LOCAL A2
LOCAL A5
SPORTS A6
Gas prices continue
to rise rapidly
Creating a buzz
for Greater Idaho
Baker girls win
4th place at state
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • HOME & LIVING • SPORTS
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 • $1.50
Commissioners
to discuss
‘constitutional
county’
resolution
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Earlinda
Crider of Baker City.
BRIEFING
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Baker County Library
plans spring break
events
The Baker County Library
is planning several special
events for spring break.
On Friday, March 18,
youth ages 3 and older are
invited to a Lego Build-Along
from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids
can build with Legos while
watching “The Lego Movie.”
In the afternoon is Kids
Game Day from 3 p.m. to 5
p.m. for grades 5-8.
Tuesday, March 22, is a
special spring-themed story-
time at 10 a.m., and Friday,
March 25, is Teen Game
Day from 3 p.m. to 5:30
p.m. The library is at 2400
Resort St. in Baker City.
Baker County United
plans rally March 17
Baker County United is
planning “freedom rallies”
on the third Thursday of
each month at 6 p.m. at the
Sunridge, 1 Sunridge Lane.
The public is invited. The
next event is set for Thurs-
day, March 17. Sam Palmer
will be a guest speaker.
Palmer is a Grant County
commissioner and a Repub-
lican candidate running for
the U.S. Senate seat held
by Democrat Ron Wyden.
Debbie Henshaw of Baker
City will be giving a speech
on the Constitution. There
will also be a question and
answer period and input will
be sought from the public.
Heritage
Museum
gearing up for
busier 2022
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Lynn Weems started as director of the Baker Heritage Museum in December.
Museum, which opens April 8, adds exhibits
from Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Admission to just the Adler
House is the same as the museum
rates.
The National Historic Oregon
opens for the season April 8.
Trail Interpretive Center is set-
BY LISA BRITTON
Hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ting up a presence at the museum
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
Monday through Saturday, and
while the center on Flagstaff Hill is
Tour groups are starting to call
noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
closed for renovation.
the Baker Heritage Museum —
Admission is $9 adults (13 and
The Interpretive Center, which
something that hasn’t happened
older), $8 seniors, $5 ages 6-12, and will unveil exhibits in May, will
much in the past two years.
Lynn Weems, who started as di- free for ages 5 and younger.
have displays in the Leo Adler
rector of the museum in Decem-
For $16, visitors can tour
Room on the first floor, and oc-
ber 2021, anticipates this coming
both the museum and the Adler
cupy about a third of the ball-
summer to be a bit more normal — House, which is open Memorial
room upstairs — including a full-
closer to pre-pandemic attendance. Day weekend through Labor Day size wagon.
The museum, at 2480 Grove St. weekend, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fri-
just east of Geiser-Pollman Park,
days and Saturdays.
See, Museum/Page A3
Raffle raises $25,000 for K-9 unit
Today
50/28
Rain
Wednesday
46/23
Rain showers
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
Baker City Police Department/Contributed Photo
Travis Cook won the grand prize in the Baker City Police
Department’s fundraising raffle to support the department’s K-9
unit. Cliff’s Saws and Cycles sold the ATV at a discounted rate. The
department sold 474 of the 500 available tickets at $100 each.
The Baker County Board of Commis-
sioners is slated to resume its discussion
of a request from a local group to adopt a
resolution designating Baker as a “constitu-
tional county.”
Commissioners, who have talked about
the proposal from Baker County United
during multiple meetings since Decem-
ber 2021, have added the resolution to the
agenda for their Wednesday, March 16,
meeting at the Courthouse, 1995 Third St.
The resolution is on the agenda for
9:30 a.m.
Baker County United, which was formed
in the fall of 2021, has urged commission-
ers to adopt the resolution. Proponents say
it would help protect the county and its res-
idents against what they consider unconsti-
tutional mandates from the state, including
the executive orders that Gov. Kate Brown
enacted during the pandemic requiring
face masks in public indoor spaces and vac-
cinations for some employees.
See, Resolution/Page A3
Huntington
man arrested
for using
fake money
Baker City Herald
Baker City Police Department’s K-9 Unit
will be able to continue for at least two more
years thanks to recent fundraising efforts.
A raffle this winter brought in $25,000 to
support Capa, the department’s drug-detec-
tion dog.
Sgt. Wayne Chastain, who is Capa’s handler,
said the raffle, with tickets selling for $100, raised
$47,400. After paying for the ATV that was the
top prize, and other costs, the department ended
up with $25,000.
The department sold 474 of the 500 raffle
tickets available.
Chastain said the money pays for a variety
of items needed to keep the K-9 unit operating.
