NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
A5
Deputy on paid leave for more than a year pleads guilty to DUII
More than 13 months
of administrative
leave costs county
more than $75,000
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office Deputy who has been
on paid administrative leave
for over a year pleaded guilty
last week to driving drunk in
February.
Deputy Abigail Mobley,
35, of John Day admitted to
driving on Highway 26 near
Unity Feb. 8 with a blood
alcohol content of 0.27%,
more than three times the legal
limit, in a plea petition filed
April 9 in Baker County Cir-
cuit Court.
On April 9, Mobley also
filed a petition for a driving
under the influence of intox-
icants diversion — a legal
provision that allows a DUII
charge to be dismissed after
one year if certain conditions
are met.
Mobley’s signed agree-
ment would require com-
pleting an alcohol and drug
abuse assessment and any
recommended treatment, not
using intoxicants, paying
required diversion fees and
installing an ignition inter-
lock device if ordered by the
court.
Circuit Court Judge Mat-
thew B. Shirtcliff accepted
the plea petition April 30
and ordered Mobley to be
booked and fingerprinted by
the Baker County sheriff and
“released promptly there-
after,” according to court
documents.
Mobley was arrested Feb.
8 after pulling over to use the
restroom and getting stuck
in the snow, according to an
Oregon State Police report.
She stumbled down the road-
way and fell down, causing
minor abrasions to her face,
according to OSP.
Mobley was cited and
released to her husband at the
Baker County Jail, OSP said.
Mobley was placed on paid
third-party state agency.”
The Oregon Department of
Justice confirmed an investi-
gation involving Mobley was
still ongoing in December,
but Communications Direc-
tor Kristina Edmunson has not
confirmed whether the investi-
gation is still active.
Mobley’s wages and ben-
efits cost the county between
$5,600 and $7,100 per month,
so more than 13 months of
administrative leave has cost
the county between $75,000
and $96,000.
administrative leave by the
county almost a year earlier,
March 18, 2019. Grant County
Human Resources Manager
Laurie Wright confirmed May
4 Mobley was still employed
by the county and on adminis-
trative leave.
Grant County officials
have declined to discuss the
circumstances surrounding the
leave or to provide documents
requested by the Eagle, stat-
ing the information was part
of a “pending criminal inves-
tigation being conducted by a
Former deputy pleads not guilty to attempted rape, other charges
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
The former deputy who
was arrested on attempted rape
and other charges maintained
his innocence Thursday.
Former Grant County Sher-
iff’s Office deputy Tyler Smith
pleaded not guilty to seven
charges in a Grant County
Circuit Court proceeding con-
ducted by teleconference.
Smith, who was discharged
by the sheriff’s office in Jan-
uary, was indicted Sept. 27
on charges of first-degree
attempted rape, a class B fel-
ony, and attempted first-de-
gree sex abuse and fourth-de-
gree assault, class C felonies
— all constituting domes-
tic violence. The indictment
accuses Smith of attempting to
engage in sexual intercourse
with his spouse on Aug. 31,
2018, “by forcible compul-
sion” and while knowing she
was pregnant.
He also faces four class A
Contributed photo
Tyler Smith
misdemeanor charges of sec-
ond-degree child neglect,
accused of leaving two chil-
dren under the age of 10 unat-
tended at a John Day resi-
dence on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5,
according to information filed
in court Sept. 10 by Grant
County Special Deputy Dis-
trict Attorney Gretchen M.
Ladd Dobler.
The felony and misde-
meanor cases will be tried
separately. The six-day fel-
ony trial is scheduled to begin
Oct. 19. The two-day misde-
meanor trial is scheduled to
begin Nov. 4.
Hearings for pretrial
motions are scheduled for
May 14 and Aug. 14.
Senior Judge William D.
Cramer Jr. said, should social
distancing rules still be in
place in October, the trial
might need a larger venue,
such as the Grant County Fair-
grounds, where people can be
6 feet apart. He said he has not
yet discussed this with Grant
County officials.
Smith worked for the John
Day Police Department from
November 2014 until May
2016 when he was hired by
the sheriff’s office.
Smith was arrested Sept. 9,
but he had already been placed
on administrative leave Aug. 9
for an unrelated issue, Grant
County Human Resources
Manager Laurie Wright said.
Grant County District Attor-
ney Jim Carpenter said Smith
had been placed on leave “for
issues related to the perfor-
mance of his duties as a sher-
iff’s deputy.”
May 2: Along with JDPD,
GCSO, John Day ambu-
lance and Mt. Vernon fire,
responded to an accident on
Highway 26 between Dayville
and Mt. Vernon.
