WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
Investigation turns up
dead, malnourished cattle
Sheriff’s office
recommending
animal neglect
charges filed
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Staff Writer
Fourteen dead cattle
were discovered Saturday
at a property on Columbia
Lane and South Edwards
Road in Hermiston, which
the Umatilla County Sher-
iff’s Office is investigat-
ing as a possible case of
animal neglect.
Another 15 cattle were
so malnourished they
could not be moved safe-
ly, according to Sheriff
Terry Rowan. One calf
was so weak it could not
stand and had to be eu-
thanized, Rowan said.
None of the sick animals
appeared to have enough
food or water.
Authorities are work-
ing with a special prose-
cutor from Benton Coun-
ty who specializes in
animal neglect cases, and
reports should be turned
in to the Umatilla County
district attorney early this
week. Rowan said they
will recommend press-
ing charges against the
cattle owner, 55-year-old
Michael Hockensmith of
Hermiston.
For now, though the
cattle have technically
been seized, Rowan said
the animals will be left in
place due to their num-
bers and fragile health.
Officers will be checking
daily to make sure they
receive proper care.
“We do not believe
they can be transport-
ed without further loss,”
Rowan said. “From this
point forward, we’re just
ensuring continued care.”
The incident was first
reported Thursday, Jan. 5,
by an anonymous caller
who noticed seven dead
cows that were clearly
visible from across Co-
lumbia Lane. A search
warrant was served Satur-
day, and Rowan said they
found a total of 14 dead
cattle — mostly yearling
calves.
Fifteen more cows
were badly malnour-
ished, Rowan said, and
separated from the rest of
the herd where they were
treated by veterinarians.
During their investiga-
tion, officers found that
a water trough for the
sickest animals was fro-
zen over with six inches
of ice.
“They weren’t able to
get to water for a couple
of days,” Rowan said.
Some of the cattle
were also very skinny,
Rowan said, with their
backbones and hip bones
showing.
“These are Angus
cattle that are typically
well-rounded animals,”
he said. “Our evaluation
and evidence would point
to neglect or inadequate
feed.”
The bodies of the dead
animals had been left
outside for several days,
Rowan said, though state
law requires carcasses be
buried or burned within
15 hours.
Hockensmith,
was
apparently the only one
caring for the animals.
Rowan said Hockensmith
seemed willing to work
with the sheriff’s office to
care for the animals while
they remain on his prop-
erty.
“Hopefully, we can
create a partnership there
to where he is willing to
provide adequate care,”
Rowan said. “We will just
continue to monitor it.”
———
Contact
George
Plaven at 541-966-0825.
IN BRIEF
Agape House hosts
indoor/outdoor sale
A
sale
benefiting
Agape House is planned
this weekend.
The regular parking lot
sale, which includes in-
door shopping for clothes,
is Saturday from 8:30-
11:30 a.m. at 500 Harper
Road, Hermiston. It fea-
tures adult attire at three
items for a dollar. Peo-
ple can pick up the first
five articles of children’s
clothing free of charge,
with additional selections
at three for $1.
Depending on the
weather, other items will
be available — including
bikes, books and furni-
ture, which will be priced
as marked. People can
name their own price for
knick-knacks.
Agape House serves
individuals and families in
need. For more informa-
tion, call 541-567-8774.
Linfield professor
to share at writers’
series
Joe Wilkins, author of
“The Mountain and the
Fathers: Growing Up on
the Big Dry,” will read
during the upcoming First
Draft Writers’ Series.
A memoir, the pub-
lication is winner of a
2014 GLCA New Writ-
ers Award. Also, his most
recent full-length collec-
tion of poetry, “When We
Were Birds,” was selected
by Billy Collins for the
Miller Williams Poetry
Prize Series. Wilkins also
teaches writing at Linfield
College in McMinnville.
The event is Thursday,
Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at Pend-
leton Center for the Arts,
214 N. Main St. There is
no admission charge.
After Wilkins’ presen-
tation, audience members
are invited to read short
excerpts from their own
works.
First Draft meets the
third Thursday of each
month. For more informa-
tion, call 541-278-9201 or
visit www.pendletonarts.
org.
Healthy Fridays offer
free services
Free health screenings,
including blood pressure
check, weigh-ins, body
mass index, cholesterol
and glucose testing is of-
fered during Healthy Fri-
days.
