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Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s newspaper since 1868
201
7
W edNesday , d ecember 20, 2017
• N o . 51
• 40 P ages
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
PHOTO ABOVE: Santa, aka Devon Dobson, visits with Penelope ‘Penny’ and Kymberlynn ‘Kym’ Case after
the Wednesday, Dec. 13, Long Creek School Christmas program.
Idaho woman dies in wreck
Four weekend
crashes reported
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
A 27-year-old woman
from Post Falls, Idaho, died
Saturday when her pickup
slid off Highway 395 near
Ritter Junction in the early
evening.
Annalesha C. Draper was
traveling south to meet with
her fiancé in Oregon and
bring him back to Post Falls
for the holidays. His vehicle
had broken down, Draper’s
aunt Jennifer Draper told
the Eagle.
According to Oregon
State Police, Draper’s rental
vehicle, a 2017 Dodge Ram
Contributed photo/Oregon State Police
Annalesha Draper, 27, Spokane, was killed when the
Dodge Ram pickup she was driving exited the roadway
and struck a tree Saturday on Highway 395 near Ritter
Junction.
pickup, crossed the north-
bound lane in freezing-rain
conditions and sideswiped
a tree. The Grant County
Sheriff’s Office, John Day
ambulance and Long Creek
ambulance and fire also re-
sponded to the scene. The
investigation is continuing
on contributing factors, ac-
cording to OSP.
Draper’s dog was trans-
ported to the John Day Riv-
er Veterinary Clinic and
was picked up by family
members.
Draper’s family lives in
Post Falls. She was self-em-
ployed and is survived by
her parents and three older
brothers. Her aunt called
Draper a “real go-getter”
who will be sorely missed.
Impacts from freezing
rain were seen in Grant
County one day earlier,
beginning with the cancel-
lation of the Grant Union
See WRECK, Page A10
Burch faces 80-month sentence
after felony sex crime plea deal
Another case to
be dismissed
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
Neal Allen Burch likely
faces 80 months in prison
after pleading guilty to two
Grant County felony sex
crime charges, according to
two Dec. 14 plea petitions.
Burch, 39, formerly of
Grant County, entered an
Alford plea for two charges
of second-degree sexual
abuse to different victims
in a court-approved plea
agreement after a settlement
conference Dec. 11 before
Deschutes County Circuit
Court Judge Michael C.
Sullivan. In an Alford plea,
the defendant does not ad-
mit to the crime but admits
the prosecution would likely
prevail in court.
Sullivan will attend the
final sentencing hearing
by video at 1 p.m. Jan. 2 in
See BURCH, Page A10
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www.MyEagleNews.com
Contributed photos
Performing in the Long Creek School Christmas
program are, in back, River Cave as Santa and John
Jones as the head elf, along with worker elves, from
left, Natalli Jones, Tucker Garinger and Jennifer Jones.
Rapp remains in jail on
attempted murder charge
Judge issues
sentences in
eluding and child
support cases
By Richard Hanners
Blue Mountain Eagle
The John Day man accused
of shooting a Eugene man at
the Dixie Creek Campground
on Oct. 16 remains in jail as
the discovery process in his
case continues.
Kevin J. Rapp, 32, is
charged with attempted mur-
der, first-degree assault and
unlawful use of a weapon. His
bail was set at $250,000.
According to an Oct. 20
press release by Grant Coun-
ty District Attorney Jim Car-
penter, Kyler Weisenback was
awoken in the early morning
hours while camping and was
shot. Weisenback was flown
to Bend and then Portland for
treatment.
Rapp was also charged
with misdemeanor possession
of methamphetamine on Oct.
16.
Status hearings in the
case were held Nov. 30 and
Dec. 13. Grant County Cir-
cuit Court Judge William D.
Cramer Jr. expressed concern
at the first hearing about the
number of computer disks
attached to the case. Defense
attorney Rob
Raschio said
some of the
disks contained
video from law
enforcement
Kevin
body cameras
Rapp
and would take
time to review.
Rapp ap-
peared in court for the second
hearing wearing jail attire.
Raschio said he had received
the Oregon State Police report
for the case but hadn’t seen
the ballistics report. The case
was circumstantial without
the ballistics report, he said.
Carpenter said he dis-
agreed with that characteri-
zation, and Cramer noted that
attorneys typically describe
circumstances
differently.
Raschio said he expected to
request a bail reduction, and
Cramer scheduled a third sta-
tus hearing for 1 p.m. Jan. 16.
The five-minute Dec. 13
status hearing was followed
by a 10-minute contempt of
court trial. Rapp was charged
with disobeying a court order
to pay child support when he
had the ability to pay.
Rapp pleaded guilty to the
contempt charge in a plea pe-
tition that recommended 20
days in jail. A victim interven-
tion specialist said Rapp’s ex-
wife had seen the petition and
had “general frustration with
See RAPP, Page A10
ACCESS
TODAY!
See Page A3