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
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(541) 575-1862
in our lobbies. If
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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
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