NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Hermiston man dies in ATV
crash near Granite Sunday
Blue Mountain Eagle
A Hermiston man died
after losing control of his
ATV Sunday.
Grant County Sher-
iff Glenn Palmer said John
Smith, 20, who was not
wearing a helmet, failed to
negotiate a corner and struck
By Gary A. Warner
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
a tree at approximately 40
mph in the Pasture Creek
area. Undersheriff Zach
Mobley and Deputy Savan-
nah Willey responded to the
crash.
Palmer said, from the evi-
dence at the scene, it appears
alcohol did not play a role in
the crash.
Contributed Image/Jim Hamsher
Deardorff Fire contained with
no injuries or structure losses
The Deardorff Fire that
started July 12 was contained
on July 13.
Oregon Department of
Forestry Central Oregon Dis-
trict Public Information Offi-
cer Christie Shaw confirmed
the fire was human-caused
because there was no record of
lighting in the area where the
incident took place.
The fire, which started near
Forest Road 13, burned a lit-
tle over 55 acres, and the fire
was fueled mostly by grass
with some brush mixed in and
a few spots of timber, accord-
ing to Shaw.
ODF, the United States
Forest Service and Prairie City
Rural Fire Department worked
together in fighting the fire.
Initially, the Forest Service
was looking for the fire, but the
fire was incorrectly reported
A5
Oregon forecasts potential ‘exponential growth’ in coronavirus
A plane doing a retardant drop over the now-contained Dear-
dorff Fire.
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
and was located in land under
ODF protection.
“We responded to that fire,
and then their (Forest Service)
crew came over and assisted
on our fire, and then we made
the request for structural pro-
tection, which came from the
Prairie City Rural Fire Depart-
ment,” Shaw said. “Suppres-
sion and mop-up have been a
coordinated effort” between
the three agencies.
On July 13, there were 50
firefighters assigned to the
scene.
There were no injuries
reported and no damage to
any of the structures that were
threatened, according to Shaw.
There was a resident and four
associated outbuildings that
were threatened.
There were Forest Ser-
vice and local ODF resources
on site Tuesday continuing
to patrol and look for interior
hotspots.
Oregon faces an “expo-
nential growth” in COVID-
19 cases if current trends con-
tinue, with ever rising numbers
of infections, hospitalizations
and deaths.
“We have troubling news,”
said Oregon Health Authority
Director Pat Allen in present-
ing the state’s updated forecast
on the pandemic Friday.
The state issued three fore-
cast scenarios.
Current trend: New daily
COVID-19 cases would rise
to 1,100 to 3,600 by the end of
July. Hospitalizations would
go from 17 to 49.
Pessimistic: A 10% increase
in infection rates would trigger
exponential growth that could
lead to 7,300 new cases and 76
new hospitalizations each day
by July 31.
Optimistic: A 10% drop in
transmission rates would cap
new infections at about 1,600,
with hospitalizations rising to
only 24 per day.
While optimistic forecasts
have not been reached in ear-
lier months, the forecasts were
based on numbers through July
2, prior to Gov. Kate Brown’s
order requiring masks to be
worn inside public places.
On Friday, the count of new
cases dropped to 278, with
two deaths, one each in Lin-
coln and Union counties. Uma-
tilla County continued to be a
hotspot, leading the state with
51 new cases. The state set a
new one-day record for new
infections on Thursday with
389 cases.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the
state’s chief medical officer,
said the state has enough hos-
pital capacity to handle case
loads for the next 60 days,
unless rates increase further.
Despite the forecast, state
officials announced no new
mandatory policies. The Ore-
gon Health Authority did add
Pamplin Media Group file photo
Pat Allen, Oregon Health Au-
thority director, at a press con-
ference earlier in 2020.
one voluntary limit, asking
people to keep indoor gather-
ings to no more than 10 people
for the next three weeks. The
request does not change cur-
rent rules regarding businesses,
restaurants and bars.
Allen said the state was
constantly weighing the public
health issues of transmission
and the data showing the health
and economic impacts of clos-
ing down businesses or requir-
ing people to stay at home.
“It is an ongoing balancing
act,” Allen said.
OHA said it has seen an
increasing number of cases
coming from clusters of small
gatherings such as graduation
parties, birthdays, weddings,
holiday get-togethers, bachelor
parties, fraternity parties and
exercise classes.
“There is an inherent sense
of safety,” Allen said of gath-
erings with friends and fam-
ily. “We tend to let our guard
down.”
The guidance goes beyond
planning events, Allen said. If
someone finds themselves in a
gathering of more than 10 peo-
ple indoors, they need to make
a conscious decision about
staying or leaving.
“Think hard of whether that
is a good choice,” Allen said.
