News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Deschutes sheriff captain sentenced ive
years for stealing $200,000 in public funds
Blue Mountain Eagle
On Thursday, Sept. 8,
Scott Raymond Beard, 46,
a former Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Ofice captain and
resident of Deschutes County,
was sentenced to ive years in
prison by U.S. District Judge
Michael J. McShane for steal-
ing over $200,000 in public
funds he was entrusted to
manage, according to a press
release from the United States
Attorney’s Ofice.
At least 63 times over a
two-year period, Beard fal-
siied records to steal money
designated for use in combat-
ing drug crimes, the release
states.
At the sentencing hear-
ing, Deschutes County Sher-
iff Shane Nelson attested to
the damage Beard’s abuse of
trust caused to the communi-
ty, and to the men and women
working in law enforcement.
Sheriff Nelson explained that
Beard “betrayed the ideals of
the law enforcement profes-
sion. He was in a position of
absolute trust, and he abused
this trust for his own gain.”
Judge McShane acknowl-
edged the importance of citi-
zens being able to have com-
plete trust in those called to
serve their communities as
police oficers. When impos-
ing the sentence, he admon-
ished Beard that the com-
munity has to know that this
conduct will not be tolerated.
Judge McShane pointed to
Beard’s pervasive violation
of the public trust placed in
him by Sheriff Nelson, fel-
low law enforcement oficers,
state prosecutors and his own
community. Judge McShane
further ordered Beard to serve
three years of supervised re-
lease after he completes his
prison term.
During the investigation,
Beard told federal agents that
he donated $10,000 of the
stolen money to a South Af-
rican orphanage. Orphanage
records show that his actual
donation was less than $92.
In reality, Beard laundered
the money through the bank
account of his mistress, Krista
Jean Mudrick, showering her
with cash to support a lifestyle
that included vacations and
multiple cosmetic surgeries
for Mudrick.
The sentencing followed
Beard’s May 2016 guilty plea
to two counts of theft con-
cerning programs receiving
federal funds and two counts
of money laundering. An au-
dit ordered by newly appoint-
ed Sheriff Nelson uncovered
Beard’s crimes. After a fed-
eral grand jury returned an
indictment against Beard and
Mudrick, the Sheriff’s ofice
ired him. Mudrick has also
been federally charged with
making materially false state-
ments to federal agents inves-
tigating Beard’s crimes.
U.S. Attorney Billy J.
Williams said, “Law enforce-
ment oficers who steal public
funds harm the entire commu-
nity. We rely on the honesty
and integrity of every law
enforcement oficer to do the
right thing. Beard’s greed un-
dermined the good work done
by his fellow oficers and this
sentence sends a clear signal
that crimes committed by law
enforcement oficers will be
prosecuted to the full extent
of the law.”
Special Agent in Charge
Darrell Waldon of IRS Crimi-
nal Investigation said, “Crim-
inals are sentenced to prison
every day for actions driv-
en by greed, but the level of
greed that Beard sunk to is re-
ally beyond belief. This is an
individual who, as a member
of the law enforcement com-
munity, took an oath to up-
hold the law.”
The FBI and IRS-CI joint-
ly investigated this case, and
it was prosecuted by Assistant
U.S. Attorneys Christopher
Cardani and Frank R Papagni
Jr.
Police arrest Prairie City
man on assault, drug charges
Blue Mountain Eagle
Police arrested a 26-year-old Prairie City
man on assault and drug possession charges
early Friday morning.
John Day Police Sgt. Damon Rand ar-
rested Kristopher Goodwin on charges of
fourth-degree domestic assault and posses-
sion of methamphetamine, according to a
press release from John Day Police Chief
Richard Gray.
LETTERS
Continued from Page A4
‘Time for a
reality check?’
To the Editor:
Consider the timelines:
The sheriff investigates the
Monument Rural Fire Dis-
trict fiasco and determines
it is a civil, not a criminal,
case. Then the grand jury
indicts a participant of the
fire district. The sheriff then
deputizes this person un-
der indictment by the grand
jury. Finally, a circuit court
jury finds the defendant
guilty of three counts of fel-
ony theft. Time for a reality
check?
Fred B. Fitzgerald
Monument
Firewise
techniques reduce
wildire risk
To the Editor:
The Oregonian article
“Burned” on the Canyon
Creek Complex missed
two aspects. Should houses
be built in fire prone land-
scapes? And did homeown-
ers use Firewise techniques
to lower the risk of fires
burning their houses?
While I sympathize with
Police responded to a call at about 12:30
a.m. Friday of a female being assaulted by
her boyfriend on the 100 block of South
McHaley Street in Prairie City, Gray said.
The 45-year-old victim reported she had
been hit by Goodwin and that he had thrown
things at her, Gray said. Goodwin also called
911, he said, but hung up after giving the lo-
cation of the assault.
After Rand’s investigation, Goodwin was
arrested and booked in the Grant County Jail.
people for the tragedy of
losing their homes, earli-
er actions could have re-
duced this tragedy. Living
in a forested setting poses
wildfire risks. Forests will
always burn. In my work as
a planning consultant, I ask
clients who live in forested
settings, “What will you do
when the fire comes? That’s
when, not if.” One import-
ant tool planners should
use is not allowing houses
in high-risk forest areas.
We use zoning to prohib-
it houses in flood plains.
What stops us from zoning
high fire risk areas as un-
buildable? Katherine Dan-
iels with Oregon DLCD has
written, “effective land use
planning has perhaps the
greatest potential for reduc-
ing wildfire threat” (Hood
River News, Nov. 7, 2015).
