NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Object found at Prairie City football field not a bomb
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
The bomb threat at Prairie City School
Thursday afternoon turned out to be a
false alarm.
Superintendent Casey Hallgarth said
Friday morning that, after the bomb squad
completed its investigation, they reported
it was not a bomb but an electronic device
that was discarded at the football field.
Hallgarth said, at about 5 p.m. Thurs-
day evening, officers were securing the
football field, and the bomb squad was en
route from Pendleton. He said officers and
staff had already conducted a thorough
search of the rest of the school property
but found nothing of concern.
No school was scheduled Friday,
but Hallgarth said other activities have
returned to normal, including the bas-
ketball games scheduled Saturday at the
school.
Hallgarth said he received a call from
Sheriff Glenn Palmer at about 1:15 p.m.
Thursday stating that someone had
reported finding a pipe bomb at the foot-
ball field. Two people walking at the field
found the object that looked like a small
pipe bomb wrapped in plastic, Hallgarth
said, so they called the bomb squad.
Hallgarth said he asked Palmer if the
students were in danger but was told the
device was too far away to endanger the
school itself. He said, however, he wanted
to be cautious and decided to call parents
and send students home.
“This really wasn’t a bomb threat that
endangered our kids because it was far
enough away and the cops secured the
scene, but I just felt it was in the best inter-
est of our students to have them out of the
way,” Hallgarth said.
While parents were being notified, offi-
cers and school staff began the sweep of
the school grounds.
“Our entire staff did an amazing job
working together and making the phone
calls and making sure the kids were safe,”
Hallgarth said. “They got home to their
parents and guardians. I’m very impressed
with my staff.”
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
A5
McLaughlin sentenced to three years in prison
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
A man was sentenced to three
years in prison, with three years
of post-prison supervision, and
his license was suspended for
five years after a high-speed
chase in December that ended
west of Mt. Vernon.
Jeremy W. McLaughlin, 29,
of Strasburg, Colorado, was con-
victed based on a guilty plea on
Feb. 6 for a count of third-de-
gree assault, a count of fleeing or
attempting to elude a police offi-
cer, a count of unlawful posses-
sion of methamphetamine, five
counts of recklessly endanger-
ing another person and a count
of driving under the influence of
intoxicants committed on Dec. 6,
according to court documents.
He was also ordered to pay
$1,000 for a DUII fine and $255
for an intoxicant conviction fee.
A count of third-degree assault,
four counts of recklessly endan-
gering another person, a count
of reckless driving, a count of
unlawful possession of heroin
and a count of felon in posses-
sion of a restricted weapon were
dismissed. McLaughlin was the
driver of the high-speed vehi-
cle in December with two pas-
sengers in the car: Robert Mal-
loy, 57, of Strasburg, Colorado,
and Nadia Runkle, 27, of Dallas,
Oregon.
At about 2:45 p.m. Dec. 6,
Oregon State Police troopers
received a call from McLaugh-
lin’s mother who reported that
McLaughlin and his girlfriend
were in the backseat injecting
heroin, according to OSP Public
Information Officer Capt. Timo-
thy R. Fox. On Highway 26, near
milepost 131, law enforcement
officers located the vehicle, and
a pursuit ensued after an attempt to
stop the vehicle, Fox said.
Fox added that OSP and John
Day police officers successfully
deployed spike strips on the sus-
pect’s vehicle near milepost 145.
The suspect’s vehicle traveled a
short distance and crashed into
two pickups stopped on the side
of the roadway, Fox said.
Runkle was charged with two
counts of recklessly endanger-
ing another person, according to
information filed in Grant County
Circuit Court by former Deputy
District Attorney Greg Goebel
Jan. 8.
Malloy was charged with
a count of felon in possession
of a restricted weapon, accord-
ing to information filed in Grant
County Circuit Court by Dis-
trict Attorney Jim Carpenter Dec.
9. Malloy failed to appear for a
hearing scheduled Jan. 23, and a
warrant was issued for his arrest,
according to court documents.
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
One count of second-de-
gree disorderly conduct
against Ty B. Prusak of John
Day allegedly committed
Jan. 3 was dismissed Feb. 12
because the defendant is coop-
erating with treatment.
Kristin A. Ray, 38, pleaded
guilty Feb. 13 to driving under
the influence of intoxicants
and criminal mischief in the
second degree committed on
Nov. 16. She was sentenced to
30 days in jail, and her license
was suspended for a year. She
was placed on bench probation
for 48 months, sentenced to 60
hours of community service
and ordered to pay $8,251 for
a DUII fine, a bench probation
fee and restitution. A count of
reckless driving and a count of
refusal to take a test for intox-
icants were dismissed. A $255
intoxicant conviction fee was
waived.
