A look back at 2017
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
azette
imes
VOL. 136 NO. 51 8 Pages
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
See page eight for a collection of happenings in 2017, such as the line of traffic coming down
into Heppner after the eclipse on Aug. 21.
Town of Lexington employees
Neighborhood Center receives
receive safety award
food bank donation
(L-R) John LaRue, Neighborhood Center assistant coordinator, Judi Hall customer service
manager at Community Bank, and Lisa Patton executive director of the Neighborhood Center
accepting donation check.
Town of Lexington employees, Ed Dickenson and Janette Eldrige, with the safety award they
The Neighborhood bank, for a worthy com- said Judi Hall customer
received from the League of Oregon Cities and Citycounty Insurance Services for having
Center
received a nice munity project chosen by service manager at Com-
zero injuries in 2016-17.
Heppner’s Heritage Plaza
dressed up for Christmas
The city of Heppner Public Works Department dressed up Heppner’s Heritage Plaza for
Christmas with a dazzling light display. The light show, at the entrance to the city of Heppner,
includes Christmas lights on the antique farm machinery displayed at the plaza.
Man allegedly kidnapped, shot
A 48 year-old male
alleges he was kidnapped,
shot and dropped off near
milepost 151 on Interstate
84 on Dec. 21. The victim
reports his abductors were
operating a maroon van and
fled the scene after drop-
ping him off.
The man, with a last
known address in Eugene,
OR, waved down a passing
vehicle and was taken to
Love’s Truck Stop where
the incident was reported
to authorities. There is no
evidence at this time indi-
cating there is a threat to
the general public regarding
this incident.
Oregon State Police
reports that the preliminary
investigation revealed the
victim was indeed shot at
another location and was
transported to Love’s Truck
Stop by a passerby. He was
later transported to Good
Shepherd Medical center
for treatment of the gunshot
wound.
The Oregon State Po-
lice Criminal Investiga-
tion Division is leading
the investigation into the
circumstances surrounding
the shooting and reported
abduction with assistance
from the Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office, Board-
man Police Department,
Hermiston Police Depart-
ment and the US Fish and
Wildlife Service. Local
investigators have also been
assisted in the investigation
by law enforcement agen-
cies in the Portland Metro
area, Willamette Valley, and
State of Washington.
Anyone who may have
witnessed any suspicious
circumstances or observed
the victim and suspect ve-
hicle on Interstate 84 near
milepost 151 are asked to
call the Oregon State Po-
lice Southern Command
dispatch center at 1-541-
664-4600 and reference
case number SP17461025.
Juvenile Department creates
new counselor position
‘Boots on the ground’ will replace office worker
By David Sykes
In what was described
by one commissioner as
a “boots on the ground”
position, the County Com-
mission last week voted
to create a new juvenile
probation counselor job, to
replace a retiring assistant
to the director employee.
Juvenile Director Tom
Meier came to the Dec. 20
commission meeting asking
for the changes, saying it
will allow his department
to better keep up with the
Morrow County case load.
Currently Meier is the only
one in the office directly
handling juvenile cases and
he is carrying the entire case
load of the department. So,
with the January retirement
of assistant John McCabe,
it presented an opportunity
to add the counselor posi-
tion, without increasing
total staff or expense in the
Juvenile Department.
“Over the past 10 years
there have been many
changes in the Juvenile
Justice System,” a memo
to the commission said.
“In order to keep up with
the many changes, the Ju-
venile Department would
be best served with a Ju-
venile Parole and Proba-
tion Counselor (JPPC) as a
replacement employee. The
JPPC would work directly
with the juvenile offenders.
They would meet with them
at their home, at school, at
work, etc. Currently the
juvenile director is carry-
-See JUVENILE DEPT/
PAGE THREE
gift from the community
and Community Bank last
week, just in time for the
holidays. The Center was
presented with a check for
$1,703 which will be used
in the Center’s food bank.
Each year around the
holidays the local Commu-
nity Bank branch pledges
to match 50 cents for every
dollar donated from com-
munity members at the
the branch. This year the
bank chose the Neighbor-
hood Center Food Bank,
and community members,
both bank customers and
others, gave $1,203. Com-
munity Bank kicked in
$500 to reach the total do-
nation of $1,703.
“This is a great pro-
gram and we are happy
to help those who need it
in our local community,”
munity Bank, in presenting
the check. “This is going
to help so many families,”
Neighborhood Center ex-
ecutive director Lisa Pat-
ton said when receiving
the funds. “All our money
goes out to the community.
It’s amazing how generous
the community has been to
the Neighborhood Center,”
Patton added.
Three suspects indicted by grand
jury in last week’s car theft
In addition to original
suspects Daniel Faustino
Arce and Deserea Delane
Devin, Vera Rose Smith
was also indicted by the
Morrow County Grand Jury
on multiple charges related
to theft
of a Jeep
on Dec.
17 near
Ruggs.
All three
cases were
Vera Rose
heard by
Smith
Judge Eva
Temple on
Dec. 22.
Smith, 35, a resident
of Madras, was arrested
by the Pendleton Police
Department on Dec. 19 for
possession of a stolen ve-
hicle. The vehicle matched
the description of a vehicle
that was seen with the Jeep
that was stolen in Morrow
County. When she was ar-
rested, a key to the stolen
Jeep and a key to the house
where the Jeep was stolen
were found in her posses-
sions.
Arce and Devin were
both indicted on 14 counts
including three counts of
robbery in the first degree
with a firearm, burglary
in the first degree, two
counts of
burglary in
the second
degree,
unauthor-
ized use
of a mo-
tor vehicle Deserea
with a fire- Delane Devin
arm, theft
in the first degree with a
firearm, criminal mischief
in the first degree, unlaw-
ful use of a weapon with
a firearm, theft in the third
degree, attempted arson in
the second degree and two
counts of criminal mischief
in the second degree.
Smith was arrested and
charged with burglary in the
first degree, burglary in the
second degree, unauthor-
ized use of a motor vehicle
with a firearm and theft in
the first degree.
The court set bail at
$350,000 for Arce, $150,000
for Devin and $15,000 for
Smith. All are currently
being held at the Umatilla
County jail,
with new
court dates
set for the
start of the
year and
trial dates
in February.
Arce and
Daniel
Smith also Faustino Arce
have war-
rants out of
Jefferson County, so will
be transported back there
eventually.
2017 DEMO IN THE BLUES
SATURDAY, DEC. 30 • NOON-4:00PM • KELLY PRAIRIE, USFS RD.
53 JOIN MCGG POLARIS AND 4 CORNER’S
SNOWMOBILE CLUB FOR THEIR ANNUAL PLAY DAY AND
GET YOUR PART OF $1,500 IN POLARIS MERCHANDISE
MCGG will have the 2018 AXYS 800 PRO
RMK 155 LE, AXYS 600 PRO RMK 155 & SKS
800 146 for rider demonstration. All riders that
register and demo will receive a chance to win a
piece of $1,500 in Polaris Merchandise
POKER RUN WILL BEGIN AT NOON
Contact/Questions: Cliff Dougherty 541-676-5491 or Jason Hanna 541-989-8221 Ext. 204
Morrow County Grain Growers
Lexington 989-8221 • 1-800-452-7396
For farm equipment, visit our web site at www.mcgg.net
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.