LOCAL
Wallowa.com
WALLOWA COUNTY
Northeastern Oregon man arrested for sex crimes
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
WALLOWA — An Enter-
prise police offi cer arrested
a Northeastern Oregon man
Sunday, Aug. 21, in connec-
tion with sex crimes in Wal-
lowa County, according to
court records.
John Fine, 54, was
arrested after he attempted
to escape from an Enter-
prise police offi cer. Fine has
been charged with six counts
of felony sexual abuse, six
counts of misdemeanor
sexual abuse, third-degree
attempted sexual abuse and
misdemeanor escape.
Bail was set at $30,000
by Wallowa County Cir-
cuit Court Judge Thomas
Powers, and Fine has been
indicted by the grand jury. A
preliminary probable cause
hearing was held Aug. 29.
Fine’s next scheduled court
appearance is a plea hear-
ing on Sept. 19. He is repre-
IN BRIEF
sented by La Grande attor-
ney James Schaeff er.
The Wallowa woman
who reported the sex abuse
is unnamed in the police
report for her privacy and
protection. According to the
report, the woman is cogni-
tively impaired.
In an interview with
police, she said Fine came
to her home on Aug. 19 for
a guitar lesson. But Fine
ended up asking her if she
wanted to have children, and
she said no.
She said Fine then dis-
robed her and had noncon-
sensual sex with her.
The woman told police
she was scared of what he
was doing to her and scared
to tell him to stop. Fine pro-
ceeded to pick her up and
carry her into the bedroom,
where he restarted the sexual
contact.
Police arranged a medical
evaluation for the woman as
part of the investigation. The
physician reported she found
evidence of recent sexual
activity and the evidence
indicated the sexual contact
was not consensual.
On Aug. 21, Enterprise
police offi cer Jacob Curtis
went to arrest Fine at a house
in Enterprise. One occu-
pant told Curtis that Fine
was inside the house, before
another occupant alerted
him that Fine ran out the
back. Curtis ran around the
house, where he saw Fine
fl eeing through a yard. The
offi cer yelled at Fine to stop
and that he was under arrest,
but Fine kept running. Curtis
ran after him and eventually
found Fine hiding beside a
bush a few houses down the
street. Fine was arrested and
lodged in Umatilla County
Jail.
According
to
court
records, Fine has a long
criminal history and was
convicted of third-degree
rape in 1992. Under Oregon
law, this means he had sex-
ual intercourse with another
person who is under the age
of 16. Fine was 23 at the
time. He was sentenced to
14 months in jail and three
years probation.
On multiple occasions he
has failed to register as a sex
off ender, which led to more
than a year’s worth of addi-
tional jail time. His most
recent citation was issued in
July and he was scheduled to
appear in Wallowa County
Circuit Court on Aug. 17 —
just days before the event in
Wallowa.
Fine has also been con-
victed on a number of other
charges, including sec-
ond-degree criminal mis-
chief, criminal trespass,
second-degree assault and
multiple counts of fourth-de-
gree assault.
Fine previously lived in
Joseph, but a recent cita-
tion was sent out for him in
La Grande.
food for local schools and
food banks and live out our
mission to feed our neigh-
bors,” Nesbitt said.
Songwriter Holt to
perform at lodge
ture land of Conservation
Reserve Program ground,
he said.
Karvoski said fi re units
from Enterprise, Joseph
and the Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry responded
and had to do only a bit of
mop-up. Their work was
completed by about 6 p.m.,
he said.
Pacifi c Power & Light
said 1,143 customers on
the south side of Enterprise
and 870 Joseph custom-
ers lost power due to lines
damaged by the lightning
strikes.
An email to customers
at 4:48 p.m. stated that the
power would be restored in
Enterprise by 8:30 p.m. but it
came on by 5:55 p.m. PP&L
said Joseph lights would be
back on by 7:30 p.m.
