News
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
A5
Idaho murder suspect arrested Condemnation of Public Forest
Commission nullification continues
between Burns and Vale
No liability cap for private fire management plan
Blue Mountain Eagle
By Rylan Boggs
Eastern Oregon law en-
forcement agencies arrested
a man wanted for murder in
Idaho Saturday evening on
Highway 20 east of Burns.
Following a high-speed
chase, John David Wurde-
mann, 46, Twin Falls, Idaho,
was taken into custody and
lodged in the Malheur Coun-
ty Jail on two national felony
warrants — one for homicide
in Canyon County, Idaho, and
the other for unlawful pos-
session of a firearm — and
charges of attempt to elude,
felon in possession of a fire-
arm, reckless driving and
recklessly endangering anoth-
er, according to a press release
from the Oregon State Police.
A passenger in the vehi-
cle, Stormy Raine Allen, 22,
Twin Falls, was also taken
into custody, charged with at-
tempt to elude, felon in pos-
session of a firearm, hindering
prosecution, tampering with
evidence, offensive littering
and interfering with a police
officer.
The incident began the
evening of Feb. 4, when OSP
was advised of an individu-
al who had warrants for his
arrest, who was known to
have violent tendencies and
to abuse drugs, was possi-
bly traveling on Highway 20
between Burns and Ontario.
With the assistance of the
Harney County Sheriff’s Of-
fice, Malheur County Sher-
iff’s Office and an agent from
Blue Mountain Eagle
John David Wurdemann
Stormy Raine Allen
the Bureau of Land Manage-
ment, OSP attempted to locate
the blue Ford F150 pickup
that the subject was reported
to be driving.
At approximately 8:45
p.m., a vehicle matching the
description was located near
milepost 163, parked off the
shoulder of the roadway. As
law enforcement pulled in
behind the vehicle, the ve-
hicle accelerated and fled
eastbound, according to the
release.
As the vehicle fled, its
speeds ranged from 50-100
mph, and the operator was
driving recklessly, often-
times traveling into the on-
coming lanes of travel and
into the path of oncoming
vehicles. Numerous items,
including a loaded firearm,
were thrown from the vehi-
cle as it eluded. Those items
were recovered by the Har-
ney County Sheriff’s Office.
The Malheur County Sheriff’s
Office successfully deployed
spike strips at milepost 216
and flattened the two driver’s
side tires. The vehicle slowed
and at milepost 218, veered
off the right shoulder of the
roadway and into a snowdrift.
Both occupants were taken
into custody without incident.
The vehicle was towed to the
OSP office in Ontario where
it was secured. The investiga-
tion is ongoing.
Both lanes of US 20 at
milepost 218 were blocked
for about 15 minutes while the
two subjects were being tak-
en into custody and the scene
rendered safe.
Tempers flared when the
nullification of the Public For-
est Commission was revisited
on Wednesday.
Former county judge Mark
Webb brought up the offi-
cial standing of the commis-
sion during the weekly Grant
County Court meeting. Grant
County Judge Scott Myers
and commissioner Boyd Brit-
ton reaffirmed they did not
support an appeal of Grant
County Circuit Court Judge
William D. Cramer Jr.’s deci-
sion to nullify the measure that
created the commission, after
they declined to file an appeal
before the Dec. 17 deadline to
do so.
Former members of the
forest commission again ex-
pressed their dismay at the
commission being nullified
without anyone notifying
them of the circuit court
proceedings. Former Grant
County commissioner Chris
Labhart stated each of the
court dates had been publicly
posted.
In 2016, Cramer ruled the
measure creating the com-
mission should not have been
placed on the ballot in 2002
because the measure sought
to assume control of all pub-
lic lands in the county, which
conflicted with paramount
state and federal law.
People upset with the
nullification have argued the
Grant County Sheriff
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
reported the following for the
week of Jan. 26 - Feb. 1: con-
cealed handgun licenses, 4; av-
erage inmates, 3; bookings, 6;
releases, 8; citations, 1; finger-
prints, 5; civil papers, 17; war-
rants processed, 6; asst./welfare
check, 1.
• Possession of marijuana
by a person under 21: Brady
Burch, 19, John Day, Jan. 31.
Justice Court
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Justice Court re-
ported the following fines and
judgments:
• Minor in possession of
alcohol: Angeline Smith, 18,
fined $260 and driver’s license
suspended for one year; Anto-
nio M. Dancer, 19, fined $260
and driver’s license suspended
• Careless driving, no acci-
dent: Levi Robert McClellan,
20, John Day, Dec. 23, fined
$220.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
133 calls during the week of
Jan. 30 to Feb. 5. Along with
the various traffic warnings,
trespassing, injured animals,
noise complaints and juvenile
complaints, these calls includ-
ed:
• John Day Police
Jan. 31: Responded to a
report of fraud. Responded to
a report of a domestic distur-
bance at the Meadowbrook
Apartments.
Feb. 1: Received a report of
a stolen vehicle, which was un-
founded as the caller’s car was
still in the parking lot.
Feb. 4: Responded to a re-
port of a stalking order viola-
tion.
• Grant County Sheriff
Jan. 30: Responded to a re-
port of a suspicious person in
the Humbolt area.
Jan. 31: Notified of a call-
er who believed someone was
The second installment of the
2016-2017 property tax is due
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 by 5 p.m.
