SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
LOCAL, STATE & NATION
JONATHANPETER KLEIN WAS WORKING ON A RANCH NEAR HEPPNER
FBI arrests hunting ranch employee
in connection with US Capitol riot
■ Jonathanpeter Klein’s brother, Matthew, also accused of participating in riot
By Bryce Dole
SAFE SLEEP
Continued from Page 1A
“I think it’s a great program that Baker County has
certainly taken the lead on,” District Attorney Greg
Baxter said. “We can look at the numbers and see how
it’s saved lives. As DA I look forward to working with
community partners to ensure the program continues.”
Baxter’s predecessor, Matt Shirtcliff — now the
Baker County Circuit Court judge — promoted a public
awareness campaign about safe sleeping practices fol-
lowing the infant deaths in 2009.
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — The agents
from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation couldn’t tell
John Flynn too much, only
that they were there because
of “people that were at the
Capitol,” he said.
Early on Tuesday, March
23, agents had been snooping
around the headquarters of
Ruggs Ranch, a 100,000-acre
hunting preserve outside of
Heppner in Morrow County
that’s described on its website
as “Where World Class Bird
Hunting & Luxurious Lodg-
ing Meet.” The agents told
Flynn they were waiting for a
friend who was out hunting.
Flynn, the ranch owner, didn’t
recognize the name they
provided.
He asked them to leave.
Shortly after, Flynn’s
employee called and said the
agents had moved to another
part of the property. Flynn
drove over to tell them they
were trespassing. The agents
told Flynn they were await-
ing orders from their boss, he
said.
The FBI later told Flynn
they had arrested one of his
employees — Jonathanpeter
Klein, who, along with his
brother, Matthew Klein, was
accused of storming the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6.
The two brothers were the
fi rst Oregon residents to be
charged for being directly
involved in the insurrection
intended to prevent Congress
from certifying the election of
President Joe Biden. Federal
authorities say the Kleins
were caught on camera
storming the building. Now
they face a slew of federal
charges.
The Klein brothers are
among the more than 300
people who have been
charged in connection with
the riot. Authorities report-
edly believe that at least 100
more people could be charged.
According to the FBI,
Jonathanpeter Klein is a
self-described member of the
Proud Boys, a far-right group
widely known to engage
in violence at protests and
whose leadership has come
under scrutiny from agents
and prosecutors nationwide
for the group’s central role in
the insurrection.
Federal Bureau of Investigations/Contributed Photo/Bend Bulletin
Jonathanpeter Allen Klein, 21, on right, a self-described Proud Boy, with brother Mat-
thew Leland Klein, 24, on left, according to the FBI.
Flynn
was
confused.
In the two
months
Klein had
worked at
the ranch,
not once
had he
mentioned
anything
about the
Capitol,
Flynn said.
“I think the reason he really liked it over here was
because he lived in Portland and he’s homeschooled
and from a very conservative family of missionaries.”
Jonathanpeter
Klein
— John Flynn, owner of a hunting ranch near Heppner,
talking about Jonathanpeter Klein, who worked on the
ranch earlier this year and is accused, along with his
brother, Matthew, of participating in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot
time understanding that this
is how people are and this
is how people live. You don’t
have to like what they do or
like what they say, but you
have to respect their opinion.”
Until February 2020, Klein
Time on
Matthew
was living in South America.
the ranch
Klein
About 12 years prior, Klein’s
Flynn
parents had moved the
met Klein in late January.
family from Pendleton to
The 21-year-old came to the Aluminé, Argentina, on a
ranch searching for work
mission sponsored by the
and a change of pace. Klein
Berean Baptist Church,
had been living in Portland, Willamette Week reported on
where he stripped roofs by
March 31.
day and worked at a Dom-
Klein worked as a trans-
ino’s Pizza at night, Flynn
lator for his parents while
said.
in Argentina and Chile.
Flynn obliged. He de-
His parents currently live
scribed Klein as a hardwork- in Baker City, according to
ing and upbeat employee
court records.
with “good core values” who
During Klein’s time at
customers complimented for the ranch, Flynn said they
his manners. Flynn said he
would discuss things like the
appreciated Klein’s conserva- Portland protests, adding
tive Christian upbringing.
that he tried to “help (Klein)
“I think the reason he
understand that we’re all on
really liked it over here was this Earth together. Whether
because he lived in Portland you like how people think or
and he’s homeschooled and
not, they’re entitled to their
from a very conservative
opinion.”
family of missionaries,” Flynn
Over the two months Klein
said, adding that Klein had
worked at the ranch, Flynn
frequently voiced irritation
taught him to train dogs and
at the Black Lives Matter
guide hunts through the vast
protests in downtown Port-
rolling hills that encompass
land. “I think he had a hard the ranch, full of elk, deer
and a wide variety of birds.
