News
Blue Mountain Eagle
C OPS AND C OURTS
Arrests and citations in the Blue
Mountain Eagle are taken from the
logs of law enforcement agencies.
Every effort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit Court
• Travis Freniere, 30, was con-
victed of unauthorized use of a ve-
hicle and sentenced to 20 months
in state prison and required to pay
$4,959 in restitution.
• Jessica Anne Shawn-Thomas,
33, was convicted of fourth-degree
assault and sentenced to 18 months
probation and 40 hours communi-
ty service and fined $175.
• Hope Iurea Uptegrove, 58,
was convicted of driving under the
influence of intoxicants and sen-
tenced to 18 months probation and
80 hours of community service
and fined $195.
• John Robert Dunn was cited
for a probation violation and sen-
tenced to seven days in jail and
revoked probation.
• Michael Dean Gibson was
found guilty of harassment and
issued a suspended sentence of 18
months probation and 10 days in
jail and fined $100.
Oregon State Police
• March 24: Detained 26-year-
old Ethan Taylor Thomas after re-
sponding with John Day police to
a report of a probation violation.
Thomas was visibly intoxicated
and had marijuana in his posses-
sion. He was transferred to parole
and probation.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s Of-
fice reported the following for the
week of March 16-22:
• Concealed handgun licenses:
9
• Average inmates: 10
• Bookings: 11
• Releases: 9
• Citations: 1
• Fingerprints: 4
• Civil papers: 15
• Warrants processed: 5
• Asst./welfare check:3
• Keith Benjamin, 36, Canyon
City was cited for driving while
suspended and driving uninsured.
Justice Court
The Grant County Justice
Court reported the following fines
and judgments:
• Careless driving — no acci-
dent: Eusebio Arroyo-Gonzalez,
51, Lake Worth, Florida, Dec. 26,
fined $260.
• Failure to drive within lane:
Doyle Dewaine Staples, 93, Sene-
ca, March 10, fined $220.
• Driving Uninsured: Christo-
pher Jo Keith, 36, Canyon City,
March 8, fined $220; Christopher
Jo Keith, 36, Canyon City, Dec.
30, fined $220.
• Driving while suspended:
Christopher Jo Keith, 36, Canyon
City, March 8, fined $370; Chris-
topher Jo Keith, 36, Canyon City,
Dec. 30, fined $370.
• No Sno Park permit: Marty
John Holmstrom, 55, John Day,
Feb. 25, fined $30.
• Exceeding speed limit: Cody
Josiah Winn, 48, John Day, Feb.
24, 35/25 zone, fined $110; Dan-
iel Lewis Perry, 56, West Linn,
March 1, 43/30 zone, fined $135;
Todd Malcom Winegar, 39, Prai-
rie City, March 8, 65/55 zone,
fined $135; Jeannie Atheda Mc-
Carthy, 18, Prairie City, March
13, fined $135.
• Off-road vehicle on the high-
way: Michael R. Robertson, 48,
Sandy, Feb. 25, fined $220.
• Failure to properly use safety
belt: Todd Malcom Winegar, 39,
Prairie City, March 8, fined $135.
• Violation of the speed lim-
it: Dawn Michelle Hamsher, 47,
Mt. Vernon, March 6, 42/25 zone,
fined $135.
• Violation of the basic rule:
Alexsandr S. Tverdokhleb, 22,
Richland, Washington, Feb. 20,
65/55 zone, fined $110; David
Thorf Morris, 64, Mt. Vernon,
March 15, 75/55 zone, fined
$135; John Dawson Swaggart,
50, Echo, March 16, 75/55 zone,
fined $135; Levi John Lawrence,
29, Vale, March 10, 75/55 zone,
fined $135; Mathew D. McKen-
zie, 33, Portland, March 11, 79/65
zone, fined $160.
• Jake Omar Cavayotti was
found guilty of reckless driving
and violation of the speed limit
and fined $520.
• Fox Farrell was found guilty
of a wildlife violation and fined
$560.
• Ernest A. Chavira was found
guilty of driving while suspended
and sentenced to 12 months pro-
bation and 48, hours in jail and
fined $600.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked 134
calls during the week of March
20-26. Along with the various
traffic warnings, trespassing, in-
jured animals, noise complaints
and juvenile complaints, these
calls included:
John Day Police Department
March 20: Dispatched to a re-
port of a dog bite. Took a report of
harassment in Prairie City.
March 21: Issued a warning
for allowing a dog as a nuisance.
Arrested a 49-year-old on a Grant
County warrant. Dispatched to a
report of child abuse.
