REGION
Saturday, April 30, 2022
East Oregonian
STANFIELD
Students enjoy a day of service
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
STANFIELD — Stanfi eld
Secondary School freshman
Lucas McCann and many of
his classmates skipped school
April 22.
But they had a reason.
T he st udent s were
involved in various service
projects throughout Stanfi eld,
from meeting with seniors to
cleaning up trash along the
highway to clearing weeds
from the cemetery and more.
Meanwhile, elementary
students were on a walking
fi eld trip through town, pass-
ing out “thank you” letters to
businesses.
McCann said service to
his community has a special
meaning to him.
He is the grandson of
Thomas McCann, Stanfi eld’s
mayor until his death April 16
at the age of 84. He was a
police officer, a firefighter
and more. As such, public
service is a family tradition,
the student said.
“He was great,” the
younger McCann said about
his grandfather. “He contrib-
uted to so many things, he
was amazing.”
McCann said he has “a
start” in public service,
following in the footsteps of
his his grandfather.
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
Jaelynn Wright, Stanfi eld secondary school junior, poses for
a photo April 22, 2022, at Bard Park in Stanfi eld. She and oth-
er students participated in community service projects to
make up a snow day.
Blaine Braithwaite, Stan-
fi eld Secondary School prin-
cipal, explained the day off for
students came about because
his school had a snow day
earlier in the year for which it
had to make up. Attendance
on make up days, however, is
poor.
“We thought we would do
something diff erent,” he said.
“So we planned something
that was engaging and fun.”
School administration
came up with a day of service.
School leadership spoke with
district leaders, who coordi-
nated with city government.
In all, around 300 students
were involved — roughly 250
from the secondary school
and 50 from the elementary
school.
Jaelynn Wright, secondary
school junior, participated.
She said she put together kits
for a homeless shelter.
“It was really fun,” she
said. “It’s good to give back.”
She said she had never
been part of such a large
group of people who were
serving the community, but
she does volunteer on her
own.
Students Jagjot Singh and
Bodie Braithwaite helped
spruce up their schools track.
They said the school had
scheduled a track meet in the
following week. As they were
intending to participate in the
meet, they would be able to
enjoy their work then.
“It’s super nice to be doing
this,” Singh said.
They both said they have
served the community in
other ways, and they look
forward to doing more in the
future.
“It was enriching to us
and to everyone,” Bodie
Braithwaite said about the
event.
Ethan Robertson, fresh-
man, also said he felt great
about his work. He pulled
weeds and collected them
from a street.
In addition to doing some-
thing good for his commu-
nity, he was able to enjoy time
with his friends. Like others,
he said he would be happy
with more work.
Bodie Braithwaite said this
was the fi rst time his school
has done this event, but “it
won’t be the last.”
Principal Braithwaite said
the service say would be an
annual event from here on.
A3
Helix voters consider
$1M bond for pool
By WYATT TEGGINS
East Oregonian
HELIX — Helix voters in
the May election will decide
on a $1 million bond measure
to help build a new public
pool.
The Helix Park & Recre-
ation District board held an
open house Wednesday,
April 27, at the Helix Fire
Station to bring attention to
Measure 30-151. Anderson
Pools provided a $1.5 million
estimate for a new pool,
covering the demolition of
the old structure and pump
house and the construction
of the new facility.
According to Helix Parks
Chairperson Emily Smith,
the last time the Helix pool
saw remodeling was 1976,
when the city installed the
current gunite pool.
The Helix Community
Pool is the oldest public
pool in Umatilla County,
dating back to the early 20th
century when locals hand-
dug a dirt pool that would
be plastered in several years
later. Helix locals empha-
sized in the meeting how
much this amenity means to
them.
But Emily Smith, head of
the Helix recreation board,
said the pool has problems.
“Every year, we have to
repair the old pool, and every
year we just cross our fi ngers
and hope it opens,” she said.
