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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2020)
NEWS MyEagleNews.com Lock awarded Instructor of the Year Blue Mountain Eagle Burns Fire Department Captain Travis Lock was selected as the Instructor of the Year for the Grant-Har- ney Training Association. He was awarded a personal- ized jacket, and his name and department were inscribed on the Instructor of the Year trav- eling plaque. Lock, who is the training officer for Burns, joined the fire service in January 2002 as a member of the Dallas (Ore- gon) Fire Department, and moved to Burns in Novem- ber of 2010. Upon moving to Burns, he joined the fire department and has moved up the ranks, from firefighter to lieutenant and, most recently, to captain. Travis’s main job as a para- medic for Harney District Hospital Emergency Medical Services Department keeps him busy. He is the EMS first responder coordinator, a CPR instructor and works as an adjunct instructor to Treasure Valley Community College for emergency medical tech- nician classes. The Grant-Harney Train- ing Association is made up of members of the fire depart- ments in Grant and Har- ney counties who combine their knowledge and skills to better each other and pro- vide better training for our firefighters. Wednesday, April 1, 2020 A5 John Day sees slight decline in thefts Durr advises people to not let their guard down amidst decline By Rudy Diaz Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo Burns Fire Department Captain Travis Lock was selected as the Instructor of the Year for the Grant-Harney Training As- sociation. He was awarded a personalized jacket, and his name and department are inscribed on the Instructor of the Year traveling plaque. John Day Police Chief Mike Durr said thefts in the city have declined recently, but people should remain vigilant. Items stolen from five businesses in John Day have been recovered after law enforcement found a suspect who had the items, Durr said. In a March 11 indictment, a grand jury accused Bobby L. Ruston, 42, of five counts of second-degree burglary, five counts of first-degree theft, one count of third-degree theft, two counts of sec- ond-degree criminal mischief, two counts of third-degree criminal mischief and felon in possession of a firearm. Victims included multiple local businesses — John Day Video Shoppe, High Desert Office Equipment, Dark Horse Antiques, Grant Soil and Water Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Ser- vice — according to the indictment. Durr said, in the first week of Decem- ber, a string of five burglaries of businesses in John Day began. John Day Police Department worked on the cases until they got information and received a search warrant, he said. With assistance from the Oregon State Police, they recovered property from each of the burglaries and took Ruston into cus- tody and lodged him on March 6, Durr said. “We had to check with the district attor- ney to see if there was any reason to with- hold that property as evidence, and then we The Eagle/Rudy Diaz Grant Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resource Conservation Ser- vice reported items were stolen on March 6. gave it back to the proper owners after doc- umenting it all,” Durr said. “We were very happy to do that. When somebody just goes into your business, it just seems like the whole system is broke down. That person has no regard at all for private property.” Since the arrest, Durr has seen a slight decrease in thefts in John Day but said the public should avoid letting their guard down. Durr said, while theft from vehicles has gone down slightly, he still receives reports of thefts of chainsaws and tools from the back of pickups and guns from the cabs. He said at least three guns have been stolen since last fall. “A vehicle is really no problem to access, and if people can take their chainsaws and lock them up at night, that will be a major advantage,” Durr said. “I wouldn’t leave anything of value in either the front of the car or bed of the truck, whether it’s locked or unlocked.” Durr said there are layers of security and tricks that could help prevent a robbery such as using cameras, cutting away the dark spots and using lights. COPS AND COURTS Arrests and citations in the Blue Mountain Eagle are taken from the logs of law enforcement agen- cies. Every effort is made to report the court disposition of arrest cases. Grant County Circuit Court Charges of strangula- tion allegedly committed Dec. 12 and fourth-degree assault, attempt to commit a class C felony, harassment and second-degree criminal mischief allegedly commit- ted Feb. 5 against Matthew E. Sagaser were dismissed March 23 based on a motion by District Attorney Jim Car- penter stating the victim has ceased cooperation with the state and resources for such cases are limited. A charge of fourth-de- gree assault against William J. Collier Jr. of Kimberly allegedly committed