WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
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By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
Police are looking for a
man who robbed the Cen-
ter Market in 6tan¿eld at
gunpoint early 6unday
morning.
6tan¿eld City Manag-
er Blair Larsen, acting as
public information of¿cer
for the 6tan¿eld Police De-
partment, said photos and a
name would be released to
the public soon but police
already knew the identity
of the suspect, who was
“clearly visible on video
surveillance.”
According to statements
given to police by Cen-
ter Market owners *urbal
6ingh and Jaswinder Kaur,
Kaur was working at the
market at a.m. on 6un-
day when a man came in,
pointed a gun at her and
demanded she give him all
of the money in the cash
register. 6he handed over
the money and called the
police after he left.
“6he was pretty shaken
up,” Larsen said.
6ingh said that his wife
was scared during the in-
cident. The man demand-
ed she open the register
and put all the money in a
bag, he said, and when she
moved toward him to do so
he hit her arm before tak-
ing the money.
“He ran away through
the truck parking lot,”
6ingh said.
Larsen said police
didn’t know yet exactly
how much money was tak-
en.
6tan¿eld Police Chief
Bryon Zumwalt and Lt.
Monty Toombs have
been on paid administra-
tive leave since 1ov. 1
pending a Department
of Justice investigation,
leaving 6tan¿eld with one
active police of¿cer in
addition to support from
Hermiston Police Depart-
City seeks applicants
to develop new brand
ment and Umatilla Coun-
ty 6heriff’s Of¿ce. Both
agencies responded to the
9-1-1 call at the market,
but 6tan¿eld’s department
is taking the lead on the
investigation.
Larsen said the robbery
was not a case where hav-
ing a full staff in the police
department would have
made a difference.
“(ven if we were fully
staffed, by the time some-
one got there he would
have been gone,” Larsen
said.
Center Market is locat-
ed at 3 6 Main 6t. in
6tan¿eld.
After taking residents’
feedback to heart about
its “<ou Can *ROW
Here” brand, the city of
Hermiston is looking for
community members to
join its Hermiston’s Future
Branding Committee.
The committee will
meet for approximately
two months to brainstorm
new ideas for a city brand
and then help seek public
feedback on the proposals.
The city implemented
“<ou Can *ROW Here”
in 13, but after it was
painted on the water tower
south of town, replacing
the watermelon image
that had greeted visitors
for decades, residents
complained it sounded like
an invitation to cultivate
Newport Park renovations doing their job
marijuana.
After a recent survey
showed percent of
respondents disliked the
tagline, the City Council
voted on 1ov. 3 to
resurrect the branding
committee, add 1 new
members from the wider
community and come up
with new tagline options.
The committee is a
partnership between the
city, the *reater Hermiston
Area Chamber of
Commerce and Focal Point
Marketing.
Applications for the
committee can be found
online at www.hermiston.
or.us or at City Hall, 18
1( 6econd 6t. They are
due at City Hall by 6 p.m.,
Friday, Dec. 18.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY OREGON STATE POLICE
A Hermiston man was killed Saturday night in a two-vehicle
crash in Highway 207 near Hermiston.
Two killed in
weekend crashes
A Hermiston man died
6aturday night in a crash
with a commercial truck
on Highway Diagonal
Road near Hermiston and a
Philomath man died Friday
on Interstate 84 near Board-
man.
In the 6aturday crash,
Richard Dean Cook, 4,
was driving a 1 Chevro-
let Traverse on the highway
when he pulled onto Otis
Lane, a private road, and
backed into the highway in
an attempt to change direc-
tions, according to Oregon
6tate Police.
As he backed into the
highway, his vehicle was
struck on the driver’s side
by a northbound semi driv-
en by Harvey Hass, , of
Umatilla. Both vehicles
came to rest in the north-
bound lane, which was
closed for more than two
hours.
Cook was taken to *ood
6hepherd Medical Center,
Hermiston, where he was
pronounced dead. Hass
wasn’t hurt in the collision.
Jerome Martel Price, ,
STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL
HalI-Ànished renovations at 1ewSort 3ark are already doing their MoE :ater Irom a recent rainstorm collected where the
EaseEall Àeld used to Ee instead oI Áooding neighEors· homes. 7he city Slans to Slant grass Eack over the Àeld once
eIIorts to lower it are comSlete. Hermiston got aEout . inches oI rain on 0onday.
2ld 6tan¿eld +iJh 6chool Xp for sale
By JADE McDOWELL
Staff Writer
The old 6tan¿eld High
6chool is on the market,
but 6tan¿eld city councilors
don’t think the city should
buy it.
Kal *arton of *arton
Associates in Pendleton, told
councilors at their Dec. 1
meeting that he had listed the
school for sale and had spo-
ken with potential buyers,
but he thought the “highest
and best use” for it would
be a city-owned community
center.