St. Patrick
Jeff rey Parker
Episcopal Church
plans cider pressing elected as Angus
ENTERPRISE — The delegate
cider will fl ow once again
as St. Patrick Episcopal
Church holds its second
annual community cider
pressing Saturday, Sept. 17,
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event is free and
open to the public, to be
held in the church’s park-
ing lot at 100 NE Third St.
in Enterprise.
Katy Nesbitt, St. Patrick
Church priest, in a press
release said, “We want to
celebrate the change of
seasons by providing an
opportunity for people to
press their apples into cider
and to enjoy a barbecue
lunch with us.”
Participants are asked
to bring their own contain-
ers and apples. The church
will have a limited supply
of apples for cider samples
and will provide the press
and do the pressing. Ham-
burgers, hot dogs, cookies
and sodas will also be pro-
vided at no cost.
Nesbitt said the church
is turning its grassy lawn
into an edible garden and
with grants from AARP and
the Episcopal Diocese of
Eastern Oregon more fruit
trees and bushes, in addi-
tion to those already estab-
lished, will be planted this
fall and next spring. One
day, she said, she hopes to
press apples grown in the
church yard.
“By turning our lawn
into a garden, we can grow
ENTERPRISE — An
Enterprise man has been
elected as a delegate to
the 139th American Angus
Association Convention of
Delegates, set to be held
in November at the Salt
Palace Convention Cen-
ter, Salt Lake City, accord-
ing to Mark McCully,
chief executive officer
of the American Angus
Association.
Jeffrey Parker, a mem-
ber of the American Angus
Association with head-
quarters in St. Joseph, Mis-
souri, is one of 304 Angus
breeders who have been
elected by fellow members
to serve as a representa-
tive at the annual meeting.
Representing the United
States and Canada, the del-
egates will participate in
the business meeting and
elect new officers and five
directors to the American
Angus Association board.
Held in conjunction
with the annual 139th Con-
vention of Delegates, the
Angus Convention is set
to take place Nov. 5-7. The
Angus Convention offers
opportunities for real-
world education and face-
to-face networking.
The American Angus
Association is the nation’s
largest beef breed organi-
zation, serving more than
25,000 members across the
United States, Canada and
several other countries.
WALLOWA
LAKE
VILLAGE
—
Song-
writer Mark Holt, who has
become a “genre unto him-
self,” according to a press
release, will perform at the
Wallowa Lake Lodge Sat-
urday, Sept. 3, 5-7 p.m.,
as part of the Music on the
Deck concert series.
Holt has been recog-
nized by Subaru of Amer-
ica for his branding song
and lyrics for the “Trusty
Old Subaru.”
His music short “Ronnie
& Me,” about Alzheimer’s
Disease awareness, was
honored by the Idaho Film
Industry, with a red-carpet
showcase event in 2020.
For a preview of Holt’s
music, visit www.sound-
click.com/markholt.
Lightning puts out
lights, sparks fi res
Clarkston man
dies in cycle crash
near Enterprise
ENTERPRISE — Two
small
lightning-caused
fi res and power outages
resulted when a late-after-
noon lightning and thun-
derstorm rolled across
Wallowa
County
on
Wednesday, Aug. 24.
On Aug. 25, county
Emergency Services Direc-
tor Paul Karvoski said
there were only two fi res,
one of about 63 acres and
another of about 70 acres,
both east of Enterprise.
“The lightning came
through and then the wind
and then the rain came and
got most of it out,” he said.
No timber or structures
were threatened and both
blazes occurred on pas-
ENTERPRISE — A
Clarkston,
Washington,
man died Saturday, Aug.
20, as a result of injuries
suff ered in a single-vehicle
motorcycle crash on Zum-
walt Road near Enterprise,
according to a press release
from the Wallowa County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce.
Karl Daniel Schmidt, 34,
was pronounced dead at the
scene. The crash occurred
less than a mile from Crow
Creek Road.
Deputies, medics and Ore-
gon State Police responded
to the scene, the release
stated. No other information
was available.
