Wallowa County Chieftain
wallowa.com
News
October 21, 2015
FOUSTE: Plea bargain
leads to dismissed charges
S UPERHEROES USE POWERS FOR SCAVENGER HUNT
Continued from Page A1
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
The Joseph Volleyball team, attired as superheroes (including Capt. Underpants) headed out to show some spirit in a
scavenger hunt in downtown Joseph before their Oct. 2 double-header.
Barns in all their forms
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Anyone who enjoys the
sight of a nice country barn
can spend a lot of time driving
around the county in search of
just about every kind of barn
imaginable. Or you can save
the gas and drive over to the
Josephy Center in Joseph and
see them gathered in one place
for convenient viewing. Not
just photographs, but paintings
and line drawings as well.
“Barns in the Rural Land-
scape” is the theme of the
center’s 2nd annual Art and
Agriculture series, which fea-
tures local artists, as well as,
local barns for the most part.
Dozens of art a¿cionados
in various sophistication of
dress crowded into the center
for the Oct. 9 opening, enjoy-
ing live music, hors d’oeuvres
and of course, the art in all its
forms. A number of the artists
themselves attended and min-
gled with the patrons.
The barn art came in dif-
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Just a few of the dozens who visited the “Barns in the Rural
Landscape” exhibit at the Josephy Center Oct. 9.
ferent sizes and portrayed
barns in various mediums
from both the past and mod-
ern eras. The artwork showed
barns during the county’s
different seasons, as well as,
showing the diverse Wallowa
Area agritourism
development
project underway
Agritourism is growing.
People want to know where
their food comes from and
have an authentic rural ex-
perience. Rural communities
can bene¿t from this desire
by working with Janet Dod-
son of Sunnyslope Marketing
LLC to develop and market
culinary and agricultural.
Dodson will work with
businesses and tourism part-
ners in Wallowa, Union,
Baker, Umatilla and Mor-
row counties as part of a
North East Oregon Eco-
nomic Development District
(NEOEDD) year-long agri-
tourism development project.
Agritourism in Eastern
Oregon includes services
such as lodging and camp-
ing on farms and ranches;
agriculture tours; on-farm
hunting and ¿shing; restau-
rants and events that feature
local foods on the menu; lo-
cal breweries, distilleries and
wineries; and farmers mar-
kets, farm stands, pumpkin
patches and corn mazes.
“Many tourism businesses
see an opportunity to expand
their market by partnering
with farms and ranches. And
lots of people want to know
more about how their food is
produced or to experience the
rural lifestyle,” said Dodson.
“This project seeks to bring
together those three sets of
interests and make good
things happen.”
One of Dodson’s ¿rst tasks
will be organizing a working
group for Baker, Union and
Wallowa Counties. The meet-
ings will begin in November.
Interested farmers, ranchers
and businesses should con-
tact Dodson now.
Workshops will be offered
in early May to respond to
the technical assistance and
resource needs identi¿ed by
the working groups and part-
ners participating in the proj-
County landscape in all its
glory.
Center director Cheryl
Coughlan was pleased with
the turnout and the variety of
barns on display.
“People suggest things all
A9
the time for this series, and the
board decided this ¿t the com-
munity’s interests.” Coughlan
said. “This show was done by
invitation only and features
local artists.”
Artists were limited to
submitting three pieces and
Coughlan estimated she re-
ceived 45 submissions for
the show. Photographer Da-
vid Jensen and artists Rodd
Ambroson, Sam Collette and
Dennis Reinke were among
the local artists on display for
the event.
Coughlan said one of the
center’s missions is to expose
local talent to the Wallowa
County public.
“We have some real tal-
ent here in the county that
Àies under the radar, and that
needs to change,” Coughlan
said.
The exhibit runs from
Oct. 9 through Nov. 11. The
center’s hours are Monday
through Saturday from 12
p.m. to 4 p.m. Many of the
exhibit pieces are for sale.
Four other charges were
dismissed as part of a plea ar-
rangement.
Fouste was accused of
grabbing his girlfriend at the
home they shared in Imnaha
River Woods on May 11 and
shoving her against a truck,
bruising her shoulder and back.
He also threatened her with a
running chainsaw and waved
a .357 magnum handgun with
which he threatened to shoot
police. Four law enforcement
agencies and a SWAT team re-
sponded to the incident.
When required to explain
what led to the actions and to
admit his guilt, Fouste ¿rst
pleaded “no contest.” Denied
that plea by the judge, replied
he had an argument with his
girlfriend “that everyone else
who touched it, it got blown all
out of proportion and I’m here
today on charges that should
never have been there.”
Dretke sharply correct-
ed Fouste and required him
to start again. “What you’ve
told me is that you did nothing
wrong. That’s not taking re-
sponsibility,” Dretke said.
Judge Dretke then required
Fouste to explain how he came
to assault the victim to which
Fouste replied, “I defended
myself.”
Judge Dretke then stated
in absence of an admission of
guilt, Fouste required a 12-per-
son jury trial and made ready
to schedule one.
At that point Fouste’s law-
yer, William E Perkinson, Jr.,
asked for, and was granted, a
recess to confer with his client.
When Fouste returned he
began reading from a prepared
statement but was denied that
option by Dretke.
“You don’t need to read
notes, you were there,” Judge
Dretke said.
When asked to explain
why he threatened to use a
gun against law enforcement,
Fouste replied, “I was drunk
and, I guess, just spouting off.”
Given Fouste’s lack of
criminal record, and the pros-
ecution’s request that the plea
bargain be honored, Judge
Dretke allowed that this was
a case where “something just
snapped,” and accepted the
State’s plea bargain.
A number of restrictions
come with his probation, in-
cluding having no contact with
the victim, a requirement to at-
tend the Wallowa County Bat-
terer’s Intervention Program
and a requirement to submit
to a mental evaluation and any
treatment recommended as a
result of that evaluation.
He is also required to get a
full-time job or combination of
training and a job, denied the
right to possess a ¿rearm, to
change address without notice,
or to leave the state without
written permission.
He is to write an apology to
the Wallowa County law en-
forcement of¿cers.
The charges dismissed
were a second count of unlaw-
ful use of a weapon, a second
count of menacing, a charge of
pointing a ¿rearm at another,
and a charge of harassment.
Fouste will be allowed to
petition for reduction of his
class C felony charge to a mis-
demeanor after the successful
completion of his probation.
The victim testi¿ed in
Fouste’s behalf, emphasizing
his lack of criminal record.
She said her relationship
with him was over, and that
she wished he be allowed to
remove his belongings from
the house because she intend-
ed to sell the home they had
shared and move into Joseph.
This was allowed provided
she was not present at the
time Fouste retrieved his be-
longings.
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Pet of the Week
L
Kathleen Ellyn/Chieftain
A pair of Belgian mules plow
a field in Joseph during
the annual spring plowing
exhibition.
ect. Dodson will help create
plans to market the unique
offerings of each region.
Contact Dodson at janetd@
eoni.com or 541-786-8006.
ucky is a
well-mannered
mature gentleman.
Give him a basket of toys,
and he will entertain you
and himself. He loves to go
on walks and meet new
friends. He is an Australian
Shepherd mix, and in need
of a Forever Home.
Contact Mary of the Wallowa
County Humane Society at
541-426-4170
www.wallowacountyhumanesociety.org
An IRS 501 (C)3 ORGANIZATION
OHSU Resident
Brian Park, MD
11/2/15- 12/11/15
Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday
9:00am to 1:00pm
603 Medical Parkway
Enterprise, OR 97828
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