NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
A5
Drone testing advances in Pendleton
tually led to Spright renting a hangar
from the Pendleton UAS Range.
In an email, Justin Steinke,
Spright’s vice president of opera-
tions, explained what drew the com-
pany to Pendleton. While Spright’s
unmanned vehicles are undergo-
ing the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration certification process, Steinke
said Interpath and Pendleton offered
the right conditions for it to test its
product.
“Interpath Laboratory is located
inside the current test range, which
allows us to accelerate the testing of
the aircraft and the business case,”
he wrote. “Having usable airspace
to test and validate our operations
in Pendleton is enabling Spright to
accelerate the development of our
solutions and more rapidly help peo-
ple around the globe. Most impor-
tantly, Spright intends to continue to
operate with Interpath after the test-
ing phase is complete, making it an
innovative win for the community of
Pendleton.”
Steinke said Spright intends to
test for the next six to nine months
in locations around Pendleton before
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pendleton’s
drone testing program is starting to
come off the hill.
In February, the unmanned aerial
systems company Spright announced
it was starting a proof-of-concept
program with Interpath Laboratory
and Yellowhawk Tribal Health Cen-
ter to transport medical tests from
Interpath’s facilities in Pendleton to
Yellowhawk’s clinic in Mission.
Spright ran its first test in
mid-February, but it was a long time
in the making.
Pendleton Economic Develop-
ment Director Steve Chrisman said
the origins of Spright in Pendleton
can be traced back to a conference
sponsored by the Association for
Unmanned Aerial Systems Interna-
tional last year.
“It was just kind of fortuitous,
bumping into each other,” he said.
Chrisman didn’t bump into the
people behind Spright, an Arizona
subsidiary of a medical transport
company, but instead found himself
Spright/Contributed Photo
The unmanned aerial systems com-
pany Spright in February 2022 tests
a proof-of-concept program to trans-
port medical tests from Interpath
Laboratory in Pendleton to Yellow-
hawk Tribal Health Center in Mission.
at the booth for Wingcopter, a Ger-
man aerospace company that was
situated across the way from Pend-
leton’s booth. Chrisman began chat-
ting with a man from Wingcopter,
who told Chrisman the company was
working with a customer who spe-
cialized in unmanned medical test
delivery.
Chrisman connected the dots
between Interpath’s presence in
Pendleton and Spright, which even-
making its product fully available
next year.
Interpath CEO Tom Kennedy did
not return a request for comment, but
in a press release, he explained why
the lab testing company would be
interested in investing in drones.
“Medical laboratory services in
rural areas frequently must invest
intensive time and resources into
sample pick-up,” Kennedy said in a
statement. “We anticipate Spright’s
drone delivery service will allevi-
ate many of the drawbacks and costs
associated with automobile-based
delivery. This initiative represents an
example of our embrace of innova-
tive solutions that provide more effi-
cient and effective services to our
clients.”
Yellowhawk became the third
partner in the group through Inter-
path, which processes the medical
tests conducted at the Mission clinic.
Yellowhawk CEO Aaron Hines
said the medical center was attracted
to the test program because it could
mean faster test results for its
patients. As it stands now, an Inter-
path vehicle picks up tests at Yellow-
hawk once per day. But if UAS took
over test delivery, Yellowhawk could
deliver and receive tests multiple
times per day, meaning their patients
could be treated more quickly.
While Hines likes the idea, he
said he would want to study a drone
delivery system for a longer period of
time before moving forward with it.
He said he wants to know how test
specimens might be affected should
one of the drones fail and crash. And
while drones might be more efficient,
conventional vehicular transporta-
tion has a much longer track record.
To Chrisman, Spright’s partner-
ship with two well-known local enti-
ties is evidence drones are closer to
integrating into people’s everyday
lives.
In the Pendleton UAS Range’s
early days, drone companies tended
to conduct most of their testing at the
Pendleton airport or in a secluded
area far from public view. While
many operations at the drone com-
pany still are opaque, Verizon and
Amazon have recently confirmed,
or even announced, their presence in
Pendleton.