— Wallowa County
Chieftain
Frank Allen English
Donald Manwiller
May 26, 1931 - July 25, 2022
October 2, 1945 - July 30, 2022
Frank Allen English was born May 26, 1931, and
passed away Monday, July 25, 2022, surrounded by his
wife of 71 years, Ileta, and children.
Frank was born and raised in Wallowa, Oregon. He
married his high school sweetheart in 1951 and went to
work for Chevron. He was transferred about every two
years, which resulted in the welcoming of a new child
in each town until they settled in Coulee Dam in 1958.
His last child was born in 1960.
Frank loved his family very much and was blessed to
be part of the lives of two generations of grandchildren
celebrating everything from birthdays to graduations to
weddings. He will be missed by all who knew him.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Edith
(Horton) and father, Forest Allen English, two brothers,
and his son Frank Allen Jr.
He is survived by his wife, Ileta; children, Debra
(Matt), Dennis (Kathy), Michael (Jayleen) and Kevin
(Dorey); 10 grandchildren; several great-grandchildren;
and his sister Faye Groves.
Frank leased the Chevron station when he first came
to Coulee Dam, eventually leaving that for the Phillips
66 for several years. He provided jobs for a number of
high school boys, in addition to his three sons.
Frank loved driving and sports! He worked for a
time for the school district and enjoyed taking the teams
to the out-of-town games. He loved golfing and would
go to the course every day it was open, except week-
ends - he said that was for the working people. He was,
in earlier years, active in the Coulee community as a
member of the Masonic Temple and Moose Lodge.
He also loved traveling and took many trips with the
kids and grandkids in his motorhome. He and Ileta also
took many trips to Canada and around the west coast
with their lifelong friends Bob and Shirley Crawford. In
later years he traveled by plane to Ireland, New Orleans,
and Mexico. I think he preferred driving.
A celebration of life will be held from 1-4 p.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at the Senior Center in Grand
Coulee. The family encourages Seahawks or golf attire.
In lieu of flowers, we encourage a donation to the Grand
Coulee Senior Center in his name.
Donald Ray Manwiller, 74,
passed away July 30, 2022, in
Lewiston, Idaho, after being flown
there for medical reasons from
Enterprise, Oregon. Don had been
living at the Alpine House Assisted
Living in Joseph, Oregon.
Don was born Oct. 2, 1945, in
Bellingham, Washington, to Don
and Rachel Manwiller. He grew up
in the small mill town of Bend, Oregon.
Don Loved baseball and played it through high
school in Bend. He was also a pitcher on the Bend Le-
gion team.
Don worked summers on his grandfather’s farm in
Walla Walla, Washington. After high school he enlisted
in the Air Force and was a radar operator in Okinawa,
Japan, for three years. He finished the remainder of his
military service at a radar installation on the Oregon
coast near Hebo, Oregon.
Don worked as a land surveyor for many years in
Oregon, Washington and California. He got tired of the
big cities of California and came back to Oregon. After
spending several months in Eastern Oregon, Don found
just what he was looking for - three acres in Lostine,
Oregon, on Mountain View Lane.
Don, along with family members’ help and a build-
ing contractor that didn’t object to the help, built a cabin
on the property. It took him a while to get used to the
heavy snows in the Wallowa Mountains in the winter
time. He loved hiking and hunting, but he got to where
he just enjoyed watching the deer, bears and turkeys.
He cut wood from his property to use in his wood
stove. He worked at Parks Bronze in Enterprise, Ore-
gon, for several years.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Don
and Rachel Manwiller. He is survived by his brothers,
David of Gresham, Oregon, and Duane of Los Angeles,
California, and sister, Debra Manwiller (Brown) of Los
Angeles, California.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
A3
Relief for storm
victims offered
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA — Wallowa
County is coming together,
off ering assistance to those
aff ected by the devastating
Aug. 11 hailstorm.
A list of resources being
off ered is growing, coordi-
nated by the Wallowa County
Chamber of Commerce.
Anyone with something not
included on the list below is
asked to email information
to info@wallowacounty.org
or call 541-426-4622.