Oregonians were reminded
to redouble efforts to keep a
distance of at least 6 feet from
others, cover faces and wash
hands frequently with soap and
hot water.
The highest rate of growth
in infections is among those
20-39 years old. While less
than 1% of those under 50 will
die if infected, the younger
groups inevitably increase the
exposure of the virus to older,
sick and immune-compro-
mised people.
Events that mix households
— or even generations within
households — can cause
transmission.
“Find alternative ways for
those who are vulnerable to
participate,” Allen said.
The state doubled the num-
ber of health and liquor control
officials checking up on busi-
nesses over the July 4 holiday.
Sidelinger said that while Port-
land and Salem area businesses
were largely following the
rules, there was “widespread
non-compliance” in a variety
of locales, including Eugene
and areas east of the Cascades.
Oregon’s rate of positive
tests is 6%, above the 5% mark
needed to indicate the virus
infection rate is under control.
Oregon ranks 42nd in testing,
with 105 tests per 100,000 peo-
ple per day.
The United States has more
than 3.1 million coronavi-
rus cases, with over 133,000
deaths. More than 60,000
new cases were confirmed on
Thursday, another record-set-
ting day. Worldwide, there
have been an estimated 12.4
million infections and more
than 550,000 deaths.
Oregon has reported 232
deaths since the pandemic
arrived in the state in late Feb-
ruary. Sidelinger said the rel-
atively low death rate was a
positive, but cautioned that sci-
entists are finding more long-
term impacts from infections,
ranging from inflammatory
complications in children to
long-term physical and mental
damage in adults.
The Friday press confer-
ence came against a backdrop
of pandemic-related news in
Oregon, the nation and around
the world.
Statistics from Johns Hop-
kins University show that the
sharpest rise in new infec-
tions in the nation is occur-
ring in Idaho, where there has
been a 153% increase in cases
over the past two weeks. The
state has far fewer COVID-
19 related restrictions in place
than Oregon.
Sidelinger said Oregon was
monitoring the situation, but
did not know what, if any,
relation there might be to the
spike in Idaho and the rise in
cases in bordering areas in
Eastern Oregon.
“We collaborate on inves-
tigations to control the spread
of diseases,” Sidelinger said.
“I do not have data specifi-
cally on the number of cases
with a tie to Idaho or other
states.”
Ohio State University said
it would not send students
and coaches to Eugene for a
scheduled Sept. 12 football
game against the University
of Oregon. Ohio State is part
of the Big Ten Conference,
which announced its teams
would not play regular season
games outside of its confer-
ence this fall.
Sidelinger said the state
currently would not allow
large crowds to attend an event
like a Ducks football game at
Autzen Stadium.
The future of in-class-
room teaching this fall is
increasingly under debate as
the start of the school year
approaches. President Don-
ald Trump has demanded that
children be sent to school.
The Los Angeles teach-
ers union called on local dis-
tricts to keep campuses closed
in the fall. Final guidance on
Oregon schools, community
colleges and universities is
pending.
165 calls during the week of
July 6-12, including:
• John Day Police
Department
July 6: Cited Steven M.
Warrington, 30, of John Day
for driving while suspended
and driving uninsured.
July 7: Received a report
of juveniles throwing rocks at
another juvenile on West Main
Street.
July 8: Travis Freniere,
33, of John Day was cited for
driving while suspended and
no insurance.
July 8: Received a report
of a noninjury crash near a
business on West Main Street.
Britt Wilcox, 25, of John Day
was cited for no insurance.
July 11: Responded to a
report of possible shots fired
on West Main Street.
July 11: Received a report
of theft on Southwest Bridge
Street.
July 12: Two citations
were given to Steven M. War-
rington, 30, of John Day.
• Oregon State Police
July 4: Advised of cattle on
the roadway on Highway 26
near milepost 137.
July 9: Dispatch was
advised of horses on the road-
way on Highway 26 near
milepost 159. A landowner
was contacted and said they
would catch them.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
July 6: A livestock owner
was advised of cattle cre-
ating a hazard on the road-
way on Highway 26 near
Dayville.
July 6: Received a report
of animal abuse on North
Johnson Avenue.
July 7: Received a report
of fraud in Canyon City.
July 7: Received a report
of criminal mischief on
Highway 26.
July 8: Received a report
of burglary on Ford Road.
July 8: Received a report
of criminal mischief in
Granite.
July 9: Received a report
of an injury crash near
Marysville.
July 11: Received a report
of theft on 11th Street.
July 12: Received a report
of a fatal motor vehicle acci-
dent on Milton Street.
• John Day ambulance
July 8: Responded for
a 19-year-old woman who
was having an allergic reac-
tion on South Washington
Street.