Protecting homes during
fires is expensive. Oregon
Department of Forestry es-
timates the average cost of
protecting a home in a ru-
ral area is $31,545 versus
$319 in an already devel-
oped area. And the danger
to firefighters is real. The
2013 Arizona Yarnell Hill
Fire killed 19 firefighters
working to protect homes in
a high fire risk area.
Given that houses were
developed in the forest
along Highway 395, did
homeowners take actions
to reduce their fire risk,
Every other Monday in John Day at Blue Mountain Hospital
170 Ford Rd. • 541-575-1311
such as clearing trees and
brush around their struc-
tures? There are many
photos showing burning
homes with trees close to
the house. Homeowners
should have removed trees
and brush within 30-100
feet of their homes. These
techniques are described in
the Firewise program. ODF
staff can advise homeown-
ers and reimburse them for
costs of vegetation treat-
ment.
Scientists tell us forest
fires will be more frequent
John Day Police Chief
Richard Gray
and get larger. The Forest
Service is overwhelmed
with high costs and insuf-
ficient firefighting funds.
To help deal with this issue
planning departments must
develop regulations that
prohibit building houses in
high fire risk areas.
Retroactively, homeown-
ers in high fire risk areas
should be required to re-
move trees and brush close
to their homes.
Jurgen A. Hess
Hood River
A meet and greet with
T ODD M C K INLEY ,
candidate for Grant County Sheriff, will be held at the
Canyon City Community Hall from 2:00-4:00 on
Saturday, September 17th, 2016. Mr. McKinley will
give a presentation, followed by a question and
answer period. In his campaign, Todd speaks
forthrightly on the issues, gives straight answers to
questions, and puts forth real solutions to issues. He
wants to meet with you to hear what is important to
you. For more information, check his Facebook page,
Todd McKinley for Sheriff, or call 541-932-4859.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
A5
C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle
are taken from the logs of
law enforcement agencies.
Every effort is made to re-
port the court disposition
of arrest cases.
Grant County Sheriff
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Sheriff’s Of-
fice reported the following
for the week of Sept. 1-7:
• Concealed handgun
licenses: 3
• Average inmates: 12
• Bookings: 5
• Releases: 4
• Fingerprints: 5
• Civil papers: 8
• Warrants processed: 5
• Asst./welfare check: 3
Justice Court
CANYON CITY —
The Grant County Justice
Court reported the follow-
ing fines and judgments:
• Driving with a sus-
pended license: Lucas
Michael
Mericantante,
53, Eugene, July 29, fined
$435; Robert H. Bryant,
41, Prairie City, Aug. 9,
fined $435.
• Driving uninsured:
Lucas Michael Merican-
tante, 53, Eugene, July
29, fined $260; Dakota
Andrew Clark, 21, Port-
land, May 18, fined $260;
Jeffery Paul Thomas, 44,
Hillsboro, July 2, fined
$260; Brian Brandon
Burk, 43, Sweet Home,
Sept. 3, fined $260; Robert
H. Bryant, 41, Prairie City,
Aug. 9, fined $260; Dako-
ta Andrew Clark, 21, Port-
land, May 18, fined $260;
Brian Brandon Burk, 43,
Sweet Home, Sept. 3, fined
$260.
• Failure to obey traffic
control device: Heidi Lou-
ise Gosson, 35, Hillsboro,
Aug. 19, fined $220.
• Violation of the speed
limit: Christina Mary
Grouten, 24, Bend, 60/25
zone, June 28, fined $370.
• Exceeding the speed
limit: Gary Paul Olsen, 75,
Bend, 77/65 zone, Aug. 9,
fined $220.
• Dog as a public nui-
sance: Zechariah D. Wil-
son, 24, John Day, July 12,
fined $260 to be dismissed
through diversion without
further convictions prior
to Feb. 9. Paid $48 restitu-
tion to victim.
• Violation of the ba-
sic speed rule: Betha-
ny Dobbins Corwin, 39,
Redmond, Aug. 28, 70/55
zone, fined $160; Lucas
Michael
Mericantante,
53, Eugene, July 29, fined
$260.
• Open container of al-
cohol: Jeffery Paul Thom-
as, 44, Hillsboro, July 2,
fined $260.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch
worked 137 calls during
the week of Sept. 5-11.
Along with the various
traffic warnings, trespass-
ing, injured animals, noise
complaints and juvenile
complaints, these calls in-
cluded:
• John Day Police:
Sept. 5: Responded to
an animal complaint and
cited a 26-year-old John
Day woman for keeping a
dog as a nuisance.
Sept. 7: Off-duty police
officer reported a possi-
ble drunk driver resulting
in a Utah man being cited
for reckless driving and
speeding.
Sept. 9: Responded to
a report of domestic vi-
olence in Prairie City.
Received information re-
garding a wanted felon
and arrested a 27-year-old
Prairie City man.
• Grant County Sher-
iff:
Sept. 9: Responded to
a report of domestic vio-
lence in Mt. Vernon.
Sept. 11: Arrested a
30-year-old Bend man on
a Grant County warrant.
Responded to a report of
an accident with injuries
near Granite.
• John Day ambu-
lance:
Sept. 9: Responded to
a report of a 38-year-old
male suffering a possible
heart attack.
I would like to
thank everyone
who helped during
my car accident on
August 31st.
A special thank you to
Rusty Rule, Scott Shaffer,
Glenn Palmer, Melinda Moss,
Blue Mountain Hospital &
EMTs, and Officer Daniel
Stover, OSP.
Sincerely,
Drew Harmer