So far, the list includes:
• The Lostine Presby-
terian Church has created
a relief fund where online
donations may be made. The
church’s website is www.
lostinepc.org. It’s phone
number is 541-398-0547.
• A form to apply for $500
in recovery aid is available
at Wallowa City Hall/Fire
Department or at the Wal-
lowa Senior Center.
• Those who qualify
for SNAP/TANFF bene-
fi ts may visit Wallowa City
Hall/Fire Department for
replacement food resources.
• The Wallowa Food
Bank at 211 E. First St. is
open seven days a week right
now and anyone in need of
food may stop in, regardless
of eligibility.
• The Wallowa ReSale
Store is off ering free replace-
ment items to Wallowa res-
idents. For now the store is
open daily from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m.
• Plywood and tarps are
available at Wallowa City
Hall/Fire Department.
• An account has been set
up for donations at Commu-
nity Bank.
• Through Labor Day,
Genuine Wallowa County
Provisions is waiving its
delivery fee to Wallowa
customers within its regu-
lar service area of 5 miles
from Highway 82. Shop-
ping at GWC Provisions
supports Wallowa pro-
ducers including Hawkins
Sisters Ranch, Rocking
M Cattle Co., Bear Creek
Blossoms, Ralph Anderson
and Carman Ranch.
This week’s featured book
Path Lit by
Lightning:
The Life of Jim Thorpe
by David Maraniss
107 E. Main St.
Enterprise OR 9828
541-426-3351
manager@bookloft.org • bookloft.org
SUMMER HOURS
10 AM - 8 PM WED, THURS, SUN
10 AM - 9 PM FRI AND SAT • 541 569 2285
Summer
is Here!
Heaters and other HVAC Parts & Services
not just propane! *Addtional rebates up to $100 apply
.
East Hwy 82
Ed Staub & Sons Enterprise, OR 201
• 541-426-0320
Energy Community Service.
Patricia Jean (Herbst) Eckley
July 14, 1939 - August 24, 2022
We are sad to announce the pass-
ing of our beloved mother, Patricia
Jean Eckley, on Aug. 24, 2022. She
was born in Renton, Washington,
on her mother’s birthday, July 14,
1939. Her parents were Arnold and
Marie Herbst. Pat was the youngest
of three children. She had a sister,
Irene, and brother, Gunner. She was
raised on a dairy farm, and that was
the start of her love for animals. She grew up riding
horses and showing her registered milk cows.
Pat met her future husband, Wayne Eckley, on a
blind date. Wayne was in the Air Force. Soon they were
married and had two daughters, Jeanne and Julie. They
moved to South Carolina, where Wayne Jr. was born.
When her husband went to Vietnam he moved the fam-
ily to Enterprise, where he grew up. Dad was a flight
engineer on C130 planes and his plane went missing.
Years later the plane was found and his status was
changed to KIA. Mom moved the kids to the country
in Enterprise so they could have horses and animals.
Daughter Bonnie joined the family and has had a very
close connection with Mom. Being the youngest child,
Bonnie is the glue that holds the family together. She
is adored.
After raising her family in Enterprise, Mom moved
to Cayuse, Oregon, to pursue her dream of having a
goat farm. Later as her health declined, she moved to
Burns Oregon, where she could be close to her youngest
child, Bonnie. Bonnie was able to help her continue her
work with the goat farm. Mom was loved by all and
always had room at her kitchen table for everyone to
enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal.
Mom is preceded in death by her parents; brother
and sister; her husband; daughter, Jeanne Eckley Terry;
and grandson, Jason Terry. She is survived by daughter,
Julie (John) Dalton; son, Wayne Eckley Jr.; and daugh-
ter, Bonnie Eckley Rassmussen; grandson, Cliff Terry;
great-grandsons, Mason Terry and Kevin Stedman.
We love you, Mom! Until we see you again.
A graveside service will be held at Prairie Creek
Cemetery in Joseph, Oregon, on Thursday, Sept. 1,
2022, at 1 p.m. We hope all friends and family will
join us.