Shooting victim dies
50¢
VOL. 139
NO. 52
10 Pages
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Birthright of Morrow County open and
ready to help
Heppner resident, Mar-
len Bowles, 42, died De-
cember 18 from a gunshot
wound she received at her
home in Heppner on De-
cember 15. She was ini-
tially transported to a local
hospital before being life
flighted to Oregon Health
and Science University
(OHSU) in Portland in crit-
ical condition.
Just before 9:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, December 15, the
Morrow County Commu-
nications Center received
reports of shots fired. When
sheriff’s office deputies
arrived on the scene, they
discovered the female with
a gunshot wound.
The Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office has asked
Oregon State Police to take
over the investigation into
the shooting. OSP is cur-
rently looking for David
Bowles, age 43, as a per-
son of interest in the case.
His location is unknown.
He was last seen driving
a brown Chevrolet Impala
with Oregon license plate
URG552. David, a white
male with graying hair and
blue eyes, is 5’ 6” tall and
weighs approximately 180
pounds.
Law enforcement is
asking for the public’s
help locating Bowles and
are asked to call 911 or
OSP dispatch at 800-442-
2068, reference OSP case
# SP200348879, if he is
located. Law enforcement
advises the public should
not try to confront him. He
is considered armed and
dangerous.
Editor’s Note: A Go-
FundMe has been set up
to help Marlen’s boys with
her funeral expenses. It
can be found on Face-
book, “Help Marlen’s
boys with funeral and oth-
er expenses” or https://
w w w. g o f u n d m e . c o m / f /
help-marlens-boys-with-fu-
neral-and-other-expens-
es?qid=c4edc34dc1dbd-
660517794488012fb59.
‘Our goal is to help a woman carry her baby to term’
By David Sykes
A new all-volunteer
donation-supported service
called Birthright of Mor-
row County has opened
its doors in Heppner and
is now welcoming young
girls or women who need
help coping with an un-
planned pregnancy. “We
offer free pregnancy test-
ing and friend to friend
counseling,” says volunteer
Julie Finch. “But most of all
we want to just give a girl
the opportunity to tell us
what is going on and why
she is in crisis. We don’t
judge,” says Finch of the
service, manned completely
by trained volunteers and
funded by donations from
the community. “We show
love and support and try to
help her have the resources
she needs to have her baby.
That is our goal; to help
her carry her baby to term,”
Finch explains of the new
community organization.
All services for the expect-
ant mother are free.
Birthright of Morrow
County is part of a larger
Birthright International
group offering the same
support and counseling
services. Locally a girl or
woman can receive anony-
mous counseling and help,
such as free pregnancy
tests, free maternity and
baby clothes, and commu-
nity referrals like where
to find a doctor, health in-
surance for herself and her
baby, or maybe a place to
stay, depending on her sit-
uation. “This is not just for
young girls, this is for any
woman who finds herself in
a stressful situation if she
is pregnant or is afraid she
Anyone who would like to
make a financial contribu-
tion to help out the new cen-
ter can make their checks
payable to Birthright of
Morrow County and give
them to Finch or Creswick
or drop a check in the mail
to PO Box 923 Heppner,
OR 97836. The organiza-
tion is a nonprofit, so any
donation is tax deductible.
“It is the right of every
woman to give birth, and
the right of every child to
be born,” the organization’s
brochure says in quoting
Mrs. Louise Summerhill,
mother of seven children David Bowles is a person of interest in a Heppner shooting.
and founder of Birthright The public is asked to notify law enforcement if Bowles is
seen.
International in 1968.
Julia Finch (left) and Jean Creswick are just two of the volun-
teers ready to help a girl or woman with her pregnancy. Their
office is in the former optometrist office on Willow Street in
Heppner. -Photo by David Sykes
is pregnant,” adds volun-
teer Jean Creswick. “They
can phone us and make an
appointment, or just walk
in,” says Creswick, who
explains that all volunteers
are screened, background
checked, trained and ready
to help. “We also have some
supplies a young mother
may need like maternity
and baby clothes,” she says
showing the supply of baby
things stored at the office.
Finch says there are
already four volunteers in
Heppner who have been
screened and trained and
the organization is still
looking for more help in
order to expand its office
hours. Now the office is
open Monday 10 a.m. to 3
p.m.; Thursdays 5-7 p.m.
and Saturdays 1-3 p.m. “We
Santa stops off at Murray’s
take walk-ins, or you can
call us at 541-676-0530,”
Finch says. The office is
located 128 West Willow
Street in Heppner, the for-
mer optometrist office.
The new organization
is also looking to do out-
reach into the community
and let organizations and
people know what they
offer. “As a new service in
Morrow County, we wish
to broaden our outreach.
Our hope is that many oth-
ers will direct teens and
women to Birthright,” their
brochures says. “You can
be in the center as a trained
friend-volunteer, offering
love, hope and resources,” A special North Pole guy made a visit to Murrays Drug Tuesday and was seen visiting with
they say. Adding that there clerk Jodi Brisbois. Santa is getting ready for his big night coming up Thursday making sure
is a “need for prayer part- all the children will be happy on Friday.
ners, donors and promoters
out in the community.”
Port of Morrow donates loads
of firewood
G-T closed for Christmas
The Heppner Ga-
zette-Times will be closed
December 24 and 25 for
the Christmas holiday. The
paper will be delivered on
its regular day, Wednesday,
December 23 and Wednes-
day, December 30.
The office will be open
for normal business hours
December 28 - 31 and
closed on Jan. 1.
The G-T wishes ev-
eryone a safe and happy
holiday season.
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
350 MAIN STREET LEXINGTON OR 97839
CONTACT JUSTIN BAILEY 541-256-0229, 541-989-8221 EXT.
204
The Port of Morrow donated two pickup loads of firewood to the Neighborhood Center of
South Morrow County, in Heppner, to help local citizens with winter heat. Port Commissioner,
Jerry Healy (right), and his son-in-law, Jon Ellis, cut and delivered the donation for the Port
of Morrow. -Contributed photo.
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Have a news story or photo for the Gazette? e-mail editor@rapidserve.net
call 541-676-9228 or stop by the office on Willow St., Heppner Today