COPS AND COURTS
Arrests and citations in the
Blue Mountain Eagle are taken
from the logs of law enforce-
ment agencies. Every effort is
made to report the court dispo-
sition of arrest cases.
Grant County Circuit
Court
March 10: Travis Farr,
29, of Mt. Vernon pleaded
guilty to a misdemeanor count
of harassment constituting
domestic violence in connec-
tion with an incident on Nov.
13. He was sentenced to one
year of bench probation and 20
hours of community service or
work crew time. He was also
ordered to have no contact with
the victim, obtain a domestic
violence assessment, complete
al recommended treatment and
pay a $100 fine.
March 14: Spencer Edward
Leifheit III, 45, of Mt. Ver-
non pleaded guilty to mis-
demeanor charges of harass-
ment constituting domestic
violence and second-degree
disorderly conduct stemming
from an incident that occurred
on March 2. He was sentenced
to 18 months of bench pro-
bation and 30 hours of com-
munity service or work crew
time. He was also ordered to
have no offensive contact with
the victim, obtain a domes-
tic violence assessment, men-
tal health evaluation and sub-
stance abuse evaluation and
complete all recommended
treatment. He was also found
guilty of violating his proba-
tion on an earlier offense.
March 17: Levi Westley
Albert Fine, 27, of John Day
pleaded guilty to a felony
charge of being a felon in pos-
session of a firearm and a mis-
demeanor charge of reckless
endangerment in connection
with an incident that occurred
on Dec. 30. Fine was sentenced
to 19 months in prison with
credit for time served, followed
by two years of post-prison
supervision. Two additional
charges of menacing and resist-
ing arrest, both misdemeanors,
were dismissed. According to
the grand jury indictment in
the case, Fine was accused of
threatening another man and
putting him at risk of serious
injury by indiscriminately fir-
ing a gun in his vicinity.
6:51 p.m.: Responded to
Highway 26 near Childress
Loop to check on a motorist
with a disabled vehicle.
7:08 p.m.: Received a com-
plaint about a dog attacking
other dogs on Highway 26 in
Mt. Vernon.
8 p.m.: Received multi-
ple reports of illegal fireworks
in the vicinity of Southeast
Franke Drive, John Day.
9:15 p.m.: Received a
report of illegal fireworks in
the vicinity of Southeast Hill-
crest Road, John Day.
9:38 p.m.: Responded to a
noise complaint from South-
east Hillcrest Road, John Day.
10:26 pm.: Responded to
Southeast Gunther Street, John
Day. Dillon Winters, 24, of
John Day was arrested for vio-
lation of a release agreement.
Matika Long, 21, of John Day
was arrested for menacing.
March 12
10:16 a.m.: Responded to
Highway 19 near milepost 121
for an injured deer.
10:36 a.m.: Responded to
East Main Street, John Day, for
a dispute.
March 13
7:30 a.m.: Responded to
South Canyon Boulevard, John
Day, for an open door.
6:05 p.m.: Received a noise
complaint from Southeast Hill-
crest Road.
9:18 p.m.: Responded to
South Overholt Street, Prairie
City, for a disorderly conduct
report.
9:31 p.m.: Responded to
Riverside Mobile Home Park,
John Day, for a report of an
overdue motorist.
March 14
8:24 a.m.: Traffic stop,
Highway 26 near milepost 150.
Vehicle reportedly clocked
at 75 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Robin Olterman, 61, of John
Day cited for violating the
basic rule.
1:09 p.m.: Responded to
Grant County Fairgrounds,
John Day, for a dog running
loose. Owner warned.
1:45 p.m.: Responded to
South Bridge Street, John Day,
for a burglary report.
March 16
8:02 a.m.: Traffic stop, West
Main Street, John Day. Driver
warned for speeding.
11:38 a.m.:
Responded
to Marysville Lane west
of John Day for suspicious
circumstances.
5:10 p.m.: Responded to
S283674-1
TOM CHRISTENSEN
CHRISTENSEN
TOM
port from Blue Mountain Care
Center, Prairie City, to Blue
Mountain Hospital.
March 17
7:43 a.m.: Dispatched to
Malheur Lumber for a male
who fell and hit his head.
