FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Locals face felony charges for
benefit fraud
Four individuals with
local ties are facing felony
charges in connection with
a benefit fraud case dating
back to June of 2010 and
running through February
of this year. While trial
proceedings are underway,
none of the individuals have
been convicted on any of
the counts.
The defendants in
the case are Robert John
“Bobby” McEwen, 50, of
Heppner; Danny Andrew
Looslie, 60, of Elgin; Justin
Carl Hoeft, 30, of Heppner;
and Lynne Elaine Uitto, 68,
of Umatilla.
Charges are being
brought by the State of Or-
egon on behalf of the Dept.
of Human Services.
Morrow County Dis-
trict Attorney Justin Nelson
says he is not handling the
prosecution of any of the
cases. The Oregon Dept.
of Justice is prosecuting
the cases, and has assigned
as its prosecution attorney
Elizabeth Ann Ballard out
of the DOJ Portland office.
Nelson did say that no court
dates have been set, though
pre-trial proceedings are
underway with each of the
individuals.
McEwen was arraigned
in May on 66 counts relat-
ing to the case; he pled not
guilty to all 66 counts at
a pre-trial conference last
month. Another pre-trial
hearing is scheduled for this
Thursday, Aug. 20.
Counts include 31
counts of Making a False
Claim for Health Care Pay-
ment, 30 counts of Theft I,
one count of Theft II, and
two counts each of Un-
lawfully Obtaining Public
Assistance and Unlaw-
fully Using Supplemental
Nutritional (food stamps).
All are considered Class C
felonies except for Theft II,
which is a Class A misde-
meanor. McEwen is being
represented by attorney
William Perkinson Jr. out
of Pendleton.
Looslie was arraigned
Visitor captures arrest on
camera
in May on 19 counts each
of Making a False Claim
for Health Care Payment
and Theft I. He also pled not
guilty to all counts at his ar-
raignment; a pre-trial hear-
ing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
Looslie is being represented
by attorney William Kuhn
out of Heppner.
Hoeft was arraigned in
May on seven counts each
of Making a False Claim for
Health Care Payment and
Theft I; he pled not guilty
on all 14 counts. A pre-trial
hearing is scheduled for
Sept. 3. Hoeft is being rep-
resented by attorney Robert
Klahn out of Pendleton.
Uitto was arraigned in
May on five counts of Mak-
ing a False Claim for Health
Care Payment, four counts
of Theft I and one count of
Theft II. Uitto has not yet
entered a plea on any of the
counts, but a plea hearing is
scheduled for Sept. 3. She
is being represented by at-
torney Kurt Bendixsen out
of Hermiston.
This photo, sent in by Rick Linsowe of the Tri-Cities, WA, shows the arrest of Anthony Thomas
Toombs, 27, on Sunday afternoon. Linsowe stated that the Morrow County police and rescue
squad were at Willow Creek Reservoir from approximately noon until 3 p.m. Sunday. Two
deputies apprehended the person shown in the photo, later identified as Toombs, from the
J u l y 1: - M or r ow hicles is up on blocks in an rick’s Senior Center, Hep- hillside on the opposite side of the campground. He was brought down to the water’s edge
and then transported across the reservoir in the rescue boat in what appeared to be handcuffs
County Sheriff’s Office ar- alleyway and was tagged pner, called to advise that in control of police personnel. Toombs was arrested on charges of Criminal Trespass II and
rested Yolanda Moreno, 46, for 24 hour tow.
her toilet won’t stop run- Disorderly Conduct II and lodged at Umatilla County Jail. –Photo by Rick Linsowe
Sheriff’s Report
on a warrant.
-MCSO received a re-
port of an Irrigon citizen
going into city hall and
started yelling at the city
manager, tried to force his
way into the back of the
offices. Citizen was mad
about a bill he received.
Deputy made contact and
the citizen advised that it
won’t happen again.
-Resident of Boardman
complains about a brown
and white dog with a blue
collar coming onto her
property for the past two
nights. Advises that her
female dogs are in heat and
that this dog ate through
part of the side of the side
of her house, ripped off the
dryer vent.
-Caller advised that
that she would like contact
in regards to a civil issue.
Detective made contact and
female was advised of her
options.
-MCSO revived report
of a woman in Irrigon who
came into ISA to report re-
ceiving a fraudulent check.
Female advised that it was
not fraud.
-MCSO received a re-
port about a woman pulled
off of I-84 E, Boardman.