The event is presented
the first and third Friday
of the month from 9:30-
11:30 a.m. in Conference
Room No. 7 at Good
Shepherd Medical Center,
610 N.W. 11th St., Herm-
iston. The next one is Fri-
day, Jan. 20.
Those planning to have
their cholesterol checked
need to fast for 8-10 hours
prior to the blood draw.
The event also provides
free flu shots.
For more information,
contact
541-667-3509
or healthinfo@gshealth.
org.
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Hermiston boy dies of respiratory failure
Hermiston Herald
A four-year-old Hermis-
ton boy died Dec. 29, from
what is believed to be a re-
spiratory infection.
Jasper Duree McKen-
zie had been sick for a few
weeks with a respiratory
illness but was an otherwise
healthy child, according to
his aunt Kendra Aylett.
“It was out of nowhere,
all of the sudden,” she said.
According to a report
from the Umatilla Coun-
Hendricks described Jas-
per as a loving, caring and
happy child with a giving
spirit.
“He had the best smile
in the world,” she said in a
message relayed by Aylett.
“He loved his mom and
(three) sisters and grandma,
and to help do chores.”
A benefit account has
been set up at Bank of East-
ern Oregon for Jasper’s
family under the name
Kendra Aylett.
ty Sheriff’s Department, Good Shepherd Medical
Center.
Jasper was having
While
another
trouble breathing at
child went into the
his home near Herm-
bowling alley to get
iston.
Hendricks, the boy
His mother, Krista
stopped breathing.
Hendricks, 28, was
A passerby began
working at Desert
CPR on the child and
Lanes bowling al-
an
ambulance was
ley in Hermiston and Jasper
Duree
her boyfriend, Chris- McKenzie called, but life-sav-
ing measures failed
topher Mallory, 29,
and the boy was pro-
brought the boy to the
bowling alley to pick her up nounced dead at the hospi-
before taking them both to tal.
Police ID victim, possible suspect in stabbing
witnesses are not complying
with the investigation, Ruth-
erford has been uncooper-
ative, and initial statements
from Rutherford and Nelson
conflict. Edmiston also re-
ported police don’t yet know
Rutherford‘s “true inten-
tion(s)” of going to Nelson’s
residence.
While police have yet to
know just what went down,
Edmiston said his department
would hand over its findings
to the Umatilla County Dis-
trict Attorney’s Office to
consider any charges.
Rutherford has a mis-
demeanor theft case and a
trespassing case pending
in Umatilla County Circuit
Court, according to court re-
cords. And Nelson has hear-
ings Jan. 17 to change his
pleas in an identity theft and
forgery case and to charges
of methamphetamine pos-
session and misdemeanor
theft.
By PHIL WRIGHT
Staff Writer
Hermiston police are hav-
ing a tough time determining
what happened Thursday
that led to a stabbing.
Police Chief Jason Ed-
miston said there have been
no arrests because of con-
flicting initial statements
and people not cooperating
with the investigation, in-
cluding the victim.
“We want to make sure
the threshold is there before
we arrest somebody,” Ed-
miston said.
Edmiston identified the
victim as Troy Curtis Ruth-
erford, 30, and the possible
suspect as Marcus Allen
Nelson, 32, both of Herm-
iston.
Hermiston police Thurs-
day morning responded
to reports of a stabbing
at a trailer at Dun Rollin
Trailer Park, 445 E. Jennie
Ave., Hermiston. Officers
STAFF PHOTO BY JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
Officers from Hermiston Police Department question
residents of a trailer park where a stabbing was reported
Thursday morning.
found no one involved, then
checked at Good Shepherd
Medical Center, Hermiston,
where Rutherford received
treatment for superficial
stab wounds to the head and
back of his shoulders, ac-
cording to statements from
Edmiston.
Police also found Nelson
at the hospital and detained
him, but he is has not been
charged with any crime.
Edmiston stated potential
Pair in jail after fleeing police
Boom rattles windows
around Hermiston
I mysterious boom rat-
tled windows, and a few
nerves, around Hermiston
Friday afternoon.
Residents in various part
of the city, and in surround-
ing areas, reported hear-
ing a booming sound, that
shook windows and homes
about 2:45 p.m.
The noise resulted in
several calls to law en-
forcement and widespread
speculation on at least one
social media group forum
on Facebook.
