NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Connery pleads
not guilty to
unauthorized use
of a vehicle
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
A5
A bill banning coyote-killing contests moves to Senate
Sen. Findley vows to fi ght bill’s
passage as the proposed legislation
moves out of committee
Blue Mountain Eagle
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
With murder and arson charges dis-
missed, Isaac Connery pleaded not guilty
Thursday to unautho-
rized use of a motor
vehicle.
The court scheduled
a two-day, 12-person
jury trial to begin Sept.
14.
During Thursday’s
Isaac Connery
plea hearing Circuit
Court Judge Wes Wil-
liams granted defense attorney Katie
Dunn’s request for Connery to leave the
state for 30 days but said he would need
to attend a June 3 status hearing in person.
In a secret indictment fi led June 23,
2020, Connery was accused of unlawfully
taking Terry Smith’s 2006 Toyota Tacoma
on July 18, 2018.
Charges of murdering Terry and Sha-
ron Smith and setting fi re to their home
were dismissed after a judge ruled a con-
fession was inadmissible because of
Miranda violations.
A bill that would pro-
hibit coyote-killing con-
tests will likely make it
through the Oregon Legis-
lature and become the law
of the land.
The bill made its way
out of committee last week
on March 18. Rep. Mark
Owens, R-Crane, said he
proposed an amendment
to allow counties to vote
on an opt-out by putting it
out to those communities
to vote whether they should
forbid the contests.
The proposal was one
vote short of making it into
the legislation, he said.
He said another proposed
amendment did not get the
“light of day.”
He said they tried to
mitigate the bill’s propo-
nent’s concerns, but they
were not successful, and
it was not from a lack of
trying.
“It goes both ways,” he
said. “I want to work with
them, but eventually, they
should want to work with
us, and we felt we could
answer questions and con-
cerns and explain that it’s
not a sport of killing or a
bloodletting exercise, and
we were not able to do
that.”
Owens said they will
have an opportunity in the
Senate.
Sen. Lynn Findley,
R-Vale, said on March 25
that he would we fi ght the
bill’s passage in the Senate.
Findley said the derbies
are a “way of life” in East-
ern Oregon, a tradition and
tool for ranchers to main-
tain their viability.
According to the bill’s
staff measure summary, the
Eagle fi le photo
Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, during an Oc-
tober session of Grant County Court.
state’s Department of Fish
and Wildlife estimates that
there are 300,000 coyotes
in Oregon.
Findley said Friday that
the derbies do not kill many
coyotes. He said two years
ago that the Harney County
contest killed roughly
60, which, he said, is not
a large number, but that
low number likely saved a
Eagle fi le photo
Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale
say, ‘What do you mean
they have a contest to kill
coyotes? That should be
banned.’ “Well, they don’t
understand all the logistics
and all the issues behind
it.”
Oregonians can hunt
coyotes year-round, and
current regulations do not
limit the number of coyotes
hunters can kill.
high number of cattle and
livestock.
Findley said the contests
aff ect where the coyotes
are. He said the animals
adapt and move on out of
the lowlands and become
more cautious of people so
ranchers can move on with
their calving.
“It’s just ill conceived,”
he said of the bill. “People
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in
the Blue Mountain Eagle are
taken from the logs of law
enforcement agencies. Every
eff ort is made to report the
court disposition of arrest
cases.
Grant County Circuit
Court
Two charges of harassment
constituting domestic violence
against Kenneth J. Kincaid,
allegedly committed on Feb.
19, were dismissed on April
2 based on a motion by Grant
County District Attorney Jim
Carpenter because plea nego-
tiations warranted the matter
be dismissed.
Colton J. David, 25,
pleaded guilty on April 1 to
a count of driving under the
infl uence of intoxicants and a
count of recklessly endanger-
ing another person commit-
ted on June 28. He was sen-
tenced to 30 days in jail, 18
months of bench probation
and ordered to pay a $2,000
fi ne. His license was also
suspended for one year and
90 days. A count of driving
while suspended or revoked
and failure to drive within a
lane were dismissed.
