REGION Saturday, June 11, 2022 East Oregonian A3 …‚††‡­ ŽŽ›Ššœ…‚††‡ „­ ŽŽšž­ šš––›Šœž „­ šŸ›š “       ­€‚ ƒ„… †‡€ €ˆ†‚„†„ €…‰ …Š‹ŒŠ‹ŽŽ ‘ „€ ’ „ ‘€ ‚„‚‚…€‚ …‡‡ˆ€  ”•‘ „… „ „‡ …‚††‡ –‰—˜ Œ™‰™˜ š‰™˜ ƒ† ƒ‡† ƒ† ­ €‚ €‚  ƒ ‰ŽŽ¢‰  „ŒŽ¢ „‚   ¡‰—¢‰‡Š €‰Œ£¢­ ŽŠ Œ—¢ˆ  ž‰Žš¢ ‚ ¡‰Ž™¢‹   ‰Œ—¢ ž‰Œ—¢Œ‚ —™¢ €   Ž™ŽŒ †‡ ž‰ €‰ ‰ ¡‰ ‰ ‰Ž™ŽŽ ˆ‰ „ €‚† ‡  Andy Nicolais/East Oregonian Pilot makes emergency landing near Irrigon Morrow County sheriff ’s deputy Jacob Stutzman, left, and Sgt. Gordon Adams take a photo Thursday, June 9, 2022, with pilot Terrance McCall of Alabama. The sheriff ’s offi ce reported McCall had to land the yellow Carbon Cub FX on a gravel road outside Irrigon due to a high temperature warning. The landing was safe. After a technician completed an evaluation, McCall took off for the Hermiston Municipal Airport to have the plane undergo further evaluation. Morrow County Sheriff ’s Offi ce/Contributed Photo GROUND BREAKINGS Fire & Rescue readies for new station East Oregonian W ESTON — Ea st Umatilla Fire & Rescue’s new fi re station is on the way to becoming reality. Firefi ghters, local offi cials and members of the public came together Wednes- day, June 8, at the corner of Bannister Road and Mill Street in Weston to partic- ipate in the groundbreak- ing ceremony for the new station. Although the real work won’t begin until 2023. The previous fi re depart- ment, the East Umatilla County Rural Fire Protection District, purchased the land in July 2011, according to a press release from Umatilla Fire & Rescue. Six years later, the district made an intergovernmental agency agreement with Helix Fire Department to work as one department. In 2019 the communities voted to come together as one fi re district. The new joint effort in May 2020 asked the communities again to combine East Umatilla County Rural Fire Protec- tion District, Helix Fire Department and Athena Fire Department as one entity called East Umatilla Fire & Rescue. The proposal passed, and East Umatilla Fire & Rescue entered into an agreement with East Umatilla County Ambu- lance Area Health District at this time. Fire Chief Dave Baty contacted Umatilla County Commissioner John Shafer about a grant to loan the money for a new fi re station. Shafer called state Sen Bill Hansell, R-Athena, who had the idea to use state lottery-supported capi- tal construction funds to get on a list and maybe get some money. According to the press release, the project needed about $5 million. Then came the federal 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which provided $4 million to each state sena- tor and $2 million per state representative to fund proj- ects in their districts. Hansell asked Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, if she was willing to donate half of her ARPA funds to this fi re district. The pair toured the facil- ity East Umatilla Fire & Rescue was using and saw fi rsthand the challenges it presented, including trying to get fi re trucks in and out of a steep incline to respond to each call. “East Umatilla Fire & Rescue’s fire station has more to do before this build- ing is started,” according to the press release, including finalizing building plans. The real groundbreaking is not until February 2023 with McCormack Construction. Apartment complex in Hermiston breaks ground East Oregonian HERMISTON — Herm- iston city leaders joined re pre se nt at ive s f rom Chrisman Development Inc., Oregon Housing and Community Services and other local and state partners to break ground June 2 on the Moorehouse Apartments. The 60-unit income-re- stricted apartments at North- west 11th Street and Madrona Avenue will be available for renters making up to 60% of the average median house- hold income for the region, according to a press release from the city. The project will receive $4.15 million from OHCS as approved by the Oregon Legislature. Hermiston has approved 111 new housing units for the year through June 1. The city has approved a total of 375 residential permits since the beginning of 2020, including 108 income restricted apart- ment units. “We’ve made hous- ing a top city priority for many years now, and it’s so encouraging to see develop- ments coming into town for all income levels,” Herm- iston Mayor Dave Drotz- mann said, according to the press release. “Working with private and public partners to fi nd the right location and right funding will ensure we can keep working to meet Hermiston’s housing needs.” The Moorehouse Apart- ments will consist of four apartment buildings and a shared community build- ing. The site will be accessi- ble directly from Northwest 11th Street. Ch r isman Develop- ment is based in Enterprise UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION Feds charge Umatilla man with murder East Oregonian PORT LA N D — A Umatilla man faces a federal charge of murder for the slay- ing of another man on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The U.S. Attorney’s Offi ce for Oregon announced in a press release Wednesday, June 8, it charged Kawlija Nicoah Scott, 25, on a federal criminal complaint with murder. According to the complaint, on