NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
A5
Three cops ‘irresponsible’ in face of colleague’s life-threatening injuries
A fourth officer was
hospitalized for a week
for what doctors said
were injuries from
being body slammed
By Jake Thomas
Oregon Capital Bureau
Three law enforcement offi-
cers, including Deschutes County
Sheriff Shane Nelson’s son and
one of his deputies, “risked
another’s life to save themselves”
in an incident at the state’s train-
ing academy last October that
could have killed another recruit,
according to a review by the
Marion County District Attor-
ney’s Office.
The review, released Friday
afternoon, presents a damning
picture of an October incident
that left one recruit with a seri-
ous head injury and spinal frac-
ture while the group was prac-
ticing defensive techniques in an
academy dorm room.
While criminal charges won’t
be brought, the review said the
three recruits’ “lack of candor”
during the investigation “should
cause serious concerns about
their credibility” and is “antithet-
ical to what real police officers
do: protect others.”
“Their ‘circle the wagons’
version of what took place that
night is not credible,” said the
report by Matt Kemmy, Marion
County deputy district attorney.
“Whether their story was cre-
ated by some misguided belief
that they needed to cover for one
another or whether it was done
for self-preservation, it is dis-
turbing either way.”
Deschutes
County
Sher-
iff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Wil-
liam Bailey confirmed Saturday
one of the officers involved in
the incident, Austin Daugherty,
is Nelson’s son. The Deschutes
County deputy involved is
Joseph DeLance, who was cer-
tified as a corrections offi-
cer in 2018, according to state
records. The sheriff’s office
announced Friday evening that
DeLance was placed on admin-
istrative leave while the agency
investigates.
The incident occurred on
Oct. 17 when Dustyn Matlock, a
recruit with the Portland Police
Bureau, DeLance, along with
Daugherty and Dylan Hansen,
both recruits with Oregon State
Police, went to DeLance’s room
and practiced defensive tactics
after a police academy training.
Matlock sustained a life-threat-
ening injury after allegedly being
slammed to the floor, according
to the report.
A doctor told investigators
that, if Matlock had gone to sleep
that night as his colleagues were
trying to convince him to do,
he might have died due to brain
swelling.
Oregon State Police said
Daugherty and Hansen are both
on administrative leave while the
agency investigates.
Bend Bulletin reporter Gar-
rett Andrews contributed to this
report.
COPS AND COURTS
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
Delayne K. Dice of Can-
yon City pleaded guilty Jan.
14 to driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants Nov.
24 and entered a diversion
agreement. A charge of driv-
ing while license suspended
or revoked was dismissed
Jan. 24 as part of the plea
negotiations.
Patricia C. Sharp of Mt.
Vernon pleaded guilty Jan.
23 to driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants on Nov.
19 and entered a diversion
agreement. Charges of oper-
ating without required light-
ing equipment and violating
license restrictions were dis-
missed Jan. 26 as part of the
plea negotiations.
Joseph D. Tirico, 56, was
convicted based on a guilty
plea on Dec. 6 for a count of
assault in the second degree
committed on June 4. He
was sentenced to 30 days in
jail and five years of super-
vised probation. He was also
ordered to pay $3,898.56 in
restitution and attorney fees.
Christopher R. Hoppe,
36, was convicted based on
a guilty plea on Jan. 8 for a
count of unauthorized use of
a vehicle, a count of unlaw-
ful entry into a motor vehicle
and a count of criminal tres-
pass in the first degree, all
committed on May 27. He
was sentenced to 15 days in
jail, 54 months of supervised
probation and 150 hours of
community service. He was
also ordered to pay $1,000
in compensatory fines.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office reported the fol-
lowing for the week of Jan.
29:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 10
Average inmates: 16
Bookings: 9
Releases: 6
Arrests: 0
Citations: 2
Fingerprints: 2
Civil papers: 19
Warrants processed: 5
A s s i s t a n c e / We l f a r e
check: 1
Search and Rescue: 0
Jan. 28: Destiny Nolan,
18, Prairie City, was cited
for violation of posted speed
limit, 40/25 zone, and driv-
ing uninsured.
Jan. 28: A juvenile, 17,
John Day, was cited for tele-
phonic harassment.
Justice Court
Violation of the basic
rule: Woodrow W. Pittman
II, 31, Pendleton, March
28, 77/55 zone, fined $265;
Summer L. Miller, 20, Can-
yon City, Jan. 19, fined
$265; Paula S. Hammack,
57, Hines, Jan. 3, 77/55
zone, fined $265.
Violation of speed limit:
Ricky C. Evans, 56, Gray,
Kentucky, Nov. 2, 40/25
zone, fined $165; James He,
53, Honolulu, Hawaii, Oct.
26, 65/35 zone, fined $265;
Kara D. Nelson, 47, Burns,
Jan. 8, 78/65 zone, fined
$265; Eric S. Lui, 49, Bend,
Dec. 28, 50/25 zone, fined
$265; Anna C. Stargel, 31,
Prairie City, Jan. 11, 75/65
zone, fined $165.
