Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Umatilla National Forest lightning
wildfire update
- FIVE
Beating the heat...
Road and trail closures implemented
Pendleton—Multiple
fires have been reported
to the Blue Mountain In-
teragency Dispatch Center
(BMIDC) and John Day
Interagency Dispatch Cen-
ter (JDIDC) as a result of
recent lightning activity. A
reconnaissance observation
flight was scheduled for last
Sunday to scout for new
fires and search for fires that
were reported but not lo-
cated. Several fire lookouts
across the forest are also
staffed and on the lookout
for smoke. More fires are
expected to be reported
throughout the day and
lightning is in the forecast
for this evening.
The Heppner Ranger
District reported four new
fires Sunday and three new
fires Monday.
The Texas Fire, which
is located on the Heppner
Ranger District two miles
east of Madison Butte
Lookout, is estimated at
nine acres in size and is cur-
rently 40 percent contained.
It is burning in heavy fuels
with short range spotting.
By Tuesday the fire was
staffed with 16 rappellers
and one 20-person hot-
shot crew. Heavy dead and
down material and spotting
continue to present chal-
lenges in containing this
fire. Crews will continue to
strengthen control lines and
mop up the fire.
Current closures re-
lated to the fire in the Texas
Butte Roadless area include
Copple Butte Trailhead and
the entire length of Copple
Butte Trail #3052.
The Old Misery Fire,
which is located two miles
SE of Bull Prairie, is es-
timated at six acres and
is 80 percent contained.
Resources on scene include
one engine and a dozer.
Tuesday firefighters fo-
cused suppression actions
on completing control lines
and mopping up the fire.
The Rocky Flat Fire,
located near Highway 207
and Big Flat Road, is cur-
rently at 127 acres and is
80 percent contained. The
fire is burning in grass and
juniper. Resources were on
scene to complete control
lines and mop up the fire
Tuesday.
The Collins Butte Fire,
located four miles northeast
of the community of Win-
lock, was approximately
87 acres in size and 100
percent contained on Tues-
day. A single engine air
tanker, one helicopter with
bucket, three engines, two
dozers, two water tenders,
a heavy air tanker and one
20-person crew were on
scene. Additional resources
continue to improve the
control line.
A fire is burning in
the Potamus area south
of Forest Service Road
2105 was estimated at one
acre. Another fire burning
near Little Potamus Creek
was contained and is being
monitored.
The fire danger rat-
ing remains at HIGH and
Public Use Restrictions
involving campfires and
chainsaw use are in effect.
(See following story.)
Public Use Restrictions increased on the
Umatilla National Forest
PENDLETON, OR-
EGON—Due to increased
fire danger and dry weather
conditions, Phase A of the
Public-Use Restrictions
(PURS) involving chainsaw
use, smoking, off-road trav-
el, and campfires went into
effect on the Umatilla Na-
tional Forest at 12:01 a.m.
(PDT) on Monday, June
29. The seasonal campfire
restriction remains in effect.
“The hot weather fore-
casted for this weekend
will quickly elevate the fire
danger across the forest,”
said Brian Ebert, Deputy
Fire Staff for the Umatilla
National Forest, in a state-
ment last week. “Beginning
Monday, chainsaw use will
be prohibited between the
hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Firewood cutters will want
to get an early start to beat
the heat,” said Ebert.
Phase A is the second
level of restrictions, gener-
ally implemented when the
fire danger is moderate to
high. PURS are phased in
collectively, as conditions
warrant, and may differ
from forest to forest.
Phase A restrictions
include restrictions regard-
ing chainsaw use, smok-
ing, forest travel, and use
of campfires and cooking
stoves.
Forest personnel say
the public’s awareness of
the increasing fire danger
and cooperation is essen-
tial to a safe fire season.
Recreationists, firewood
cutters, hunters, and other
forest users can all help by
closely adhering to restric-
tions, operating safely and
cautiously and keeping up-
to-date on the latest orders
and regulations.
Please check with your
local Oregon Department
of Forestry office for public
use restrictions on lands
protected by ODF. Visit the
Blue Mountain Interagency
Dispatch webpage at: www.
bmidc.org or contact a lo-
cal Oregon Department of
Forestry office for more
complete information.