Smith explained there
wasn’t a lot to do in Helix,
and the pool is a major
hotspot for the community
throughout the summer.
Fellow board member Tom
Winn backed that assess-
ment.
“There is nothing else
for the youth in Helix, and
roughly 75% of us use the
pool every year,” he said.
Winn assured the public
the cost of maintaining the
new structure would be the
same as the old.
“The pool runs on a
$40,000 yearly budget,”
Winn emphasized, “cover-
ing maintenance, lifeguards
and power to run the pool.”
Winn said he is hope-
ful the new structure will
be more energy-efficient,
which will help cut down
yearly costs of maintaining
the facility.
The bond would raise
taxes in the district by 37
cents per $1,000 of assessed
value per year. For example,
a family who has a home
with an assessed value of
$175,000 would pay $64.75
per year for the facility.
The recreation district
will still need to fi nd an addi-
tional $500,000 if the bond
passes, to complete the proj-
ect. Winn, who is in charge
of donations, said funds for
the project already have
surpassed $40,000 and he
is hopeful grants soon will
come.
The election is May 17.
California man goes to federal prison
for role in Eastern Oregon meth trade AWS Think Big Space
East Oregonian
PORTLAND — A Cali-
fornia man who was part of
a methamphetamine traffi ck-
ing ring in Eastern Oregon
and beyond is going to federal
prison.
The federal court in Port-
land on Wednesday, April 27,
sentenced Noel Lomas Murillo,
34, to fi ve years in prison and
another three years of super-
vised release.
According to the press
release from the U.S. Attor-
ney’s Offi ce of Oregon, the
Blue Mountain Enforcement
Narcotics Team, Oregon State
Police and the FBI in Novem-
ber 2017 began investigating
a drug traffi cking organiza-
tion led by Murillo’s brother,
Abel Lomas Murillo, 28, of
Weston.
The investigation revealed
that, as early as July 2017,
Noel Murillo transported
drugs from Vacaville, Califor-
nia, 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 distri-
bution.
An OSP trooper in Janu-
ary 2018 stopped one of the
Abel Murillo’s couriers,
Luis Alberto Navarro, 33, of
Boardman, in a vehicle near
Klamath Falls en route to
Umatilla County. A search
of the vehicle revealed 11
concealed packages contain-
ing more than 8 kilograms of
methamphetamine.
In early May 2018, as the
investigation continued, Abel
Murillo enlisted another
courier, Noel Ponce Ville-
gas, 28, also of Boardman,
to drive meth from Medford
to Boardman. Investigators
surveilled Abel Murillo as
he traveled from Umatilla
County to a storage locker in
Medford and loaded a trailer
pulled by his pickup.
Abel Murillo paid Ville-
gas to drive his truck and
trailer while he followed him
to minimize his own risk. In
the early morning hours of
May 6, 2018, investigators
from BENT, state police and
FBI stopped Abel Murillo and
Villegas near mile marker 102
on Interstate 84.
Investigators seized 42
packages of methamphet-
amine, 36 of which were
concealed in the false bottom
of a propane tank, accord-
ing to the press release. The
packages contained approx-
imately 17.6 kilograms of
methamphetamine. Later
the same day, investigators
executed a search warrant
at Abel Murillo’s residence,
seizing 29 fi rearms and body
armor. Pursuant to a sepa-
rate search warrant, law
enforcement seized another
10 pounds of meth and fi ve
fi rearms in a Medford stor-
age locker Abel Murillo had
visited earlier in the weekend.
A federal grand jury in
Portland on Dec. 19, 2019,
returned a two-count super-
seding indictment charging
Noel Murillo with conspir-
ing to possess with intent to
distribute and distribute meth-
amphetamine and possessing
with intent to distribute meth-
amphetamine. He pleaded
guilty to the conspiracy
charge on Sept. 28, 2021.