Dec. 6 was dismissed with prejudice March 5 based on a motion by District Attorney Jim Car- penter citing an adverse court ruling. Charges of delivery of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school and possession of methamphet- amine allegedly committed on July 30 were dismissed without prejudice March 18 based on a motion by Car- penter stating the pandemic was interrupting the grand jury. Gary Hartwick, 69, pleaded guilty March 23 to a count of violating a court’s stalking protective order committed on Feb. 2. He was sentenced to serve five days in jail and pay $100 in fines. A charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants against Gerald L. Mack of Prineville committed Jan. 10, 2019, was dismissed March 18 after successfully com- pleting a DUII diversion agreement. He would not cooperate with a drug recognition expert exam and refused to pro- vide a urine sample. OSP applied for a search war- rant to seize a urine sample from the 58-year-old male driver. At about 3:18 a.m., after the search warrant was granted, the subject provided a urine sample that will be sent to the Ore- gon State Police Crime Lab for analysis. He was issued a citation for refusal to take test for intoxicants and DUI/ Drug. The subject’s car was later released to a sober driver. March 24: Saw a male adult driving southbound on Highway 395 that OSP knew had his driving priv- ileges criminally revoked. OSP contacted the driver on Highway 395 near mile- post 8 and saw indicators of impairment. The adult driver performed field sobri- ety tests and was found not to be impaired for an arrest of DUII. The male driver was cited in lieu of custody for driving while suspended and cited for open container of alcohol. The vehicle was released to a licensed driver. Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sher- iff’s Office reported the fol- lowing for the week of March 25: Concealed handgun licenses: 1 Average inmates: 16 Bookings: 4 Releases: 0 Arrests: 0 Citations: 0 Fingerprints: 2 Civil papers: 5 Warrants processed: 0 A s s i s t a n c e / We l f a r e check: 0 Search and Rescue: 1 Oregon State Police March 22: The driver of a 2002 Chevrolet car was stopped after leaving the scene related to a possible domestic dispute 911 call. He exhibited indicators of impairment and was asked to participate in field sobri- ety tests. Further indicators of impairment were observed during the tests. He was arrested and transported to the Grant County Jail, where he provided a breath sample with a result of 0.0% BAC. Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 92 calls during the week of March 23-29, including: • John Day Police Department March 23: Received a report of theft on West Main Street. March 24: Received a Growing 75 Years Generations Together for 75 Years. SINCE 1945 report of a stolen vehicle on Northeast Elm Street. March 27: Responded to a report of dogs killing chick- ens on East Main Street. March 27: Responded to a report of theft of a com- panion animal on West Main Street. March 29: Hope 4 Paws assisted with attempting to find a lost dog. • Oregon State Police March 25: Received a report of a criminal mischief on South Washington Street. March 26: Advised of a driving complaint on High- way 26 near milepost 156. • Grant County Sher- iff’s Office March 23: Received a report of theft on South Fork Road in Dayville. March 23: Received an animal complaint on Adams Drive. March 24: Received a report of a stalking order violation in Canyon City. March 27: Received an animal complaint on South Adams Drive. • John Day fire March 28: Responded to a chemical odor near a John Day residence on Southwest Brent Drive. • John Day ambulance March 24: Dispatched for a female subject who had fallen the previous night and possibly cracked her ribs. March 27: Responded to a 71-year-old man with dif- ficulty breathing. March 27: Responded to an 86-year-old man with diz- ziness and low blood pres- sure on Cottonwood Street. March 29: Responded to a 65-year-old man with dif- ficulty breathing on West Main Street. In the worst of times, newspapers rise to the occasion. While everyone struggles to understand “flattening the curve” and social distancing, who will provide you with the information about what is happening in your community? Let’s plan for your next 75 years of growth. Currently, we may JOHN DAY be limiting access 200 W. Main Street (541) 575-1862 in our lobbies. If Janice Provencher, Branch Mgr your branch entry is locked during business hours, PRAIRIE CITY please wait a 178 N.W. Front Street moment and (541) 820-3321 we’ll let you in. Andrea Austinson, Branch Mgr Serving Grant County Since 1898 MyEagleNews.com Bob Quinton, Ag & Commercial Loan Officer CALL FOR AN APPOINTMENT Rates & terms may vary. All loans subject to credit approval. Member FDIC. NMLS #414459 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day Oregon 97845 EQUAL HOUSING LENDER S171103-1 S181243-1