May 25, 2022, Umatilla Tribal Police Department offi - cers responded to a stabbing at a residence on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pend- leton. Offi cers and paramed- ics found a man on scene who suff ered multiple stab wounds, including one to his chest. “Life-saving eff orts were made, but the victim later died at a nearby hospital,” according to the press release. Further investigation revealed that Scott had stabbed the victim in the victim’s resi- dence before fl eeing. Accord- ing to the press release, witnesses observed Scott running down a nearby road and waving two knives in the air. A short time later, tribal police offi cers found Scott and arrested him without incident. Scott made his initial appearance in federal court June 8 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeff rey Armistead. Scott remains in custody in the Mult- nomah County Jail, Portland, pending further court proceed- ings. Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announce- ment. The Umatilla Tribal Police handled the investigation with assistance from the FBI. Assis- tant U.S. Attorney Ashley R. Cadotte is prosecuting the case. LeeAnnOttosen@UmpquaBank.com UmpquaBank.com/Lee-Ann-Ottosen and has completed many projects around the state, including the rehabilitated Sagebrush Apartments in Hermiston, according to the city. Additional housi ng developments are on the horizon in Hermiston at all price points and sale or rental arrangements, includ- ing the 200-home Santi- ago Estates Manufactured Home community, 300-unit Diamond Run duplex devel- opment and 1,300 home Prairie Meadows Planned Unit Development. LOCAL BRIEFING Hermiston police arrest graffi ti off ender HERMISTON — Herm- iston police announced the arrest of the man it suspects of numerous acts of graffi ti using the tag “ABAR.” “Many of you have most likely seen graffiti in town with the initials ABAR,” police Capt. Travis Eynon posted on the department’s Facebook page. “There has been quite a lot of it. There has also been quite a bit in surrounding communities.” Hermiston police Chief Jason Edmiston said the “ABAR” tagging may have been going on for 18 months and was on everything from utility poles to small apart- ment buildings. “At times, you really couldn’t go anywhere and not see it,” he said. Eynon reported Hermiston police detectives on Thursday, June 9, arrested Abraham M. Arellano, 25, of Umatilla, for the tagging. While this was a “criminal act of vandalism,” Eynon reported, this graffi ti is not gang related. Police initially were look- ing for someone younger who might be in high school, Edmiston said, and worked with school resource offi cers. “We were going a couple of diff erent ways until we were able to glean a lot of informa- tion from a particular social media platform,” he said. That led to obtaining a search warrant for the plat- form, and while detectives were working on a second search warrant for a residence, they caught a break early in the week. Edmiston said video camera footage from the back of the Hermiston Public Library, confi rmed to police the suspect they already were onto. Hermiston detectives then partnered with the Umatilla Police Department to serve the warrant. Edmiston said Arellano was not there at the time, but police “collected a trove of evidence.” Applying graffi ti usually is a misdemeanor crime. Eynon explained this case is diff er- ent. The aggregate value of damage to the city of Hermis- ton alone amounts to several thousand dollars, so in this case the crime is fi rst-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony. “Tagging or taggers are certainly an expensive nuisance, but in this case we passed the ‘nuisance’ thresh- old long ago,” Eynon stated. Edmiston said his depart- ment is submitting its infor- mation to the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Offi ce, but the investigation continues as Hermiston police work with other local agencies on some of their ABAR cases. M-F police arrest two for car theft MILTON-FREEWATER — Milton-Freewater police arrested two people in connec- tion to a break-in at a residence and theft of a vehicle. Police Chief Doug Boedigheimer in a press release reported officers arrested Max Anagin Wilson, 22, and Sara Ann Miller, 30, for first-degree burglary, unauthorized entry into a vehicle and vehicle theft. Police also arrested Miller on multiple warrants. Milton-Freewater police on Thursday, June 9, at approxi- mately 12:31 a.m. took a report for the theft of a white Acura with Washington plates from residents on the 900 block of North Elizabeth Street. Police determined someone entered the residence, found keys and drove off with the car. MFPD received a call at approximately 3:50 a.m. from someone who reported the car was at the Taj Foodmart, 84802 Highway 11. A Milton-Freewater offi cer responded and took Wilson and Miller into custody. Police later booked the pair into the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, and also returned the vehicle to its owner. — EO Media Group VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.EastOregonian.com