May 3: Advised of live-
stock on the Highway on
Highway 26.
May 3: Advised of an
injured animal on the roadway
on Highway 395B.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
April 29: Received a report
of theft in Seneca.
May 1: Received a report
of burglary on Jenkins Road.
May 2: Received a report
of criminal mischief on Ingle
Street.
• John Day ambulance
April 30: Along with
Prairie City ambulance,
paged for a woman with
flu-like symptoms on South
Johnson Avenue.
May 1: Responded for
a 76-year-old woman with
intestinal issues on South
Johnson Avenue.
May 1: Responded to a
41-year-old woman who
was intoxicated.
May 3: Responded for
an 84-year-old man who
had fallen on South Main
Street.
May 3: Responded to a
74-year-old woman with
chest pains on North John-
son Street.
COPS AND COURTS
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office reported the following
for the week of April 29:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 0
Average inmates: 11
Bookings: 3
Releases: 5
Arrests: 0
Citations: 0
Fingerprints: 1
Civil papers: 2
Warrants processed: 1
Assistance/Welfare check:
0
Search and Rescue: 1
Grant County Justice
Court
Violation of the basic rule:
Robert J. Fenili, 33, Bend,
March 4, 78/55 zone, fined
$265; Rodd M. Ambroson, 65,
Joseph, Feb. 7, 70/55 zone,
fined $140.
Exceeding speed limit:
Juvenile, 16, John Day, Nov.
12, 79/65 zone, fined $165.
Violation of provisional
license restriction: Juvenile,
16, John Day, Nov. 12, fined
$200.
Operating with nonstan-
dard light: Kaleb K. Voigt,
39, Sandpoint, Idaho, Feb. 27,
fined $140; Dereck E. Boggs,
22, Kimberly, March 13, fined
$165.
Failure to properly use
safety belt: Nickole E. Dales-
sio, 28, Mt. Vernon, March 12,
fined $115.
Failure to drive within
lane: Daniel J. Heuston, 41,
Richland, Washington, Dec.
10, fined $265.
Refusal to take a breath
test: Daniel J. Heuston, 41,
Richland, Washington, Dec.
10, fined $650.
Oregon State Police
April 28: OSP conducted a
traffic stop for speed violation
on Highway 26 near milepost
155. OSP contacted a 26-year-
old male driver. After further
investigation, OSP searched
the vehicle and located a fire-
arm and marijuana extract.
Andrew S. Ballou of Mt. Ver-
non was cited in lieu of cus-
tody for felon in possession
of a firearm and possession of
marijuana extract.
April 29: OSP stopped a
white Chevrolet pickup dis-
playing a California license
plate for violation of posted
speed, 48/30 zone on Highway
395C near milepost 2. Daniel
R. Cook, 55, was taken into
custody on a misdemeanor
arrest warrant out of Lincoln
County, New Mexico. The
subject was transported to the
Grant County Jail and lodged
on the arrest warrant. He was
issued a citation for violation
of the posted speed. The vehi-
cle was secured at the scene,
and the vehicle keys were later
released to a friend.
April 30: OSP stopped a
blue 1991 Mercedes sedan
near milepost 1 on High-
way 395C for multiple traf-
fic violations. On contact
with the driver, Benjamin K.
Yocum, 20, of Crooked River
Ranch, OSP saw indicators
of impairment. Yocum con-
sented to field sobriety tests
and displayed additional indi-
cators of impairment. OSP
arrested Yocum for driving
under the influence of intox-
icants. Another trooper found
open containers of alcohol in
the vehicle. Yocum’s vehi-
cle was released to a passen-
ger. OSP transported Yocum
to the Grant County Jail. He
submitted to a breath test
with a blood alcohol concen-
tration result of 0.10%. OSP
cited and released the driver
for DUII-Alcohol. OSP also
issued the driver citations for
driving uninsured, open con-
tainer and MIP-Alcohol.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
66 calls during the week of
April 27 to May 3, including:
• John Day Police
Department
April 29: Steven War-
rington, 30, of John Day was
cited for driving while sus-
pended violations and no
insurance.
April 29: Jeffrey Cook,
23, of John Day was cited for
driving while suspended vio-
lations and no insurance.
April 29: Received a report
of a grass fire on Adam Road.
May 1: Cited Devon P.
Pace, 19, of Canyon City for
driving while suspended and
no insurance.
• Oregon State Police
May 1: Along with Oregon
Department of Transportation,
advised of a disabled vehicle
blocking Highway 26.
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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.