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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2019)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Wednesday, November 6, 2019 A5 No plans for a code enforcement officer in Prairie City By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle A couple who lives in Prairie City shared concerns regarding the public image of the city and the enforcement of city codes. Storie and Nancy Mooser spec- ified that they understand that in some cases — due to age, finances or sickness — peo- ple aren’t able to maintain their property. “We aren’t try- ing to make Prai- rie City seem like Jim Hamsher a groomed grave- yard,” Storie said. “We feel that the growing amount of junk begins to create a sense of normality for the community and begins to get ignored.” The Moosers said city’s codes are not being enforced. “Specifically, the ordinance against cars being left on proper- ties and are unlicensed and aren’t running are not enforced. There is a huge amount of that (cars) in the The Eagle/Rudy Diaz An abandoned house on the corner of Northwest Johnson Avenue and Fourth Street in Prairie City. city,” Nancy said. The Moosers said they submit- ted a nuisance form to the city and never heard back. They discussed the need for somebody to enforce the codes in Prairie City, much like the enforcer recently hired in John Day. Prairie City Mayor Jim Ham- sher said, however, there are no plans for a code enforcement offi- cer to be hired. “I would rather take the money and help people clean up their property than pay an employee to go around and cite people,” Ham- sher said. “A lot of the ordinances weren’t well thought out and they were passed. If you are going to enforce one ordinance you need to enforce every ordinance.” Hamsher talked about the pro- cess of serving a ticket that had a $100 ordinance fine, but the cost to enforce the ticket was $300. Some of the cost comes in issuing the notice and delivering the notice to the house. After the state took their share of the $100, the city was left with $11. Prairie City does not have local law enforcement to help enforce or deliver the fines to a household. Hamsher said several of the ordinances for Prairie City need to be repealed or updated because many things have changed over the years in the community. “There is a need to update a lot of these (codes) and bring them up to speed because there is a lot of stuff that has come into play in the last 10 years, like tiny homes and cell towers, that weren’t here,” Hamsher said. “You need to go back and continually update these things so they make sense for your community.” So far in 2019, Prairie City has received three complaints from residents for code violations. This topic has been brought up before in three city council meet- ings over the past two years. Some solutions regarding the accumu- lation of junk were discussed and planned. One solution that the city and community members put together was a citywide clean-up day. Judy Jacobs, the president of the Prai- rie City Community Association, brought up the need for a clean-up day during a council meeting on May 16, 2018. The city and the community both provided funds and resources to make the clean-up day happen. Hamsher also suggested talking with the property owner there is a problem with before reporting to the city. COPS AND COURTS Grant County Circuit Court Susan Marahrens, 54, John Day, was convicted by a jury verdict Oct. 24 for harassment committed on April 29. She was sentenced Oct. 30 to 12 months of pro- bation. She was fined $200. Marahrens was acquitted of a count of resisting arrest and a count of second-de- gree criminal mischief. Melina L. Schafer, 34, John Day, had her judg- ment amended Nov. 1 for driving under the influ- ence of intoxicants commit- ted on June 26, 2018. She had pleaded guilty Sept. 6, 2018, and entered diversion, which was revoked Oct. 31 for failure to complete treat- ment. She was sentenced to 18 months of bench proba- tion and was fined $1,650. Her license was suspended for one year. Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sher- iff’s Office reported the fol- lowing for the weeks of Oct. 23 and Oct. 30: Concealed handgun licenses: 10 Average inmates: 16 Bookings: 11 Releases: 17 Arrests: 0 Citations: 4 Fingerprints: 4 Civil papers: 23 Warrants processed: 2 A s s i s t a n c e / We l f a r e check: 0 Search and Rescue: 0 Oct. 30: Ashley Armen- derez, 31, of Mt. Vernon was cited for violation of the basic rule, 80/55. Oct. 30: Conner Enger, 21, of Bend was cited for violation of the basic rule, 89/55. Oct. 30: Cheri Rice, 43, of Prineville was cited for violation of the posted speed limit, 81/65. Oct. 30: Gary Dolmage, 55, of Grants Pass for vio- lation of the posted speed limit, 55/35. Justice Court Violation of the basic rule: Katelyn K. Morrell, 29, La Grande, Oct. 18, 85/55 zone, fined $265; Toby D. Piney, 44, Stayton, Sept. 26, 75/55 zone, fined $165. Violation of speed limit: Deja B. Amsden, 18, Prai- rie City, Oct. 16, 80/65 zone, fined $265; Johnny J. Tru- jillo Jr., 50, Sprague River, Oct. 3, 42/30 zone, fined $165; Colin B. Shepard, 33, Bend, Sept. 24, 74/65 zone, fined $165; Shanna R. Campbell, 30, Burns, Sept. 23, 77/65 zone, fined $265; Deborah M. Martell, 34, La Grande, Oct. 1, 75/65 zone, fined $165. Driving while suspended: Thomas E. Pfeifer, 50, Prai- rie City, July 19, fined $440; Kyle V. Riley, 30, Santee, California, Sept. 20, fined $440; Steven M. Warrington, 30, John Day, Aug. 30, fined $440, Sept. 22, fined $440; Keatley M. Wyant, 28, John Day, Sept. 28, fined $440; Travis J. Freniere, 33, John Day, Aug. 31, fined $440, Aug. 22, fined $440; Bucky Breck, 32, John Day, Sept. 16, fined $440; Ian J. Car- son, 32, John Day, Sept. 30, fined $440; William J. Col- lier Jr., 26, Pilot Rock, July 30, fined $440; Stacey L. Moore, 49, John Day, Sept. 27, fined $440. Driving uninsured: Thomas E. Pfeifer, 50, Prai- rie City, July 19, fined $265; Kyle V. Riley, 30, Santee, Sept. 20, fined $265; Ste- ven M. Warrington, 30, John Day, Sept. 25, $265; Keat- ley M. Wyant, 28, John Day, Sept. 28, fined $265; Travis J. Freniere, 33, John Day, Aug. 31, fined $265, Aug. 22, fined $265; Ian J. Carson, 32, John Day, Sept. 30, fined $265; Wil- liam J. Collier Jr., 26, Pilot Rock, July 30, fined $265; Jacob A. Dodson, 25, John Day, Aug. 27, fined $265, Aug. 27, fined $265; Jor- dan R. Wright, 25, Mt. Ver- non, Sept. 23, fined $265; Lynn K. Waters, 37, Payette, Idaho, Sept. 28, fined $265, Sept. 28, fined $265. Registration sticker expired: Ian J. Carson, 32, John Day, Sept. 30, fined $115; Travis J. Freniere, 33, John Day, Aug. 28, fined $115. Illegal stopping: Stacey L. Moore, 49, John Day, Sept. 27, fined $115. Following too closely: Haley L. Olson, 25, John Day, Sept. 27, fined $265. Obstruction of vehicle windows: William J. Collier Jr., 26, Pilot Rock, July 30, $115. Operating motor vehi- cle while using mobile elec- tronic device: Joseph Radi- novich, 41, John Day, Sept. 1, fined $265. Parking vehicle in viola- tion of restrictions: Clayton M. Core, 37, Springfield, Sept. 17, fined $220. Sharon J. Haynes has been convicted of theft in the third degree on Oct. 30 by default after failing to appear. She was sentenced with a $440 fine to be paid in full by Dec. 1. Oregon State Police Oct. 22: Received a call regarding a road construc- tion worker in John Day who was nearly struck when he was removing a deceased deer from the roadway on Highway 26. The worker stated that a blue Chevro- let pickup with wood racks ran over the deceased deer, almost striking the construc- tion worker. The 35-year-old male driver of the blue Chev- rolet pickup was later found in Prairie City on Oct. 22. The driver, Joshua Haskins, 35, of Prairie City was cited for reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Oct. 25: Responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 26. The vehi- cle was heading eastbound when the driver swerved to avoid a cow elk on the road. After avoiding the elk, the vehicle overcorrected and crossed over the center line and westbound lane, strik- ing an embankment and rolling over on the passen- ger side, blocking the west- bound lane of travel. Two passengers were in the vehicle that rolled over. All three occupants complained of pain but refused transport by ambulance. All occu- pants went by private party to Blue Mountain Hospital. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the John Day Police Department assisted at the scene with traffic control. Oct. 26: Stopped a sil- ver Nissan Frontier pickup on Highway 26 for failure to drive in lane and prohib- ited lighting. The driver, a 48-year-old man, had glassy and bloodshot eyes. There was a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage com- ing from the vehicle. The driver said he drank four beers, and he had slurred speech. When attempting the field sobriety tests, the driver nearly fell over mul- tiple times. The impair- ment of the driver was significant enough that fur- ther attempts at field sobri- ety tests would jeopardize his physical safety. The driver was arrested for driv- ing under the influence of intoxicants. The driver was Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 123 calls during the week of Oct. 28 to Nov. 3, including: • John Day Police Department Oct. 28: Received a report of a minor in possession of tobacco. Oct. 28: Cited Joseph Radinovich for having a dog as a public nuisance. Oct. 28: Advised of an injured deer on South Can- yon Boulevard. Oct. 29: Received a report of theft at a business on West Main Street. Oct. 31: Issued a warning during a traffic stop. Oct. 31: Removed a deer that had been hit on High- way 26. Nov. 1: Cited a man for having a dog at large. Nov. 1: Cited Leroy H. Holley of Maryland for speeding, 58/35. • Oregon State Police Oct. 30: Received a driving complaint on Highway 26. Nov. 1: Advised of people leaving butchered game on the roadway on Highway 26. Nov. 3: Requested to dis- patch an injured deer. • Grant County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 28: Received a report of harassment on Quail Lane. Oct. 30: Received a report of a noninjury crash in Kimberly. Oct. 31: Received a report of a probation violation on Harpers Creek. • John Day ambulance Oct. 29: Responded to an 80-year-old woman having chest pains on Valley View Drive. Nov. 1: Paged for a 94-year-old woman with an unknown medical condition on North Canyon Boulevard. Nov. 1: Responded to a 64-year-old man who had fallen and hit his head. Nov. 1: Responded to an 87-year-old man with shoul- der pain on Valley View Drive. Nov. 3: Responded to an 87-year-old man who was confused and combative. • Forest Service Nov. 3: Called for a slash pile burning that went out of control on Black Mountain Lane. Nov. 3: Advised of a fire on Highway 395C. Nov. 3: Received a report of burning trees near Starr Ridge. Veteran's Gift Shop Get the cash you need FAST! Nov. 4-16 in the window at Mosier's Home Furnishings in John Day. Items donated are sent to Portland VA Hospital for veterans to select gifts for their families. Contact Ruth Harris at 541-575-0076 for more information. Ellis Tracy Unit Hero -a JJerson adniired for courage, transported to the Grant County Jail where he pro- vided a breath sample that came back with a blood alco- hol content of 0.27%. Harry J. Yazzie Jr., 48, of Canyon City was booked into jail for DUII-alcohol. Oct. 27: Hunters located an injured cow elk in the des- olation village in the Vinegar Hill area. The cow was dis- patched and salvaged. American Legion Auxiliary S152439-1 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. Poor credit no problem New to the job Ok Quick easy & hassle free Flexible payments $5,000.00 and Up Call now to apply 1-888-511-5725 S148794-1 Honoring Veterans past, present and future. Thank you for your faithful service! achievenzents ancl noble qualities Everyday, we salute the heroes of our Armed Forces past and present for their courage and dedication to our country. Keith J. Thomas, MD, FACS Board-Certified General Surgeon Blue Mountain Hospital• 541-575-1311 S149132-1 Andy’s Plumbing 245 N Canyon City Blvd., Canyon City, OR 97820 541-575-2144 S149541-1