Driving uninsured: Jef-
fery C. Cook, 23, John Day,
Dec. 1, fined $265, Jan. 2,
fined $265, Dec. 1, fined
$265, Dec. 14, fined $265,
Dec. 28, fined $265, Jan. 2,
fined $265, Dec. 14, fined
$265, Dec. 2, fined $265,
Jan. 11, fined $265, Nov. 1,
fined $265, Nov. 17, fined
$265, Jan. 1, fined $265.
Operating
without
required light: Jeffery C.
Cook, 23, John Day, Jan. 2,
fined $165.
Failure to obey traffic
control device: Valerie Fans-
ler, 39, Canyon City, Dec. 3,
fined $500.
Travis J. Freniere was
sentenced to 72 hours in
jail, 12 months of probation,
and ordered to pay $200 in
fines after pleading guilty on
Dec. 11 for theft in the third
degree.
On Jan. 27, the court
granted a judgment for Rob-
ert Phillips against Thomas
and Brittany Zirkel, Prairie
City, for $1,142.
On Jan. 27, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against
Delayne K. Dice, Prairie
City, for $2,217.32.
Oregon State Police
Jan. 19: Stopped a gray
Pontiac Grand-Am for fail-
ing to use lights near mile-
post 140 on Highway 26. On
contact, the driver, Tiffany
R. Sanders, 34, had glassy,
red eyes. Noticed her pupils
appeared dilated for the
lighting conditions. Sand-
ers consented to field sobri-
ety tests, exhibiting signs of
impairment consistent with a
central nervous system stim-
ulate. Arrested the driver for
intoxication. While prepar-
ing to search her purse, she
admitted she had metham-
phetamine and drug para-
phernalia in her bra, which
she removed. She was trans-
ported to the Grant County
Jail. The driver submitted to
a breath test. She provided
two breath samples with
both results being 0.00%
blood alcohol concentration.
She refused to complete a
drug evaluation. She later
admitted she had smoked
methamphetamine around
2 p.m. and ate a small rock
of methamphetamine while
traveling back toward Baker
City. She consented to and
provided a urine sample,
which will be sent to the
Oregon State Police Crime
Lab for analysis. Issued the
driver a citation for DUI/
Drug and citation for pos-
session of a controlled sub-
stance, less than 2 grams
of methamphetamine. The
vehicle was secured at the
scene per her request.
Jan. 21: Went to North
Cozart Avenue in Prairie
City after receiving infor-
mation that a 50-year-old
man with a felony probation
violation warrant was cur-
rently at the residence. Went
to the residence and con-
tacted the man, Thomas E.
Pfeifer of Prairie City, and
took him into custody with-
out incident. OSP previously
confirmed the warrant ear-
lier in the day and dispatch
confirmed it as well. Trans-
ported Pfeifer to the Grant
County Jail where he was
lodged.
Jan. 22: Responded to
a business on West Main
Street in John Day on a
reported firearm purchase
denial. The attempted pur-
chaser, a 70-year-old man,
agreed to come to the John
Day patrol office for the
investigation.
Investiga-
tion revealed the purchase
was denied over the sub-
ject being on probation from
a DUII arrest in 2008. The
subject had a warrant for
several years and was not
arrested on it until 2017. In
the adjudication of the case,
the subject is on probation
until Dec. 14, 2020. The sub-
ject said he did not know he
was on probation. There was
no probation entry in LEDS,
and in checking with Uma-
tilla County Circuit Court,
the judgment was signed by
the judge and not the subject
in this matter. The subject
very likely did not know he
was on probation. Addition-
ally, there is no question on
the ATF Firearms Transac-
tion Record inquiring about
misdemeanor
probation.
Case closed with no further
action.
Jan. 26: Investigated a
two-vehicle,
serious-in-
jury crash on Highway 26
near milepost 168. Vehi-
cle was struck from the rear
by another automobile, and
the driver lost control of the
vehicle during the collision.
The vehicle that was hit in
the rear left the roadway,
coming to an uncontrolled
area of rest 192 feet from
the area of the collision. The
driver of the automobile that
hit the vehicle drove to an
area of controlled rest. The
driver and passenger of the
vehicle that was hit in the
rear were transported by
ambulance to Blue Moun-
tain Hospital. A deputy from
the Grant County Sheriff’s
Office assisted documenting
the scene and traffic control.
Doug’s Towing responded
and removed the vehicle hit
in the rear. The automobile
that hit the rear of the vehi-
cle was removed by Frontier
Towing. The driver that hit
the rear of another vehicle
Dispatch
John
Day
dispatch
worked 154 calls during the
week of Jan. 27 to Feb. 2,
including:
• John Day Police
Department
Jan. 27: Responded to a
report of theft. Donald D.
Hildreth, 54, of John Day
was cited for theft.
Jan. 27: Advised of a sus-
picious subject at the Sev-
enth Street Complex.