“What I want to do is just
plant a seed and then come
back,” he said, handing out
packets of details about the
school.
The four-acre prop-
erty and 4,-square-
foot building are listed for
,.
*arton said a church had
expressed interest in turning
the building into a homeless
shelter, the Horizon Project
was looking into turning it
into housing for the intellec-
tually disabled and the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs
had looked at it too.
Councilor Jack Huxoll
said he thought the building
was in too poor a condition
and too expensive for the city
to even consider buying.
“That building’s been
there a lot of years,” he said.
“I went to school there. I
don’t think the city should
have anything to do with it.”
*arton said the ground
Àoor of the school had been
remodeled and work had
been done on the plumbing
and electrical systems. The
asbestos on the ¿rst Àoor
had been abated, while most
of the asbestos upstairs had
been encapsulated. He said
there was lead paint upstairs
but it wouldn’t be hard to
take care of.
Councilor Pam Mc6pad-
den said even if the city
could afford the building it
would cost too much to re-
model and address the prob-
lems, like asbestos.
Mayor Thomas McCann
suggested that the issue be
sent to the city’s building
committee anyway so that
they could take a closer look
and make a formal recom-
mendation. City Manager
Blair Larsen said that would
be done.
of Hermiston, was a pas-
senger in Cook’s vehicle
and left the scene before
police arrived. They caught
up with him at *ood 6hep-
herd where he was seeking
treatment and interviewed
him about the crash.
O6P was assisted at the
scene by Hermiston Fire
and Ambulance, Umatilla
County 6heriff’s Of¿ce and
the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
On Friday, Keith Car-
ney, 34, was driving east-
bound on the highway near
milepost 14 when, for un-
known reasons, his 18
Chevrolet pickup went off
the road and hit a large
boulder, according to O6P.
The truck was engulfed in
Àames by the time emer-
gency crews arrived on
scene.
O6P reports Carney
traveled more than 4 feet
after going off the road.
Troopers were assisted by
Boardman ¿re and police,
the Morrow County 6her-
iff’s Of¿ce and Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
14 cats removed from 3UDQNFDOOVFUHDWHPHVVEULHÀ\FORVH0F'RQDOG¶VUHVWDXUDQWV
(mployees at 6tan¿eld, pression systems are not re- them test systems.
home, owner arrested
“We will personally visit
Pendleton and Arrowhead motely controlled or moni-
By PHIL WRIGHT
Staff Writer
A Hermiston man was
arrested Monday for an-
imal neglect after police
found 14 cats, three of
which were dead, at his
small residence.
According to a press
release from Hermiston
3olice, of¿cers at 1
p.m. responded to the
home of David Zehner,
, at 141 1( th 6t., on a
report of animal neglect.
Pet Rescue of Hermis-
ton also responded and
helped remove the cats
from the home, including
two that required imme-
diate medical care.
Zehner
cooperated
with police but was ar-
rested for ¿rst degree ani-
mal neglect and lodged at
the Umatilla County Jail
in Pendleton.
“Though
minimum
care as de¿ned by statute
can be very subjective
and is often the cause of
varying opinions, it was
clear based on the condi-
tions our of¿cers found
the animals to be living
in;” Police Chief Jason
(dmiston said in the
press release. “Minimum
care was not being met
for these animals.”
(dmiston also said he
appreciated the work of
Pet Rescue in removing
the animals.
Three local McDonald’s
restaurants had to shut
down after prank calls 6un-
day afternoon convinced
employees to activate ¿re
suppression systems.
Deputy state ¿re marshal
6cott *off in Pendleton
said the calls targeted the
McDonald’s in Hermiston,
Pendleton, the Pilot Travel
Center in 6tan¿eld, and the
Arrowhead Travel Plaza on
the Umatilla Indian Reser-
vation near Pendleton. The
caller claimed to represent
a ¿re protection equipment
company that remotely
monitored the ¿re suppres-
sion systems and asked
staff to test those.
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activated the systems, *off
said, causing a cascade of
“wet chemical extinguish-
ing agent” to cover deep
fryers and more. He said he
heard reports of this hap-
pening to McDonald’s in
the Tri-Cities, Washington,
as well.
“After staff activated the
systems, then whoever it was
on the phone let them know
it was a prank,” *off said.
The chemicals work to
smother grease ¿res, and
while the wet chemicals do
not get all over the restau-
rant, *off said it does make
a mess, and the restaurants
shut down temporarily.
*off said the ¿re sup-
tored, and any testing must
be done on site.
*off noti¿ed Pendleton
Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo
and others about the pranks.
Ciraulo said ¿re agencies
do not call people to have
you ² a ¿re marshal, chief
or personnel will arrive to
test the system,” he said.
Ciraulo also said people
can call the ¿re department
if they have questions or
want to seek veri¿cation.
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