Tanner J. Prock, 23, was
convicted based on a guilty
plea on Jan. 28 for a count
of delivery of methamphet-
amine within 1,000 feet of
a school committed on June
11. He was sentenced to 36
months of supervised proba-
tion and 80 hours of commu-
nity service. Prock was also
convicted based on a guilty
plea on Jan. 28 for a sepa-
rate case on a count of theft in
the first degree committed on
Nov. 7. He was sentenced to
10 days in jail, 24 months of
supervised probation and 60
hours of community service.
He was also ordered to pay
$1,562 for restitution. A count
of theft in the third degree was
dismissed.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office reported the following
for the week of Feb. 12:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 9
Average inmates: 20
Bookings: 9
Releases: 10
Arrests: 1
Citations: 0
Fingerprints: 1
Civil papers: 12
Warrants processed: 2
Assistance/Welfare check:
0
Search and Rescue: 0
Justice Court
Violation of the basic rule:
David P. Ford, 60, Nampa, Jan.
19, 71/55 zone, fined $165;
Leana S. Hast, 25, Bend, Nov.
7, fined $165.
Open container of alcohol:
Rodger W. Wright Jr., 46, John
Day, Jan. 14, fined $265.
Off-road vehicle on high-
way: Todd D. Miller, 54,
Salem, Oct. 24, fined $135;
Flynn D. Case, 60, Salem,
Oct. 24, fined $130.
Exceeding max weight
limit: William G. McMaanma,
57, Mt. Vernon, Jan. 6, fined
$150; Anthony I. Reeves, 52,
Canyon City, Jan. 6, fined
$200; Joshua A. Moulton,
35, Mt. Vernon, Jan. 6, fined
$150.
On Feb. 13, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Kleins Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against Mol-
lie J. Gill of Prairie City for
$621.80.
On Feb. 13, the court
granted a judgment for Ray
Klein Inc., Professional Credit
Service, against Sarah L. Ake
of John Day for $744.17.
On Feb. 13, the court
granted a judgment for Dale
Mosier, Mosier’s Home Fur-
nishing, against Kirby Bliss of
John Day for $1,134.03.
On Feb. 13, the court dis-
missed a general judgment for
Ray Klein Inc., Professional
Credit Service, against Ray-
mond Stender.
Oregon State Police
Feb. 2: Responded to a
report of a man assaulting
a woman in the street near
North Cozart Street in Prai-
rie City. Nicholas P. Gibson,
28, of Prairie City was vis-
ibly impaired on controlled
substances and was arrested
on three outstanding misde-
meanor arrest warrants issued
out of the Grant County Cir-
cuit Court. Gibson was trans-
ported to the Grant County
Jail and lodged for second-de-
gree forgery, second-degree
theft and two counts of failure
to appear.
Feb. 3: Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife per-
sonnel at the Philip Schneider
Wildlife area discovered that
an ODFW trail camera had
been stolen from the closure
area. There was evidence that
a locked gate was accessed by
breaking a lock. No suspect
information at this time.
Feb. 7: Investigated a sin-
gle-vehicle,
minor-injury
crash near milepost 188 on
Highway 26. The driver was
driving at 45 mph, traveling
up a slight grade. The car lost
traction on the icy road, going
into a counter clockwise rota-
tion, and the driver lost control
of the car. The car traveled up
onto the guardrail and snow
berm coming to an area of
uncontrolled rest. The driver,
a juvenile, was transported
by ambulance to Blue Moun-
tain Hospital. The driver was
later issued a citation for care-
less driving involved in an
accident and failure to regis-
ter vehicle.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
160 calls during the week of
Feb. 10-16, including:
• John Day Police
Department
Feb. 12: Received a report
of theft on Northwest Fifth
Street.
Feb. 12: Received a report
of theft on Canton Street.
• Oregon State Police
Feb. 11: Received a driv-
ing complaint on Highway 26
near milepost 162.
Feb. 14: Received a call
for pigs on Highway 26 near
milepost 143.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
Feb. 10: Provided assis-
tance to JDPD for a report
of shots fired on East Main
Street.
Feb. 12: Responded to a
report of a man with an acci-
dental gunshot wound to the
leg on Ferguson Road.
• John Day ambulance
Feb. 12: Paged for a sin-
gle-vehicle crash on Highway
26 near milepost 187.
Feb. 14: Received a call for
a 54-year-old man with trou-
ble breathing on Brent Drive.
Feb. 14: Received a call of
a 71-year-old man with back
pain on Northwest Canton
Street.
Feb. 14: Received a report
of a 71-year-old man with
shallow breathing on Ridge
Road.
Feb. 14: Called for an
86-year-old woman who fell
near Highway 395N.
It’s official!
We are now Strawberry
Mountain Law, PC
Now Strawberry Mountain Law, PC
Rob Raschio, Kati Dunn, Will Thomson,
and Greg Goebel
S173038-1