“It pays for his maintenance, vehicle main-
tenance, my overtime, his medical stuff, his
dog food, any costs associated with the dog
program,” Chastain said.
Capa, a male German shepherd and
Belgian Malinois cross, has been work-
ing for the Baker City Police Department
since 2015.
A Huntington man was arrested on Fri-
day, March 11, after using a counterfeit $10
bill to make a purchase at the T&T Country
Store in Huntington.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bo
Hansen responded to a call from the story af-
ter an employee received the suspicious look-
ing bill. The bills are used as props in movies,
as noted in wording on the bills.
Hansen contacted the suspect, Michael
Owen Small, 64, of Huntington, who had five
other counterfeit bills with him, in $1, $5,
$10 and $50 denominations, Baker County
Sheriff Travis Ash said.
Hansen seized the bills and arrested Small
on a charge of first-degree forgery, a Class C fel-
ony. Small was taken to the Baker County Jail.
Ash said Small told the deputy that he
found the bills among several free items in
front of a home in Huntington. Ash said he
thinks that’s likely the case.
Small’s daughter, Leanne, who lives in
Washington, said in a phone interview Mon-
day afternoon, March 14, that her father did
find the fake bills in a sack of free items. She
said her father relies on Social Security and
a disability income, and that he sometimes
fixes items he can get for free and sells them.
See, Raffle/Page A3
See, Money/Page A3
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
WEATHER
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Baker City Herald
Baker City Police detective remains on paid leave
dismiss all charges against
Greenwood.
Baker City Police Detec-
After hearings in Baker
tive Shannon Regan remains County Circuit Court on Aug.
on paid administrative leave
13 and Aug. 24, Judge Matt
more than seven months af-
Shirtcliff ruled that Regan, the
ter Police Chief Ty Duby re-
lead detective in investigating
moved her from active duty.
the fatal shooting of Parrish,
Duby made that decision in would not be allowed to tes-
July 2021 after Jim A. Schaef- tify during Greenwood’s trial
fer, the La Grande attorney
due to the phone call issue.
representing Shawn Quentin
Although Shirtcliff denied
Greenwood, who was accused Schaeffer’s motion to dismiss
of first-degree murder in the all charges against Green-
January 2020 shooting death wood, the judge did prohibit
of Angela Parrish in Baker
Baker County District Attor-
City, claimed that Regan had ney Greg Baxter from using at
violated Greenwood’s consti- trial any evidence that Regan
tutional rights by listening to collected after Sept. 14, 2020,
five phone calls that Green-
the day that her computer was
wood, who was in the Baker
used to access and listen to
County Jail, made to Schaef- the five phone calls, accord-
fer’s cellphone in 2020.
ing to a forensic investigation
On June 25, 2021, Schaef-
by the Oregon Department of
fer filed a motion seeking to
Justice.
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 128
14 pages
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Community News.............A2
Baxter did not contest the
claim that Regan listened to
the five calls.
Greenwood, then 50, ended
up pleading no contest to
three lesser charges on Sept.
3, 2021, five days before the
trial was scheduled to start.
The no contest plea had the
same effect as a conviction.
Shirtcliff sentenced Green-
wood to a total of 90 months
in prison on the three con-
victions, which include crim-
inally negligent homicide, a
Class B felony, first-degree
burglary, a Class A felony, and
attempting to elude law en-
forcement, a Class C felony.
None of the three charges
for which Greenwood was
convicted carries a manda-
tory minimum sentence, so
he will be eligible for a re-
duction in sentence based
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Home & Living ........B1 & B2
on good behavior and other
factors.
Duby said the city can’t
keep Regan on paid leave “in-
definitely.”
“It’s a tough situation,”
Duby said. “At some point the
city is going to have to move.”
He said Regan, a 17-year
Baker City Police officer, is at
the top of the salary sched-
ule for detectives, which has a
monthly salary of $6,066.
Duby said he has not heard
anything from the Oregon
Department of Justice about
its investigation of Regan re-
sulting from the phone call
issue.
Baker City Manager Jon
Cannon said the city is work-
ing with its attorney on how
best to handle the situation
with Regan.
“It’s a personnel matter
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so I’m limited on what I can
say about it,” Cannon said
on Thursday, March 10. “We
don’t want it to be an indef-
inite time period to have an
employee in this status. We
want to respect all parties
that are involved, and to talk
whatever actions are appro-
priate to resolve the matter.”
Duby said Dan Thenell, a
Portland attorney, is repre-
senting Regan.
Thenell had not returned a
phone message by press time
for this story.
In Regan’s absence, Zach
Thatcher is working as the
department’s major crimes
detective, Duby said.
Duby is now looking to re-
place Chris Sells, the depart-
ment’s other detective, who
left recently to take a police
job in Ada County, Idaho.
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