Dillon G. Winters, 23,
pleaded guilty on March 31
to a count of strangulation
constituting domestic vio-
lence and harassment con-
stituting domestic violence,
both committed on Aug. 25.
He was sentenced to 30 days
in jail, 18 months of bench
probation and ordered to pay
$300 fi nes and fees. A count
of fourth-degree assault was
dismissed.
Joseph J. Urbaniak, 22,
pleaded guilty on March 29
to a count of fourth-degree
assault constituting domestic
violence committed on Sept.
20. He was sentenced to 12
months of bench probation
and 60 hours of community
service.
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sher-
iff ’s Offi ce reported the fol-
lowing for the week of
March 31:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 11
Average inmates: 10
Bookings: 7
Releases: 5
Arrests: 1
Citations: 4
Fingerprints: 1
Civil papers: 2
Warrants processed: 4
A s s i s t a n c e / We l f a r e
check: 1
Search and Rescue: 1
Natasha Lamm, 19 of
Cottage Grove was cited for
violation of basic rule, 79/55
zone.
Lance Clark, 57, Miles
City, Montana, was cited
for violation of basic
rule, 50/30 zone, and
was warned for expired
registration.
Zachary Tschanz, 26, of
Redmond was cited for vio-
lation of basic rule, 51/30
zone.
Jonathan Doty, 36, Butte
City, California, was cited
for violation of basic rule,
50/30 zone, and no opera-
tor’s license.
Dispatch
John Day dispatch worked
145 calls during the week of
March 29 to April 4, including:
• John Day Police
Department
March 29: Received a
report of theft on Southwest
Brent Drive.
March 31: Dispatched to a
report of harassment on Ford
Road.
March 31: Received a
report of theft at a business on
West Main Street.
March 31: Received a
report of criminal mischief on
East Main Street.
April 2: Advised of a report
of criminal mischief on South
Canyon Boulevard.
April 3: Cited Billie Jo Ann
Penttila, 37, of John Day for
driving while suspended and
uninsured on Highway 26 near
milepost 162.
April 4: Along with Ore-
gon State Police and Grant
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce,
responded to a report of a
domestic disturbance on
April 2: Arrested Rob-
ert L. Crosby II, 34, of Prai-
rie City on probable cause for
fourth-degree assault.
April 3: Reported a forest
fi re near Fox Valley.
April 3: A runaway juvenile
using a motor vehicle without
authorization was located on
South Washington Street.
• John Day ambulance
March 29: Responded to
Prairie City for a patient who
fell and hit their head on 11th
Street.
April 1: Responded for a
patient with high blood pres-
sure and trouble breathing on
Valley View Drive.
April 4: Responded for a
90-year-old man with a possi-
ble stroke on Northwest Bridge
Street.
• Dayville ambulance
March 31: Responded for
a 78-year-old man who fell on
School House Drive.
• Prairie City fi re
March 31: Received a
call for a grass fire with
a structure threatened on
North River Road.
Southeast Hillcrest Road.
• Oregon State Police
March 29: Advised of a
possibly intoxicated driver
on Highway 26 in the Philip
Schneider Wildlife Area.
• Grant County Sheriff ’s
Offi ce
March 29: Responded to
a report of a theft on South
Washington Street.
March 29: Received a
report of criminal mischief/
broken windshield on North
Cozart Street.
March 30: Received a
report of fraud on Elk View
Drive.
March 31: Received a
report of fraud on Dixie Road.
April 1: Received a report
of burglary on Wyllie Creek
Road.
April 1: Took a report of
a stolen vehicle and runaway
juvenile in Prairie City.
April 2: Responded to a
report of illegal dumping on
private land.
April 2: Responded to a
report of an assault on High-
way 26 near milepost 173.
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