Jan. 27: Received a driv-
ing complaint on Bridge
Street.
Jan. 28: Caleb Vielma, 30,
of John Day was arrested on
two Grant County warrants.
Jan. 28: Received a report
of criminal mischief.
Jan. 31: Paged for a
woman that fell and injured
her hip on Northwest Sec-
ond Avenue.
Jan. 31: Cited Marco J.
Harrell, 37, of Alexander
City, Alabama, for speeding,
74/45 zone.
Feb. 1: Cited Steven M.
Warrington, 30, of John Day
for driving while suspended
and driving uninsured.
• Oregon State Police
Feb. 2: Advised of an ani-
mal complaint on Highway
26 near milepost 143.
Feb. 2: Received a call of
domestic dispute on North
Cozart Avenue.
• Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office
Jan. 29: Received a report
of trespassing on Wilson
Street.
Jan. 30: Conducted a traf-
fic stop on Highway 26.
Jan. 30: Received an ani-
mal complaint on McHaley
Street.
Jan. 31: Conducted a
traffic stop near Humbolt
Elementary.
• John Day ambulance
Jan. 27: Responded to a
54-year-old man on South-
west First Avenue with chest
pain.
Jan. 27: Responded to a
65-year-old man with diffi-
culty breathing.
Jan. 27: Responded for
an 80-year-old man with
breathing problems.
Jan. 28: Responded to
a 75-year-old woman with
difficulty breathing on Nug-
get Street.
Jan. 28: Dispatched for a
man with chest pain and dif-
ficulty breathing at Valley
View Assisted Living.
Jan. 30: Dispatched for a
woman who was extremely
weak on Cozart Street.
Jan. 31: Paged for a man
that had fallen and hit his
head on East Main Street.
Jan. 31: Dispatched for
an elderly woman with
blood in her urine on Valley
View Drive.
Jan. 31: Responded to a
72-year-old man with loss
of consciousness on Green
Haven Road.
NRA GUN SAFETY CLASS
Meets requirements for
Concealed Carry Permit
The second installment of the 2019-20
property tax is due Tuesday, February
18th, 2020 by 5:00 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 18th, 2020. Please remember that
delinquent taxes accrue interest at the rate of 16% per
year. If you have any questions, please call the tax
office at 575-0107 or 575-0189.
Monday - Thursday
7am-
6pm
Monday
- Thursday
7am-
6pm
Friday
8am
- 5pm
Friday Sharpe
8am - 5pm
Mendy
FNP
was later issued a citation
for a careless driving, acci-
dent involved, and failure to
seat belt a child passenger.
{p dir=”ltr”}Jan. 28: Saw
a burgundy 2001 Dodge
Durango bearing Oregon
plates abandoned on the
side of the road near mile-
post 7 on Highway 395C.
Tagged the vehicle as aban-
doned. On Jan. 29, at about
7:56 a.m., drove by the loca-
tion and saw the vehicle
was still there. Requested a
non-preference tow. Doug’s
Motor Vehicle Repair was
notified to tow the vehicle.
Sent the registered owner a
tow notice via mail.
Jan. 31: Received infor-
mation on a chainsaw that
had been stolen from the
Oregon Department of For-
estry John Day Office. Tay-
lor M. Myers, 30, Canyon
City, who was a former ODF
employee, was arrested and
charged with first-degree
theft. He was transported to
the Grant County Jail where
he was booked and released.
Feb: 1: Responded to
a report of harassment in
Prairie City. Charles Wil-
liam, 58, of Prairie City was
arrested and charged with
harassment and second-de-
gree disorderly conduct. He
was transported to the Grant
County Jail where he was
lodged.
February 15, 9a.m. - 2p.m.
Limited space. Please call to register.
Cost - $50
Ken Larssen 541 620-8254
S170683-1
PO Box 185
Canyon City, OR 97820
Mendy
Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
S167945-1
S167946-1
139101
S170685-1
541-523-6377
541-963-6577
541-573-6377
541-576-2160
Group Guitar with Stephanie LeQuieu: Begins Wednesday, February 5, 5:30 -
6:30 PM.
Chamber Choir Group Class with Stephanie LeQuieu: Begins Thursday,
February 6, 5:00 - 6:15 PM.
Introductory Rock Band with Stephanie LeQuieu: Begins Thursday, February 6,
6:30 - 7:30 PM.
Knitting 101 with Jessica Moore: Begins Monday, February 10, from 6:00 - 8:00
PM.
Basic Drawing Class: Ongoing, Tuesdays through March 24, 5:30 - 7:30 PM.
Liberating the Writer Within: Ongoing, Tuesdays through February 25, from 6:30
- 7:30 PM.
Intermediate Drawing Class: Ongoing, Thursdays through April 2, 5:30 - 7:30 PM.
Arts After School & Friday Art Club: Ongoing; see more at Paintedskycenter.com
/Kids-Art.
For more info or to register visit paintedskycenter.com or
email paintedskycenter@gmail.com.
S170062-1
S167561-1