Hermiston Police Chief
Jason Edmiston said his
department received calls
about the incident and he
also heard whatever it was
himself.
“I was in a closed-door
meeting in my office and it
EO Media Group
rattled my windows,” Ed-
miston said.
Edmiston, one of his
captains and another offi-
cer drove around the city to
investigation, but nothing
was found to explain the
noise.
“It would not surprise
me if it turned out to be
something at a high alti-
tude,” he said, like a mete-
or or a sonic boom from an
aircraft.
Some people described
the incident as sounding
like an earthquake.
The U.S. Geological
Survey has not recorded
any earthquakes in either
Oregon or Washington state
during the 24 hours prior to
the reports.
— Gary L. West
UEC keeping the heat
on during extreme cold
EO Media Group
The recent cold snap might
make residents cringe when
they get their electricity bill
for the month, but cranking
up the heat isn’t overloading
Umatilla Electric Coopera-
tive’s system.
Most utilities are at their
peak in the winter, member
services administrator Steve
Meyers said, but UEC’s sys-
tem reaches its peak loads
during agriculture irrigation
season June through August.
Despite an unusually cold,
snowy winter, Meyers said
the system hasn’t experienced
any widespread outages.
LOCAL
He said over the last three
years UEC has worked to re-
build portions of its Weston
Mountain distribution sys-
tem to better withstand snow,
wind and other weather.
The Red Cross recom-
mends everyone take steps
to make sure that if there is
a power outage during ex-
tremely cold weather, they are
prepared. Recommendations
include keeping non-perish-
able food and water (a gallon
per person per day) for every-
one in the house to survive
on for three days, plus flash-
lights, extra batteries, heavy
blankets, a radio and extra cell
phone battery. If the power is
out for long residents should
run water through their pipes
to keep
them from freezing.
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A Walla Walla officer
fired Sunday at suspects
who were ramming his
patrol car with their pick-
up.
The Walla Walla Police
Department in a written
statement reported officer
Paul Green was not in-
jured, nor did his gunshots
hit suspects Jason Gene
Nathaniel Barnes, 32, of
Walla Walla, and Jessi-
ca Dawn Grigsby, 35, of
Hermiston.
At about 9:30 p.m.,
Green saw a Chevrolet
pickup with no lights
pulling a utility trailer on
West Sumach Street be-
tween Fourth and Fifth
avenues near downtown
Walla Walla. Green drove
east on Sumach from
Fifth, according to the
statement, and saw the
vehicle drive toward him
from the intersection of
Fourth Avenue.
The pickup drew clos-
er, according to the state-
ment, and the suspect ac-
celerated and rammed into
the front of the police car,
forcing it back and off to
the side of the road.
Green drew his gun,
Walla Walla police report-
ed, and fired at the pickup
while it was ramming his
car.
The driver fled south
in the vehicle, leaving
the city on Third Avenue.
The chase continued into
Oregon. Members of the
Washington State Patrol,
the sheriff’s offices of
Walla Walla and Umatilla
counties and Milton-Free-
water police joined the
pursuit, which ended at
9:41 p.m. when the pickup
crashed into a ditch in the
area of Elliot and Birch
Creek roads, a couple
miles east of Milton-Free-
water.
Barnes was the driver,
according to Walla Wal-
la police. Officers caught
him as he tried to run.
Grigsby was the passen-
ger and did not try to es-
cape.
Flowers • Candles
Jewelry • Plants
Balloons & More!
Put a smile on the heart with
the power of flowers.
HWY 395, HERMISTON
541-567-4305
Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am
www.cottagefl owersonline.com
STUDENT
OF
THE
FOR SPRING
2017
WEEK
Austin Rice
(Senior)
I RRIGON H IGH S CHOOL
Austin Rice is a dedicated student, outstanding
athlete, and all-around nice guy. He is a shining
example of a positive attitude that has led him to
success in many areas. Austin has been a varsity
letter-winner in football, basketball, and baseball all
four years of high school, and currently holds a GPA of
3.7. He is considering attending either George Fox
University or OIT next year where he plans to pursue
studies in the healthcare field, and play baseball.
Austin was selected 1st team all-state in baseball last
year as a pitcher, leading the knights to the 2A state
semi-finals. He has been a starter for the Knights
basketball team the past two years, and was the
starting quarterback this past football season.
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