Navarro in May 2018
pleaded guilty to possessing
with intent to distribute meth-
amphetamine. His sentencing
is May 23.
Abel Murillo in April 2019
pleaded guilty to conspir-
ing to possess with intent to
distribute methamphetamine.
He is serving almost 20 years
in federal prison for the crime.
Villegas in April 2019
pleaded guilty to possessing
with intent to distribute meth-
amphetamine. He received a
sentence in December 2020 of
time served and three years’
supervised release.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Morrow County
deputy, K-9
earn praise
HEPPNER — Morrow
County sheriff’s deputy
Colleen Nuebert and her
partner, K-9 deputy Telly,
caught two suspects in
consecutive days, earning
the praise of District Attor-
ney Justin Nelson.
Nuebert and Telly on
Tuesday, April 26, caught
Darwin David Smith, 34, as
he tried to get away.
According to the press
relea se f rom Nelson ,
Smith refused Nuebert’s
commands to stop. The
deputy then released Telly
to assist in the capture of
Smith.
“K-9 deputy Telly was
able to grab onto Mr.
Smith’s pants leg and allow
deputy Nuebert to take him
into custody,” the press
release stated.
The next day, the sheriff
offi ce responded to a service
call at the the Port of Morrow
Laydown Yard for a possible
theft in progress. Nuebert
deployed Telly to search the
area for any hidden suspects.
Telly found a scent and
followed that scent to the
location of an individual
hiding in a field, Nelson
reported. The individual
stood up and bolted.
The man didn’t stop even
after Nuebert warned him
she would release Telly.
So away the K-9 went and
prevented the man from
escaping.
The sheriff ’s offi ce iden-
tifi ed the fl eeing suspect as
Robert David Clark, 41.
Smith and Clark are in the
Umatilla County Jail, Pend-
leton. Smith faces charges
of felony fl eeing and felon
in possession of a weapon,
while Clark is looking at
charges of fi rst-degree crim-
inal trespass and unlawful
entry into a motor vehicle,
the press release stated.
“The Morrow County
District Attorney Office
CONCEALED CARRY
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Hermiston
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eomediagroup.com
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Herm-
iston is the next local commu-
nity in line for an Amazon
Web Services Think Big
Space.
The
Her miston
School District in a press
release Tuesday, April 26,
announced plans for a collab-
oration between AWS and
the district to “provide a dedi-
cated space for students and
educators to explore innova-
tive and imaginative ideas
through interactive hands-on
technical education and cloud
computing training.”
“This AWS Think Big
Space will provide enhanced
classrooms for students in
grades 3-14, grounded in
science, technology, engi-
neering, arts and mathemat-
ics disciplines,” according to
the district.
Tricia Mooney, school
district superintendent said in
the press release “the horizon
is guaranteed to look diff er-
ent” for Hermiston students
has always been a strong
supporter of the Morrow
County Sheriff Offi ce K-9
program,” Nelson said in the
release. “Without the help of
K-9 deputy Telly and deputy
Nuebert, I do not believe
these subjects would have
been arrested or these cases
resolved.”
Nelson also thanked the
duo for helping keep the
community safe.
— EO Media Group
entering the workforce in the
years ahead.
“Our partnership with
AWS for the Think Big Space
will give Hermiston students
a step ahead, as they learn to
look at problems in more
innovative and imaginative
ways,” she said.
The district will oversee
the space, partnering with
Blue Mountain Community
College and other private
sponsors.
The AWS Think Big
Space will be in the east
annex of Columbia Hall
across from the Eastern
Oregon Higher Educa-
tion Center. Construction
is scheduled to begin soon,
with the space expected
to open by the start of the
2022-23 school year.
Think Big Spaces also
are in operation at the Port
of Morrow’s SAGE Center
in Boardman and the
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion’s After School Center
near Pendleton.
LeeAnnOttosen@UmpquaBank.com
UmpquaBank.com/Lee-Ann-Ottosen
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