Contact was made and was
advised that she was having
some issues. Just wanted
MCSO aware that she broke
contact with law enforce-
ment, advised if seen pulled
over to do a welfare check.
-MCSO received a
report of an abandoned
vehicle in Irrigon. The ve-
-Oregon State Police
arrested Craig Lomsky,
56, on Morrow County for
failure to appear.
-A resident of Board-
man called advising about a
potentially neglected horse.
-MSCO assisted OSP
who was stopping a black
suburban off I-84.
-A motor vehicle acci-
dent occurred on I-84 out-
side of Boardman. Caller
advised that he wrecked
his vehicle, and had taken
the plates off of it and left.
Caller advised that he had a
job to get to.
-Juvenile caller advised
that she needed a deputy
because her stepdad had
been violent. Caller then
put mother on the phone,
who advised the male sub-
ject pushed her, but no EMS
needed. The male was at a
different residence at the
time of the call.
-Irrigon resident called
to report that her house was
broke into and she wanted
to report it.
-MCSO received an
open line 911. The call was
plotted just east of location.
Could hear an infant crying/
talking in the background,
and someone talking to the
child. Police were unable to
call back.
-A driving complaint
was called in on I-84 W out-
side of Boardman. Caller
advised that a car pulled
out in front of a semi and
slammed on the brakes and
then dove off at 100 mph.
-Resident of St. Pat-
Talking Rock Tour
Join The City for a bus tour after
the Morrow County Fair and
Rodeo Parade
Saturday - August 22
Meet in front of City Hall
111 N. Main Street
11:30 AM
FOR A FREE FUN ONE HOUR TOUR
Learn about our community’s history
For information call 541-676-9618
ning. MCSO responded.
Caller told them that her
neighbor upstairs fixed the
issue before the deputy ar-
rived.
-Caller in Boardman
advised of someone walk-
ing around an abandoned
house down the street. Ad-
vised that the house is yel-
low in color and boarded
up. BPD and MCSO re-
sponded and were unable to
locate anything suspicious.
July 7: -Resident of
Ione reports that there are
two Border collie dogs that
were chasing his cows and
horses. The resident had the
dogs corralled and request-
ed for a deputy to respond
to get them. Both dogs have
collars on, one red and the
other blue, without tags.
Caller does not know who
they belong to.
-MCSO received a re-
port for the request of a
well check on a man and his
wife who have been left on
the side of the road in their
U-Haul with no drivers.
MCSO arrested Richard
Dawson, 49, on Morrow
County Circuit Court war-
rant for Failure to Register
as a Sex Offender. The
subject was transported to a
hospital in Hood River due
to seizures.
-MCSO received two
calls from a Spanish speak-
ing woman in Boardman
with screaming child in
background. The call was
disconnected before a lan-
guage line could be used.
Contact was later made
through Language Line.
She advised the child had a
bad bloody nose, and since
they kept getting discon-
nected, she took the child
to the clinic.
-Caller in Irrigon re-
ported that a residence had a
collection of clutter garbage
and the smell of raw sewage
that trailers are letting flow
onto the ground.
-Caller in Irrigon ad-
vised that her neighbors
to the left have 24 chick-
ens within city limits. The
chickens are coming onto
her property and her dogs
are chasing them. She re-
quested for a deputy to
make contact.
-Randy Anderson Pip-
er, 45, was arrested by
Tri-County on an MCSO
warrant for Failure to Ap-
pear on DUII.
-MCSO received a re-
port on a motor vehicle ac-
cident in Irrigon. The caller
advised that she got into a
small fender bender at the
Irrigon Shell approximately
10 minutes earlier. States
that she and the other driver
exchanged all needed infor-
mation and was just calling
because the instructions on
her insurance card advised
to call the police.
-MCSO received a re-
port from a caller in Irrigon
who advised there were
people outside her house.
-MCSO received a call
from a juvenile female re-
porting a possible prowler
in the area. A shadow of a
person was seen 20 minutes
earlier and then a person
knocked on the door but
when they answered no one
was at the door.
-Heppner ambulance,
Lexington Quick Response
Team and MCSO respond-
ed to call requesting assis-
tance for male in his 40s,
conscience and breathing,
that is having a seizure.
-Irrigon ambulance re-
sponded and transported a
37 year-old female, semi-
conscience and breathing,
collapsed.
July 8: -Morrow Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office was ad-
vised that Oregon State Po-
lice arrested Gregory Scott
Carter, 49, in Irrigon on a
Kentucky abscond warrant.