March 22: Responded to a re-
port of a hit and run at the post of-
fice. Responded to a report of sus-
picious activity at the skate park.
March 24: Received a report of
a theft in Prairie City.
March 25: A caller reported
someone had smashed his wind-
shield and mirror. Cited a 34-year-
old John Day resident for criminal
mischief.
Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
March 20: Responded to a re-
port of a burglary alarm.
March 23: Dispatched to a re-
port of suspicious activity at the
church in Dayville.
March 24: Received a report
of a person on probation drink-
ing and using marijuana and
took the person to Grant County
corrections.
John Day ambulance
March 25: Dispatched for a
subject with burns on his hands
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
A5
Locals raise hay for
southern ranchers
Hamsher and OCA
looking to collect
1,000 tons
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City Mayor and Coun-
ty Commissioner Jim Hamsher is
working with the Oregon Cattle-
men’s Associ-
ation to supply
ranchers affected
by fire with feed
for their cattle.
Hamsher said
he is aiming
to help collect
1,000 tons of hay
to aid ranchers Jim Hamsher
affected by mas-
sive fires in the southern part of the
country.
“Record-breaking fires in Colo-
rado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas
have resulted in loss of homes, live-
stock, feed, lost and injured live-
stock, and infrastructure,” a United
States Department of Agriculture
press release said.
He is working with the Oregon
Cattlemen’s Association and using
the Hay for John Day Facebook page
to help organize donations. The page
was created to help ranchers feed
their animals in the wake of the Can-
yon Creek Complex fire and helped
bring in nearly 1,000 tons of hay af-
ter the disaster.
Grant County rancher Alec Oliver
said the Canyon Creek fire took out a
lot of summer grazing land.
“It affected quite a few people,”
he said of the fire, and the donated
hay “definitely helped a lot of people
that needed it.”
“We got donations as far as Colo-
Eagle file photo
Mark McKinnon, left, of Whittaker Farms in Culver speaks with Jim
Hamsher of Prairie City as a young helper waits during the Hay
for John Day campaign following the Canyon Creek Complex fire.
Organizer Jim Hamsher is working with the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association to provide feed for ranchers affected by fires in the
southern part of the country.
rado when we had our fire,” Hamsh-
er said. “They tried to support us so
we should try to help them out. It’s
just one big ranching family.”
Southern ranchers are now facing
a similar disaster.
The fires burned more than 2
million acres, killed at least seven
people and thousands of livestock,
according to Reuters.
“Recent wildfires have caused
devastating losses for many farmers
and ranchers in our state,” Farm Ser-
vice Agency acting State Executive
Director in Texas Erasmo Trevino
said. “Over the past several years,
wildfires have increased in severity,
intensity, and cost as the fire season
has grown longer.”
Ranchers have lost millions of
dollars, large parts of their herds,
houses and miles of fence to the
fire, according to a video Hamsher
is using to help solicit donations.
The fire took place during calving,
meaning the ranchers lost multiple
generations of animals to the disas-
ter.
They are looking at trucking the
hay as far as Nevada.
Those interested can donate on-
line through the Oregon Cattlemen’s
Association’s website at orcattle.
com.
County officials to attend
child abuse summit in April
By Rylan Boggs
Blue Mountain Eagle
Between six and seven county
partners will be traveling to the
Child Abuse Family Violence
Summit in April.
The summit, April 11-14, will
educate attendees on aspects of
child abuse including prosecu-
tion of offenders, community
awareness of issues and child sex
trafficking, according to Victim
Assistance Director Andrea Offi-
cer. Court Appointed Special Ad-
vocates, Community Counseling
Solutions and local law enforce-
ment will also have representa-
tives in attendance along with
the District Attorney’s Office.
The Grant County Court ap-
proved Officer’s request to send
The Eagle/Rylan Boggs
Grant County Commissioner
Boyd Britton reads over the
agenda during a Grant County
Court meeting on Wednesday,
March 22.
the group during a March 22
county court meeting.
The court also:
• approved county Surveyor
Mike Springer’s request to pur-
chase a flat file cabinet from
Benchmark Surveying for $300.
• changed the capital outlay
purchasing amount limit for de-
partments from $100 to $500.
• reviewed and approved an
intergovernmental agreement be-
tween Grant and Wheeler coun-
ties to house Wheeler County
inmates.
• approved a request from the
District Attorney’s Office to send
Deputy District Attorney Mara
Houck to training.
• reviewed and approved an
intergovernmental
agreement
between Grant County and the
state to use rock from McGirr
Quarry to maintain roads in the
winter.