• Long Creek Ambulance
March 16
10:56 a.m.: Dispatched to
Highway 395 North in Long
Creek for a man with a fall
injury. John Day Ambulance
also responded.
March 18
4:44 a.m.:
Dispatched
to East Main Street for an
81-year-old man needing a
lift assist. Long Creek Fire
and John Day Ambulance also
responded.
• John Day Rural Fire
March 18
2:49 p.m.: Responded to
Marysville Drive east of John
Day for a structure fire. Canyon
City Fire, Prairie City Fire, Mt.
Vernon Fire and Grant County
Sheriff’s Office assisted.
CONSTRUCTION
(541) 410-0557 • (541) 575-0192
CCB# 106077
REMODELS • NEW CONSTRUCTION • POLE BUILDINGS
CONCRETE EXCAVATION • SHEET ROCK • SIDING
ROOFING • FENCES • DECKS • TELESCOPING FORKLIFT SERVICES
S283677-1
Shawna Clark, DNP, FNP
541-575-1263
Accepting new Patients! Go to:
www.canyoncreekclinic.com
S283684-1
235 S. Canyon Blvd. John Day, Oregon 97845
Example Job Openings
• Rangers
• Servers
Openings
• Housekeepers
• Line Cook
• Dishwasher
• Grounds
Keepers
• Customer
Service
• Massage
Therapists
• Carpenter
• Landscapers
• Mechanics
• Human
Resources
For information call
Molly or Sean:
541-573-5150
or email jobs@silvies.us
Monday - Thursday
7am-
6pm
Monday
- Thursday
7am-
6pm
Friday
8am
- 5pm
Friday Sharpe
8am - 5pm
Mendy
FNP
Mendy
Sharpe FNP
Apppointments
available
S283676-1
139101
Dispatch
Grant County dispatch
worked 127 calls during
the week ending March 18,
including:
• Oregon State Police
March 18
8:50 a.m.: Advised of a cow
on the roadway on Highway 26
near milepost 150.
• Grant County Sheriff’s
Office
March 11
for a public assist.
• John Day Ambulance
March 12
3:14 p.m.: Dispatched to
East Main Street for a 77-year-
old male with severe abdomi-
nal pain.
5:40 p.m.: Dispatched to
East Main Street for a 43-year-
old female with a fall injury.
March 13
1:33 a.m.: Patient transfer at
the airport.
5:51 a.m.: Patient transfer at
the airport.
5:31 p.m.: Dispatched to
Valley View Assisted Living
for a 98-year-old female with
signs of confusion.
9:01 p.m.: Patient transport
from Valley View Assisted Liv-
ing to Blue Mountain Hospital.
March 14
8:20 a.m.: Dispatched to
East Main Street for an elderly
man with difficulty breathing.
5:02 p.m.: Patient transfer
at the airport.
10:46 p.m.: Patient trans-
The Retreat
The Retreat is Hiring!
is Hiring!
$20/hour up to $40/hour. 40 jobs available
Grant County Sheriff
The Grant County Sheriff’s
Office reported the following
for the week ending March 16:
Concealed
handgun
licenses: 9
Average inmates: 12
Bookings: 9
Releases: 8
Arrests: 2
Citations: 1
Fingerprints: 1
Civil papers: 24
Warrants processed: 0
Asst./welfare check: 0
Search and rescue: 0
South Washington Street, Can-
yon City, to follow up on a
complaint of kids shooting a
BB gun.
6 p.m.: Responded to Grant
County Fairgrounds, Canyon
City, for a dog complaint.
March 17
11:30 a.m.: Received a
report of possible trespass-
ing on Dog Patch Lane east of
John Day.
5:40 p.m.:
Responded
to Highway 395 North near
milepost 51B for a driving
complaint.
March 18
8:46 a.m.: Responded with
John Day Ambulance to Moun-
tain Boulevard, Mt. Vernon, for
a possible suicide. Unable to
locate subject.
12:30 p.m.: Traffic stop,
South Canyon Boulevard near
Grant Union Junior/Senior
High School, John Day. Driver
warned for speeding.
5:49 p.m.: Responded to
Patterson Drive, Canyon City,
S286138-1