-MCSO received a re-
quest for a welfare check at
a location outside of Hep-
pner to advise a female of
a restraining order service
and of the subject’s release
from jail.
-Public works advised
MCSO that someone had
shot a hangar at the Lexing-
ton airport.
-Boardman PD re-
ceived a report from a male
in Boardman who advised
the window in his car was
broken and he believed an-
other male had done it. He
requested contact.
-A male in Irrigon ad-
vised MCSO that he and a
female were going to court
the following day for a cus-
65th ANNIVERSARY
Celebration for Jim and Lola Pettyjohn
Sunday, September 6
Open House 2-4
Irrigon Fellowship Center
Seventh-day Adventist Church
205 Tumbleweed Blvd, Irrigon
Friends and Family invited to attend!
tody issue and the female
had told him five guys were
going to come after him that
week. He requested contact.
MCSO made contact with
the male and determined
there had been no direct
crime.
-A deputy reported as-
sisting a citizen in Heppner
who wanted to test new tires
by following the deputy at
55 mph.
-A male in Irrigon re-
quested deputy contact re-
garding a property that
had an eviction notice on
it. The man advised that it
appeared someone entered
through the doggy door and
moved items around and
left the back door unlocked.
-A female in Hep-
pner advised MCSO that
a green minivan was ille-
gally parked and had been
blocking one of her vehicles
for the past 15 minutes. It
was determined to be un-
founded.
-MCSO received a 911
call and heard frantic talk-
ing in the background but
no response. Boardman
PD and MCSO responded
but were unable to locate
where the call came from.
BPD arrested Ceira Rach-
elle Hendon, 21, on a La
Grande PD warrant. The
subject was lodged at Uma-
tilla County Jail.
-MCSO received a call
from a male who advised
he was on I-84, Boardman,
driving a motor home and
towing a flatbed trailer.
The trailer had a flat tire
but he had no way to fix
it. He advised he had been
sitting by the side of the
road for a couple of hours
and requested that a deputy
respond to assist. MCSO
responded and found the
motorhome gone but the
trailer still there off the
shoulder of the road.
-A female in Board-
man advised MCSO that a
Hispanic male was trying to
get into her house. The male
stated that someone was
trying to kill him. Board-
man ambulance responded
but patient refused trans-
port.
J u l y 11 : - M o r r o w
County Sheriff’s Office re-
ceived a report of a burglar
alarm going off from the
janitor’s room in the Hep-
pner post office. MCSO
responded and all doors
were secure.
-MCSO received a re-
port of a vehicle improperly
parked on Court St. in Hep-
pner. A deputy responded
and was unable to locate
the vehicle.
-MCSO was advised
that someone had been
shooting off guns in Irrigon
since the Fourth of July. It
started by the high school
and has been happening all
over. A deputy made con-
tact and advised he would
check it out.
-A person in Board-
man requested contact from
Community Counseling
Solutions regarding their
16-year-old daughter. CCS
was advised.
-MCSO was advised
that two individuals had
stolen flashlights from Hep-
pner Auto Part and the call-
er wanted them trespassed.
A deputy made contact.
-A female in Ione re-
ported that someone had
stolen her TV some time
that day. So far that was the
only thing missing, but she
also advised the hood was
open on one of her cars.
-MCSO was advised
that five or six draft horses
and a mule were loose in
Irrigon. MCSO responded
and was unable to locate
loose horses but did find
some in the pasture fitting
the description.
-Boardman fire was
advised of a 50-gallon drum
with smoke coming out
of it in Boardman. Board-
man fire made contact with
the home owner and ad-
vised her that all of Morrow
County was currently under
a burn ban. The homeowner
advised that she was not
aware the barrel had been
lite and would talk to her
family when she got home
to see if one of them had
started it, and to advise
them of the burn ban.
July 12: -Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Office
was out with a vehicle on
the overpass in Boardman,
possible lost. They had a
little one who needed a
diaper change.
-A female advised
MCSO that her son was
“drunk as a loon” and she
didn’t want him coming
home. She requested con-
tact.
-MCSO was advised
of a single-vehicle accident
on Highway 207 Echo-
Lexington, non-blocking,
one person in vehicle. The
driver was conscious and
breathing. MCSO, Hep-
pner Ambulance, Heppner
Fire and Lexington Quick
Response Team responded
but patient refused trans-
port. Erica Lynn Nelson,
17, was cited for failure to
drive within lane.
July 13: -A female ad-
vised she was camping with