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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 NEWS Robber strikes at Sinclair convenience store HERMISTON HERALD Another convenience store robbery in Hermis- ton has the police chief call- ing 2018 a “frustrating” year so far, and saying steps are being taken to cut down on crimes of opportunity. Jason Edmiston, the Hermiston police chief, sent a press release about a Wednesday night robbery and asked for the public’s help finding the culprit and stopping future thefts. Police were alerted Wednesday at 9:45 p.m. that the Sinclair Station at 710 W. Hermiston Ave. had been robbed. When officers arrived two minutes later they were informed that a man with a covered face wearing dark clothing and possibly armed had entered the store and demanded money. The suspect left with an unspecified amount cash, but police aren’t sure if he fled on foot or in a vehicle. Police said in a press release they aren’t sure if the crime is connected to other recent robberies, including one at the 11th Street Market the week before. Anyone with information is urged to call Lt. Randy Studebaker at 541-667-5095. “While we don’t know all the facts, we know that somebody in the community holds a key piece of infor- mation that could help solve these cases,” Studebaker said in the release. “We’re encouraging peo- ple to call us, even if they don’t think their information is important.” People should call 911 if they see suspicious activity around businesses in the eve- ning, the release stated, and businesses should ensure their security systems are working. “Hermiston has consis- tently enjoyed a relatively low violent crime rate as compared to other like-sized cities,” Edmiston said in the release. “... Steps are being taken internally within the depart- ment and externally with our business community to pre- vent further incidents.” BRIEFS Church sets Shrove Tuesday meal The public is invited to celebrate the beginning of the sea- son of Lent during a Shrove Tuesday meal at St. John’s Epis- copal Church. A tradition held on the day before Ash Wednesday, the tra- dition is to use up high calorie, high fat foods, eggs, and milk, to prepare for the season of Lent. A pancake supper will be served Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the church, 953 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. A donation of $5 per person is requested. “This meal is the tradition of getting all of the ‘fat’ out of the house prior to Ash Wednesday, thus the term Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras,” said Rev. Chuck Barnes. Also, the service of Imposition of Ashes and Eucharist is Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The service, Barnes said, begins the reflective season of Lent, which lasts 40 days — ending on Palm Sunday (March 25). For more information, contact Barnes at 541-567-6672 or chuckb@eotnet.net. Call *OSP to connect with state police SALEM — The Oregon State Police announced the launch of a fast and easy way for people to connect via mobile phones to the agency’s dispatch for a non-emergency situation. “*OSP (*677) is a mobile phone direct call number estab- lished to provide the public with a quick, easy to remem- ber number to use for non-emergency reporting of traffic safety, highway hazards and obstructions, minor crashes, and requests for assistance,” according to the announcement from state police. “*OSP is not an emergency number, and 911 still remains the emergency number to call for an emergency. Calling *OSP rings directly into the state police dispatch center, where a real dispatcher is ready to take the call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. State police in collaboration with Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon’s cellphone providers secured the new number to make it easier to call for non-emergency police services and road hazards. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular have worked with the state police to facilitate the service. “It is the department’s goal that, as this program develops, other cell providers will partner with us in this venture to pro- vide access to all cellphone users,” according to the agency, The number is a way to help ensure people can report non-emergencies directly to OSP. For members of the pub- lic who do not have cellphone service, or have providers that do not support the access number, state police said they can dial the department’s toll free phone number: 800-452-7888. Warmer weather in January continues Hermiston hit 63 degrees on Sunday, tying a record high temperature from 2011, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature also was 18 degrees above the city’s normal maximum on that date. Pendleton reached 60 on Sunday, no record but 15 degrees warmer than the normal maximum for the date. The two towns also were almost 5 degrees warmer than usual for January, with the Round-Up