The preserve is roughly the
size of New Jersey or Rhode
Island, according to its
website.
Images on the website
show the ranch’s pure wilder-
ness and successful hunts, as
well as its luxury.
Customers are treated to
fi ne dining made by an execu-
tive chef. The lodge is deco-
rated with hickory furniture
and custom Pendleton Wool
bedding that “tell the story of
the Indians and Pioneers of
yesteryear,” as described on
the website.
The website also includes
advice on where customers
can land private aircraft
nearby.
According to guidefi tter.
com, a website where hunting
outfi tters advertise trips, big
game hunts at Ruggs Ranch
can cost anywhere from
$4,500 to $9,500.
The Capitol riot
Federal offi cials, court
documents and ensuing
news articles have described
in detail the Klein brothers’
alleged connection to the U.S.
Capitol riot.
See Arrested/Page 6A
Bill requiring locked storage for
guns heads for vote in Oregon House
By Peter Wong
Oregon Capital Bureau
Another gun regulation
bill is headed for a legislative
debate and vote, this time in
the Oregon House.
House Bill 2510, approved
Tuesday, March 30, by the
House Health Care Commit-
tee, would require the storage
of fi rearms with trigger or
cable locks, in a locked con-
tainer or in a gun room. An
offense is a Class C violation,
which carries a maximum
fi ne of $500, unless someone
under age 18 obtains access, in
which case it is a Class A viola-
tion with a maximum fi ne of
$2,000. No jail time is imposed
for violations.
The committee vote was 6-4.
All Democrats voted for it, and
all Republicans against it.
On March 25, the Oregon
Senate voted 16-7 to approve
a bill making state buildings
— including the Capitol —
off-limits to fi rearms carried by
concealed-handgun licensees.
Senate Bill 554, which went
to the House, leaves it up to
local governments to decide
that question for their own
buildings.
Oregon is among the states
with no laws regulating gun
“Gun owners in Oregon have been remarkably
well-behaved. But if you keep rewarding criminals
and punishing the law-abiding, don’t expect them
to stay that way.”
— Kevin Starrett, director, Oregon Firearms Federation
storage, according to the
pro-regulation Giffords Law
Center. Laws in California
and Washington apply to
some aspects of storage.
When the House Health
Care Committee heard the
gun storage bill March 11,
almost 400 pieces of testi-
mony were submitted for
and against House Bill 2510.
Some people submitted more
than one.
“We cannot gun-proof
children,” Dr. Benjamin Hoff-
man, pediatrician at Doern-
becher Children’s Hospital
at Oregon Health & Science
University, testifi ed. “We
must child-proof guns.”
Between 1999 and 2019,
he said, Oregon averaged
3.5 deaths by fi rearms per
100,000 people, compared
with the national average of
2.3 per 100,000. For youths
under 19 during the period,
he said Oregon averaged
6.3 deaths per 100,000,
compared with the national
average of 5 per 100,000.
“Gun violence is one of
the leading causes of death
for people my age,” Hope
Williams, a volunteer with
Students Demand Action in
Oregon, said in a statement
after the vote. “We want
to feel safe at home and in
our communities and that
starts with securely stor-
ing fi rearms to prevent gun
violence.”
Students Demand Action,
together with Moms Demand
Action, constitute Everytown
for Gun Safety.
“Even in a pandemic, our
communities are continuing
to endure gun violence every-
day,” Elizabeth Klein, a gun
violence survivor and volun-
teer for the Oregon chapter of
Moms Demand Action, said.
“And, unintentional shootings
and gun suicides have contin-
ued to rise over the past year.
Secure storage is an effective
and easy way to help prevent
these tragedies.”
But Oregon’s gun-rights
advocates staunchly opposed
the bill.
“This bill will subject
hundreds of thousands of law-
abiding citizens with potential
criminal and civil liability
overnight for actions that are
perfectly legal today,” Paul
Donheffner, legislative commit-
tee chairman for the Oregon
Hunters Association, said in
testimony to the committee.
Kevin Starrett is direc-
tor of the Oregon Firearms
Federation, which bills itself
as a no-compromise group on
gun rights. It even disparaged
Republican lawmakers work-
ing on regulation of firearms
sales at gun shows in 1999, a
year after the group’s founding.