July 8: Dispatched for a
91-year-old woman with dif-
ficulty breathing on Harper
Creek Road.
• Prairie City ambulance
July 11: Along with John
Day ambulance, dispatched
for an ATV injury crash at
Dixie Creek.
• Prairie City fire
July 12: Along with
GCSO, responded for a
United States Forest Service
fire in Prairie City that was
threatening structures on
Forest Road 13.
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
A count of harassment con-
stituting domestic violence
against Angeline I. Smith,
allegedly committed March
31, was dismissed on July 9
based on a motion by Grant
County District Attorney Jim
Carpenter because of a lack
of state resources due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Jared J. Baker, 25, pleaded
guilty July 9 to a count of men-
acing constituting domestic
violence and a count of harass-
ment constituting domestic
violence committed on June
2. He was sentenced to serve
50 days in jail, 36 months of
bench probation, 60 hours of
community service and pay
$200 in fines and bench pro-
bation fees.
Darron L. Huskey, 52,
pleaded guilty on June 11 for
a count of forgery in the first
degree committed on March
23. He was sentenced to serve
10 days in jail, 18 months of
bench probation, serve 30
hours of community service
and pay a $100 fine in bench
probation fees.
Office reported the following
for the week of July 8:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 7
Average inmates: 9
Bookings: 7
Releases: 10
Arrests: 0
Citations: 2
Fingerprints: 1
Civil papers: 20
Warrants processed: 2
Assistance/Welfare check:
1
Search and Rescue: 0
George Brown, 45, of Mt.
Vernon was cited for sec-
ond-degree criminal mischief.
Carl Kalteich, 75, of Day-
ville was cited for violation of
the basic rule, 74/55 zone.
Grant County Justice
Court
Violation of the basic
rule: Jose Drramona-Borra-
chan, 29, Shelton, Washing-
ton, May 30, 76/55 zone, fined
$165; Christopher R. Span-
iel, 27, Portland, May 8, 74/55
zone, fined $165; Matthew G.
Hubeny, 35, Prineville, June 4,
75/55 zone, fined $100.
Failure to drive within
lane: David G. Durfey, 51,
Ukiah, May 6, fined $225.
Shelby M. Long was con-
victed of second-degree dis-
orderly conduct after a plea of
no contest. The defendant was
ordered to pay a fine of $440.
Oregon State Police
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
July 8: OSP received a
complaint from the super-
visor of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation at the
Austin Section. Several inci-
dents were reported of a sub-
ject in a black Mercedes car,
traveling at high speeds and
routinely passing, in marked
no passing zones. Several
ODOT employees reported
several different incidents that
occurred on June 7. The vehi-
cle was observed northbound
in the early morning hours
and later in the day when the
vehicle traveled back through
the Austin section traveling
back towards the John Day
Valley. Two citizen citations
were filled out for Matthew E.
Sagaser, 36, of John Day, who
was the driver that was iden-
tified. The citations are being
forwarded to the Grant County
Justice Court.
July 10: OSP stopped a
vehicle that swerved into
their lane near milepost 165
on Highway 26. The driver
exhibited signs of impairment
and consented to standardized
field sobriety tests. The driver
performed poorly on the test
and was arrested for driving
under the influence of intox-
icants. The driver submit-
ted a breath test with a result
of 0% blood alcohol concen-
tration level. A drug recogni-
tion expert exam was adminis-
tered, and Ricky D. Weickum,
22, of John Day was booked
for driving under the influence
of cannabis.
July 11: OSP stopped a
vehicle on Highway 395C
near milepost 7 for driving
northbound in the southbound
lane of travel. On contact, the
driver, Jamey A. Mackebon,
41, Seattle, Washington, dis-
played signs of impairment
consistent with a controlled
substance. Mackebon con-
sented to field sobriety tests
where he displayed further
indicators of impairment. At
the conclusion of field sobri-
ety tests, the driver handed
OSP a plastic baggie that con-
tained suspected methamphet-
amine. OSP arrested the driver
for DUII and possession of
methamphetamine.
Fron-
tier Towing responded and
towed the vehicle. OSP trans-
ported the driver to the Grant
County Jail where he provided
a BAC sample of 0%. The
driver refused to participate in
a DRE evaluation. The driver
refused to provide a urine
sample under implied consent.
OSP obtained a search war-
rant for a urine sample, which
the driver then provided. The
driver is a convicted felon.
OSP issued the driver cita-
tions for unlawful possession
of methamphetamine, DUI of
controlled substance and vio-
lation citations for failure to
drive within lane and refuse to
take a test for intoxicants. OSP
lodged the driver at the jail for
unlawful possession of meth-
amphetamine and DUI of con-
trolled substance.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
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