City’s mean tempera- ture at 39.9 and Hermiston’s at 39.6. Area highs remain in the 50s this week, with peaks in the lower 60s on Thursday. The Weather Service also reported Pendleton and the sur- rounding areas have a possibility of rain, and the precipitation and warm weather means melting snow and ice will cause rivers and streams to rise through Monday. The Weather Ser- vice, however, has not issued flood warnings or advisories for Umatilla or Morrow counties. This January also was far warmer than last year’s, when Pendleton’s mean was 22.5 and Hermiston’s 21.4. Relay for Life sets planning meeting Gearing up for its second year as the Relay for Life of Umatilla County, organizers have announced meetings to discuss plans for the 2018 event. In an effort to maximize resources, the American Cancer Society combined the Hermiston and Pendleton events into one larger event last year. Plans for a single Umatilla County event are underway again this year. Carol Preston, event lead, invites people to get involved with the fundraiser. Money is used to fund cancer research and provide assistance with patient care programs. The upcoming planning meeting is Thursday at 6 p.m. in the medical office of Dr. Patricia Winn, 3001 St. Anthony Way, Suite 135, in Pendleton. Meetings continue the second Thursday of each month. The Relay for Life of Umatilla County is Saturday, June 16 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Roy Raley Park in Pendleton. For more information, contact Preston at relaypendleton@ yahoo.com or 541-379-6294. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Residents from evacuated homes on Southwest 9th Place stand on the corner as firefighters check for natural gas Thursday in Hermiston. A resident hit a natural gas line while digging in his yard. Neighborhood evacuated after homeowner ruptures gas line HERMISTON HERALD The neighborhood of Southwest Ninth Place and Duane Avenue in Hermiston was evacuated Thursday afternoon for a ruptured a gas line. Troy Stolz, who lives on Ninth Place, said he was using a shovel to dig up a leaky water line when he struck a natural gas line instead. “Just one stab of the shovel and out it came,” he said. Stolz said he wasn’t sure who to call so he called the non-emergency line for Hermis- ton Police Department and they took it from there. The department and Umatilla County Fire District 1 responded shortly before 1 p.m. to assist in blocking off the neighborhood, evacuating residents and securing the area before Cascade Natural Gas employees arrived to fix the line. People are supposed to call 811 before they do excavation work in order to find out where utility lines are placed. Stolz said he hadn’t thought to call about such a small project, but now he was embarrassed by “all this attention.” For more information about avoid- ing underground natural gas, electri- cal and water lines, visit www.call811. com. Windy River teacher’s sex abuse charges came from time in The Dalles By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER A Boardman teacher arrested Friday was charged with multiple counts of sex- ual abuse for incidents that took place last year while he was teaching in The Dalles. Robert Weems, 42, was arrested by The Dalles Police and has been charged with one count of offi- cial misconduct in the first degree, two counts of sex- ual abuse in the second degree, and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree. According to the indict- ment, Weems abused a girl under the age of 18 between Robert Weems Bryan Bates March and November of 2017 in Wasco County. Weems was hired by the Morrow County School District in July 2017, and is now a sixth-grade teacher at Windy River Elementary School. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a press release from the district. “The district was made aware of a potential sit- uation regarding Weems on the morning of Thurs- day, Feb. 1, and immedi- ately placed him on leave,” the release said. He was arrested the following day. Brian Schimel, the human resources director for North Wasco County School District, said Weems was a substitute teacher for the district from 2015 to 2017. Schimel said that Weems worked at the high school, the middle school and all three elementary schools during that time. Schimel said he did not know when the investiga- tion into the abuse started. Weems is the sec- ond teacher from a Mor- row County school to be charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the past sev- eral weeks. Ione Community Char- ter School teacher Bryan Bates, 24, was arrested Jan. 24 on accusations of harassment, third-degree sexual abuse, and official misconduct. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office stated that Bates abused a 16-year-old female student on school property. Bates was in his second year of teaching K-12 music at the school. Ione Community School is not part of the Morrow County School District.
