WINDS (in mph) 36/21 32/14 0.06" 1.53" 1.54" 1.53" 0.91" 1.54" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 28/11 46/33 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 38/25 49/32 44° 36° 44° 29° 70° (1995) -15° (1950) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 43/28 Aberdeen 30/13 34/17 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 42/31 Today Medford 49/27 Wed. W 6-12 W 8-16 Boardman Pendleton NW 4-8 W 6-12 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 40/14 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:17 a.m. 5:01 p.m. 8:07 a.m. 5:42 p.m. First Full Last New Feb 8 Feb 16 Feb 23 Mar 2 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 81° in Harlingen, Texas Low -31° in Antero Reservoir, Colo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY every week, and check in to see how you’re doing,” the judge told him. She urged Neikes to stay connected with people — from the probation officer to services such as Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare’s Rapid Access Center. “And I don’t want you to lose hope, OK?” Matyas told him. “OK,” Neikes replied. As the hearing ended, Matyas told him, “Look forward to seeing you in the future.” “All right,” Neikes said. “Thank you.” Before he was released from jail, Neikes asked for, and took, his afternoon medi- cations, Phillips said. Neikes also asked for bus tokens; he needed to check in with his probation officer in Warren- ton. Neikes was laying plans to move into Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare’s sober living house in Warrenton, Phillips said. “Those are all good signs that he was forward-thinking and looking to the future,” Phillips said. Neikes left the jail at 2:05 p.m. About 15 minutes later, he was seen walking up the Astoria Bridge. “James, he was a good kid. Nice kid. Very nice kid,” Kaino said. “I was sick when I heard he did what he did.” Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office spending $2M on take-home cars By GARRETT ANDREWS The Bulletin HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST health issues, minimum,” he said. With few exceptions, people held in custody in Oregon have a statutory right to be brought to trial within 60 days unless they waive that right. But getting an in-depth psychological eval- uation to see what services a person needs often takes longer. Kaino said people in custody for nuisance-type offenses, such as those Neikes faced, often don’t want to wait if they can get out earlier, even if staying in jail would lead to a psycho- logical evaluation that may help them, “which I get,” he said at the hearing. Neikes said he was worried about getting out. “I’m worried about how I’m going to — if I don’t have a phone or anything — I’m worried about how I’m going to get a job and just manage all this at the same time,” Neikes said. “And I’m not sure really what I’m going to do right now.” Matyas dismissed the trespass charge and ordered Neikes complete 18 months supervised probation. She also ordered that he get assessed for potential place- ment in a specialty court — either the drug court or mental health treatment court. “I’ll want to see you, DESCHUTES COUNTY — The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is spend- ing more than $2 million for a slew of new vehicles to ensure every patrol deputy has one to drive home. The sheriff believes giving each patrol deputy a vehicle will add years to vehicle lifespans and better position deputies to respond to emergencies. But Sheriff Shane Nelson’s new vehicle plan bucks conventional wisdom about fleet budgeting, in which purchases are staggered so many vehicles don’t end their useful lives at the same time and need to be replaced all at once. The change also may increase maintenance and other costs. For fiscal year 2022, the sheriff’s office ordered 32 vehicles at a total cost of $1.1 million from Port- land-area dealerships. The vehicles are 2021 and 2022 model Dodge Durangos, Chargers, Ram 1500s, Ford F-150s and F-250s and a Toyota Sienna, according to sale contracts The Bulle- tin obtained through public records requests. Outfitting the vehicles with police electronics, partition cages, vinyl decals, lights and sirens cost the sheriff’s office an additional $1 million. Prior to this year, the sheriff’s office employed a system where two depu- ties shared one vehicle. The vehicle was in use 12 hours every day, which a sheriff’s spokesperson said caused mileage to add up fast. Under that system, vehicles needed replacing every two to three years, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Jayson Janes. Sheriff’s patrol depu- ties work 12-hour shifts, four days on and four days off. The old plan involved deputies dropping off their car partner at home every four days. Janes stated that was fine as long as nothing happened at shift change “There have been a number of times close to shift change that major crashes or other incidents occurred,” he said, “and the night shift deputies would be committed to the incident, so the oncom- ing day shift deputies had to find another way to come to work and find a vehicle so they could start their shift.” The Bend Police Depart- ment does not have take- home cruisers, and it retires vehicles at 100,000 miles. Reaching that figure takes three to five years, accord- ing to Bend police Lt. Juli McConkey. The police department grew its fleet by two vehicles in fiscal year 2021-22 and purchased 31 more to replace retired vehicles. That figure is twice as high as an ordi- nary year because the depart- ment purchased no vehicles during the first year of the pandemic, McConkey said. Janes said the new sher- iff’s office vehicle plan is based on the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office’s program, which it initiated in 2000. Janes said Clacka- mas officials found assign- ing every deputy a vehicle increased the life of the vehi- cles — from approximately 70,000 miles to approxi- mately 120,000 miles — improved deputy efficiency, reduced response times to critical incidents and enhanced the visibility of law enforcement in the commu- nity. Janes said Clackamas County deputies reported feeling a sense of ownership toward their assigned vehi- cles, meaning they take extra care of it. “Deputies can also be held individually account- able for failing to ensure their vehicles receive appropri- ate maintenance and minor repairs eventually reducing the vehicle’s service life,” according to Janes. If there are cost savings with the new plan, there also likely will be new costs. Having twice as many cars on the street likely mean an increase to maintenance costs. And because depu- ties technically are working when driving their patrol vehicles, the sheriff’s take- home vehicle system could lead to higher insurance costs and open the office to Fair Labor Standards Act claims. The sheriff’s office’s contract with the 911 service district requires the office to maintain in-car radios based upon the numbers of radios, meaning that bill could go up as well. Even if the sheriff’s office is able to extend the useful life of vehicles, 32 vehicles purchased at the same time likely all reach the end of their service lives at the same time. Public agencies typi- cally replace the same small number of vehicles each time, so budgets are predica- ble and there are always fresh vehicles. The sheriff’s new vehicle plan also could be aimed at improving morale. Nelson has clashed openly with the deputy union. This summer, a fired former deputy prevailed in a federal civil rights claim and the county settled for a half-million dollars with a former deputy who accused Nelson of gender discrimi- nation. Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 70s East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. 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