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.