Payments may be made at the tax collector’s
office at the Grant County Courthouse in Canyon
City, or the payment may be mailed and
POSTMARKED no later than February 15, 2017.
Please remember that delinquent taxes accrue
interest at the rate of 16% per year.
05226
Circuit Court
CANYON CITY — The
Grant County Circuit Court re-
ported the following fines and
judgments:
• Ashley Dawne Hicks was
convicted of driving under the
influence of intoxicants and
sentenced to 18 months proba-
tion, 80 hours community ser-
vice and fined $1,255.
• Diana Marie Sandersfeld,
38, was convicted of driving
under the influence of intox-
icants and driving uninsured
and was given a suspended
sentence of one year suspended
driver’s license, 24 months pro-
bation, 10 days in jail and fined
$1,885.
for one year; Tanner J. George,
18, fined $260, required to at-
tend victim impact panel and
driver’s license suspended for
one year; Ricky W. Weickum
Jr., 19, fined $260, required to
attend victim impact panel and
driver’s license suspended for
one year.
• Minor in possession of
marijuana: Angeline Smith, 18,
fined $260; Tanner J. George,
18, fined $260 and driver’s li-
cense suspended for one year;
Ricky W. Weickum Jr., 19.
fined $260, required to attend
victim impact panel and driv-
er’s license suspended for one
year.
• Improper use of emergen-
cy reporting system: Billy D.
Perez, John Day, fined $435.
• Unsafe passing on the
left: Richard Kenneth Sladky,
61, Mt. Vernon, Jan. 17, fined
$220.
• Dog as a public nuisance:
Janelle Martens, 27, Canyon
City, Jan. 7, fined $260; Katie
Watt, 31, Union, Nov. 30, fined
$260 with six month diversion
and dismissed if no conviction
prior to July 31.
nomic Development Coordi-
nator Sally Bartlett discussed
the submission of a fire man-
agement assistance grant to
FEMA. She also updated the
court on an addendum to a
hazard mitigation plan that
would add Canyon City to the
Northeast Oregon Regional
Natural Hazards Mitigation
Plan to give the city access to
emergency funds.
Bartlett also informed the
court of the dissolution of the
Blue Mountain Resource Con-
servation and Development
area — a volunteer council
that helped people protect and
develop local resources —
due to lack of USDA funding.
The court also heard an
update from Webb on Allan
Mullin’s Zone 1 fire plan for
his land and the subject of li-
ability. Webb said there is no
cap on liability costs if Mullin
was unable to contain a fire on
his lands. Grant County Com-
missioner Boyd Britton said
he would work with state rep-
resentatives to communicate
Mullin’s issues.
Mullin presented a plan to
fight fire on his land in con-
junction with the Oregon De-
partment of Forestry at a Dec.
21 court meeting. The plan
states, “ODF will coordinate
any fire-fighting efforts on this
property with Allan Mullin.
Mr. Mullin will have final say
in how the ODF approaches
wildfire containment, fire line
placement and back-burns on
his property.”
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C OPS & C OURTS
Arrests and citations in the
Blue Mountain Eagle are taken
from the logs of law enforce-
ment agencies. Every effort is
made to report the court dispo-
sition of arrest cases.
measure only intended to
create a commission to man-
age lands if and when they
were legally conveyed to the
county. This was the exact
argument the county’s legal
counsel, Ron Yockim, made
when defending the measure
on behalf of the county before
Cramer in circuit court, but
the judge was not convinced.
“Chief petitioner (Dave)
Traylor and the voters, even
if they read only the summa-
ry, were without doubt voting
to manage public lands,” Cra-
mer said in the opinion nulli-
fying the measure. “To assert
or argue otherwise demeans
Mr. Traylor and the voters
(sic) ability to express them-
selves and comprehend what
is written. ... To find that the
purpose was to set up only a
Forest Commission with no
lands to manage would re-
quire this Court to twist the
language of the measure. That
interpretation is not believ-
able, not true, and would ask
this Court to manufacture a
legal fiction.”
Cramer also said in the
opinion a legally valid mea-
sure could be developed to
create a new forest commis-
sion that functions as the for-
mer commission had been —
a new measure that does not
conflict with paramount state
and federal law by asserting
authority it does not have to
manage all public lands within
the county.
In other court news, Eco-
If you have any questions,
please call the Tax Office at
541-575-0107 or
541-575-0189.
PO Box 185
Canyon City, OR 97820
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Baker City
10218 Wallowa Lake Hwy.
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Burns
86812 Christmas Valley Hwy.
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541-523-6377
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541-573-6377
541-523-6377
going to break into his house
while he was away. Informed
a 23-year-old Canyon City
resident was arrested by Jack-
son County officers on a Grant
County Warrant.
Feb 2.: Arrested a subject
from a previous incident.
• John Day ambulance
Feb. 2: Dispatched for a
male subject with a possible
stroke.
Feb. 4: Dispatched for a
female subject with possible
heart attack or stroke.
Feb. 5:Responded for a
39-year-old male with extreme-
ly low blood sugar.
• Prairie City Fire Depart-
ment
Feb. 2: Responded to a re-
port of a stove pipe fire in Prai-
rie City.
• John Day Fire Depart-
ment
Feb. 2: Responded to a fire
on Blue Heron Road.
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