For more information
about the Umatilla National
Forest’s Public Use Restric-
tions, contact the Pendleton,
office at 541-278-3716, call
Forest Information Hotline
at 1-877-958-9663, or visit
the website at www.fs.usda.
gov/umatilla/.
Sheriff’s Report
November 5: Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Office
received report from a man
in Heppner that he hit a
deer near the Heppner City
Park on Main St. He wasn’t
sure if it was alive or dead.
MCSO was unable to locate
the deer.
-MCSO received report
from an Irrigon woman that
her storage unit at the Irri-
gon Mini Storage was bro-
ken into and gone through.
She reported that a male
subject had her keys while
she was in jail.
-MCSO received report
of a vehicle parked in front
of the bar in Heppner for
almost a week. She said
she would call in the plates
when she arrived at the bar
and requested that MCSO
call the owner.
-MCSO received report
from a woman that she was
walking to work in Heppner
and noticed a syringe lying
on the ground. She said she
pushed it to the fence line
with her foot and requested
a deputy respond and dis-
pose of the needle.
-MCSO received report
from the Irrigon Shell sta-
tion that they have evidence
of criminal mischief against
a male subject.
-MCSO Deputy arrest-
ed Michelle Dawn Alldritt
Holtz, 39, on a Heppner
Justice Court warrant for
Failure to Appear. She was
transported directly to Ir-
rigon Justice Court to go
before the judge.
-MCSO received report
of a lost female boxer pup-
py in Boardman. The caller
said the puppy was deaf.
-MCSO received report
of a domestic dispute on
Linden Way in Heppner
with the female allegedly
strangled and punched by
her husband. The incident
was under investigation.
-MCSO received report
of a pitbull in Irrigon that
charges the caller when she
walks by.
-MCSO received report
of two dogs on Water Street
hill in Heppner in the road
off and on for the past two
weeks becoming a hazard
for the dogs and traffic.
-MCSO received re-
port of the theft of around
$500 worth of clothes from
the laundromat at Sergio’s
Mexican Restaurant on
Hwy. 730, Irrigon.
-MCSO received report
of a female student leaving
Heppner High School and
the school was unable to
get a hold of her parents to
make sure she was safe.
-MCSO received report
from a citizen that the Ir-
rigon Post Office released
his mail to another person.
Pioneer Memorial Clinic
For Any Morrow County Students
FREE SPORTS PHYSICALS
Tuesday, Aug. 11 th , 1:30 to 5 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13 th, 1:30 to 5 p.m.
If exam is not done during these two days
there will be a $34 charge.
Pioneer Memorial Clinic is located at
130 Thompson Avenue, Heppner, OR
541-676-5504
-MCSO received report
that an Irrigon man was
looking for his bay mare.
-MCSO received re-
port of a motor vehicle
accident with unknown
injuries at Taggares Lane/
Tower Road.
-MCSO received report
of juveniles playing under-
neath the stairs on Water St.
in Heppner, sticking their
legs out into traffic and al-
most getting run over. The
caller requested a deputy to
advise the children.
-MCSO arrested Cindy
R. Whitbeck, 41, on an
Irrigon Justice Court war-
rant for Failure to Appear/
Criminal Trespass I. She
was lodged at Umatilla
County Jail with additional
warrants.
-MCSO received re-
port from a woman at A.C.
Houghton Elementary
School in Irrigon that her
vehicle was hit in a park-
ing lot. She said she would
wait for a deputy at the front
entrance to the school.
November 6: Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Office
received report of a car
that rolled in the median on
I-84 Boardman. Boardman
Fire Department, Board-
man Ambulance, Boardman
Police Department, MCSO
and Oregon State Police
responded. The subject
refused transport by am-
bulance.
-MCSO received report
of a tan horse loose in the
area of Main St. Ione. Dis-
patch contacted the owner
who had already received
a call from the Post Office.
The horse was returned.
-MCSO received report
from the vice-principal at
Irrigon Junior/Senior High
School that a junior high
student was shot with a
paint ball gun while walk-
ing to school that morning.
-MCSO received report
that TransCanada Pipeline
was activating their pipline
at Station 9 near Ione. They
advised there may be a
loud noise for around 10
minutes.
-MCSO received report
from a subject on Penland
Even the local wildlife is trying to find ways to beat the heat,
as evidenced by these racoons that seemed to be trying to
sneak into Willow Creek Water Park in Heppner recently.