The bill did not pass, but voters
approved a related initiative
measure in 2000 by a 62%
majority.
Starrett had harsher words
for lawmakers during his com-
mittee testimony.
“Gun owners in Oregon have
been remarkably well-behaved,”
he said. “But if you keep
rewarding criminals and pun-
ishing the law-abiding, don’t
expect them to stay that way.”
Safe Sleep
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death is the leading
cause of death for infants from age one month to one
year.
Cribs for Kids educational materials explain how
to reduce the risk of accidental death by following the
ABCs of Safe Sleep:
• Alone: Babies need to sleep alone for every nap
and every bedtime. Sargent said the OB staff empha-
sizes “room sharing, but not bed sharing.”
• Back: Babies should always be put to sleep on his
or her back, never on the tummy or side. Once a baby
can roll over on her own, it’s not necessary to adjust the
position during the night. But always put a baby on her
back to sleep.
• Crib: A baby should sleep in a crib, bassinet or play
yard for every nap and bedtime. If a baby falls asleep in
a car seat, swing or bouncy seat, move him or her to a
crib as soon as possible.
A crib should also be completely empty except for
a fi rm mattress covered with a tight-fi tting sheet (no
blankets, pillows, wedges, toys or bumpers).
Back to Sleep and Cribs for Kids
According to the website cribsforkids.org , the “Back
to Sleep” campaign started in 1994 and resulted in a
50% reduction in infant death rates.
However, sleep-related deaths remained the number
one cause of infant deaths.
In 1998, Judy Bannon, executive director of Sudden
Infant Death Services of Pennsylvania (SIDS of PA),
created Cribs for Kids to ensure that all families had a
crib regardless of income, as well as education on safe
sleeping practices.
L OCAL B RIEFING
Baker Library District offers discounts,
prizes for National Library Week
During National Library Week, April 4-10, the Baker
County Library District is offering discounts for settling
old library bills, free card replacements, forgiveness
of fi nes on late materials returned by April 10, and a
chance to win prizes including a waterproof Kobo e-book
reader worth more than $200.
Among the library district’s “welcome back” options,
according to a press release:
• Amnesty check-in: Patrons can return late items
and get overdue fi nes completely waived. However, this
may not apply if items are so far overdue they have
already been replaced.
• Clean slate: Ordinarily, the library allows everyone
a once-in-lifetime chance to wipe away all accrued late
fi nes. During National Library Week, an additional
clean slate allowance can be claimed. This credit may be
applied to late fi nes only, not lost or damaged charges.
• Free library card replacement: Patrons who have
lost their card can get a new one for free. The regular
replacement charge is $2.
• 50% off old charges: With the goal of clearing old ac-
counts, the library will accept half-price payment for lost
or damaged charges more than one year old.
Also next week, families can pick up activity sheets for
kids, and those who sign up for the “Wowbrary” weekly
email newsletter will be entered in a lottery drawing
for multiple prizes. The grand prize is the e-book reader.
Patrons can also enter online at wowbrary.org.
More library information is available at www.baker
lib.org or by calling 541-523-6419.
Baker City Ladies Golf and Bridge
Association plans fi rst event April 14
The Baker City Ladies Golf and Bridge Association
has scheduled its fi rst 2021 Ladies Day for Wednesday,
April 14, at Quail Ridge Golf Course, 2801 Indiana Ave.
Lunch is served at 12:30 p.m., and participants are
asked to arrive a little early to check in.
Ladies Days start with golf at 8:15 a.m. Players will
need to pay fees each day unless they have an annual
membership. Bridge play follows lunch, which costs $9.
There is a voluntary 50/50 raffl e for $1 per ticket.
Membership in the Ladies Golf and Bridge Associa-
tion is a one-time $5 fee. Guests do not need to pay
the fee. More information is available by calling Jen
Godwin at 541-519-2060 or Dianne Ellingson at 541-
519-4703.
New At The Library
Patrons can reserve materials in advance online or by
calling 541-523-6419. Drive-in hours at 2400 Resort St. are
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
FICTION
• “Later,” Stephen King
• “The Push,” Ashley Audrain
• “The Liar’s Dictionary,” Eley Williams
• “The Paris Library,” Janet Skeslien Charles
NONFICTION
• “Waste,” Catherine Flowers
• “Nonviolent Communication,” Marshall Rosenberg
• “Saving Freedom,” Joe Scarborough
• “Just Us,” Claudia Rankine
DVDS
• “Don’t Let Go” (Horror)
• “Like A Boss” (Comedy)
• “Mulan” (Action)
• “Promising Young Woman” (Drama)