-Phloto by Megan Futter
DA’s Report
Morrow County Dis-
trict Attorney Justin Nelson
has released the following
report:
-Amanda Sue Walton,
33, was convicted of Pos-
session of Methamphet-
amine, a Class C Felony,
and sentenced to six months
driver’s license suspension
and 18 months supervised
probation subject to 90
sanction units with 30 jail
units. Probation conditions
include 80 hours of commu-
nity service. Fines, fees and
assessments totaled $500.
-Daniel Joseph Avila,
27, was convicted of Pos-
session of methamphet-
amine, a Class C Felony.
The defendant’s driver’s
license was suspended for
six months and the defen-
dants sentenced to 60 days
jail time with credit for
time served, and one year
post-prison supervision.
Fines, fees and assessments
totaled $200.
-Jeremy Wayne Smith,
37, was convicted of Theft
II, a Class A Misdemeanor,
and was sentenced to dis-
charge. Fines, fees and
assessments totaled $120.
-Jeremy Wayne Smith,
37, was additionally con-
victed of Burglary II, a
Class C Felony, and sen-
tenced to 18 months prison
time with credit for time
served, to run concurrent
with the following Crimi-
nal Mischief case, and one
year post-prison supervi-
sion. The defendant was
also convicted of Theft II,
a Class A Misdemeanor,
and sentenced to discharge.
Fines, fees, assessments
and restitution totaled $600.
--Jeremy Wayne Smith,
37, was additionally con-
victed of Criminal Mischief
I, a Class C Felony, and sen-
tenced to 18 months prison
time with credit for time
served, to run concurrent
with the previous Burglary
case, and one year post-
prison supervision. Fines,
fees, assessments and res-
titution totaled $1,428.66.
Lane that someone had hit
his truck while he was out
hunting the previous week.
-MCSO received report
from a Boardman subject
that two dogs charged him
and his grandson, bit his
pant leg and tore the jeans.
-MCSO, Heppner Fire
Department received report
that a resident at Lakeview
Heights, Heppner, pulled a
fire alarm. The caller said
the resident then left the
facility.
-MCSO received report
of an incident of road rage
with subjects in a white
hearse with stickers on
the back, all over the road,
almost causing accidents
and yelling and screaming
out the window on I-84
Boardman.
-MCSO received report
of a car without its head-
lights on almost hitting the
caller’s car by driving into
her lane on I-84.
-MCSO Deputy ad-
vised he was out with some-
one possibly living in an RV
on Third St. in Irrigon.
-MCSO received report
of loud music as early as
5:30 a.m. in the RV lot on
Main St. in Ione.
-MCSO received re-
quest for deputy contact
concerning threats made
against her daughter by
other students at school in
Irrigon.
-MCSO received re-
quest for a welfare check
on a subject at the Oasis RV
Park in Irrigon. The caller
said that she had spoken
to the subject, who said he
thought he had a stroke,
spent the night on the floor
and wasn’t doing well.
The caller was concerned
because she had not heard
from him all day.
-MCSO received report
from a subject at Utah Ave.
in Irrigon that his kids’
house had been broken into
and was trashed. MCSO
responded.
-MCSO received report
of a customer at the Board-
man Shell station who had
been there for several hours,
wouldn’t leave and was
trying to get to the other
side of the counter. Board-
man Police Department and
MCSO responded.
-Heppner Ambulance
received request for an am-
bulance for an 83-year-old
woman who was confused
and unable to speak. Hep-
pner Ambulance responded
and transported her to Pio-
neer Memorial Hospital in
Heppner.
-Heppner Ambulance
received report of a 68-year-
old male who had fallen of
a ladder at Willow Creek
Rd./Forest Service 21 Rd.
He was transported.
-Ione Ambulance re-
ceived port of a 56-year-old
male with abdominal pain.
He was transported.
November 7: Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office re-
ceived report of neighbors
peeling out and revving up
their engines in front of his
residence at Irrigon Mobile
Court. He said he had issues
with them making noise in
the past.
-MCSO received re-
port of a cow and calf near
the caller’s camp off the
2110 Rd./40 Rd. A deputy
advised it was open range.
Messages were left for the
possible owner of the cow.