A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018
NEWS
Officer injured
in arrest attempt
HERMISTON HERALD
STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS
Jail uniforms sit on a rack in the booking area at the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton. Officials are seeking more space.
Sheriff seeks funds for jail mental health
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Umatilla County Sher-
iff Terry Rowan has a small
ask from the Oregon Legis-
lature: $1 million.
The money would pay
for a major revamp at the
county jail in Pendleton to
allow the intake and tem-
porary housing of offend-
ers suffering mental crisis,
medical issues or addiction.
“Those three areas seem
to be significantly on the
rise,” Rowan said.
The jail was designed 20
years ago to hold 130 to 180
inmates. Thursday morn-
ing’s shift started with 229.
Much of that fulfills
Rowan’s promise to hold
offenders in jail until they
see a judge. But people with
mental illness are an increas-
ing part of the offender pop-
ulation, and their crimes are
often petty, such as throw-
ing rocks at windows.
“To me, it makes per-
fect sense some of that pop-
ulation never land in jail,”
Rowan said.
The Blue Mountain
Recovery Center in Pend-
leton used to take some of
those offenders, but the cen-
ter closed in 2014. Local
police lament how officers
can spend hours on one shift
dealing with a lawbreaker
in a mental state. Those
offenders also are often high
or drunk. Detoxification
centers won’t take someone
in the middle of a mental
episode, and mental health
providers won’t take some-
one under the influence.
That leaves the jail.
But Rowan said the jail
lacks the capacity to handle
inmates who are delusional,
high or both. That person
may need to be alone in a
holding cell, he said, and
the jail’s intake center has
two holding cells for mul-
tiple inmates. Jail staff even
converted one of two small
strip search rooms into a
small cell.
“What we’re seeing is a
bottleneck in the booking
area,” Rowan said.
The fix would be an
$800,000 renovation to help
accommodate inmates with
mental health problems.
That does not include the
cost of moving and install-
ing security cameras and the
like.
LCA Architects, Boise,
designed the jail, and
Rowan said he had the com-
pany visit last year. That led
to a proposal to convert one
of the jail’s two sally ports
into new holding areas and
a book-in site. That would
provide space for someone
in a crisis. The plan also
uses existing space to add
eight beds to the intake area.
The only new construc-
tion would be for storage.
Jail Sgt. Kenny Franks
said housing more inmates
means
needing
more
clothes, more bedding, even
more rubber gloves for
staff. Franks showed how
little space is left.
Large red plastic bins
for inmate belongings fill
nearly all the shelves in one
room. Files about inmates
threaten to take up another.
The mobile rack for inmate
clothing has no closet and
sits next to a wall. Franks
said staff cram extra mat-
tresses into a closet.
“Storage would be a
huge help to the whole facil-
ity,” he said.
Restructuring the jail
also would make it more
efficient, Rowan and Franks
said.
Umatilla County Jail is
the regional hub for trans-
ferring inmates. Buses drop
off multiple inmates each
Wednesday and others take
them away. That happens in
the second sally port, where
inmates wait inside a wire
cage up to five hours.
Franks said while the
sally port has video cam-
eras, staff have to be in
the room monitoring the
inmates. New holding cells
would allow video surveil-
lance alone and not tie up
an officer for half a shift on
one task.
Umatilla County Com-
missioner George Murdock
backs Rowan’s plan. He
said just as the jail is a trans-
fer hub, it could serve as a
regional mental heath drop-
off facility.
“We’re talking about
what to do with individuals
who are a danger to them-
selves and others and who
are on the street,” Murdock
said. “We would benefit
Wallowa, Morrow, Union,
and Umatilla counties.”
The commissioner also
pointed out when the state’s
prison population was
growing too large, lawmak-
ers created the Justice Rein-
vestment Initiative Act,
the grant program to pro-
vide counties with funds to
keep offenders out of prison
while keeping the pub-
lic safe. Murdock said the
state should follow a simi-
lar model to help local gov-
ernments deal with mental
health problems.
Amy Ashton-Williams,
director of Umatilla County
Human Services, said most
people who have mental
health issues do not com-
mit crimes. They take medi-
cations, follow their therapy
and are productive mem-
bers of the community. But
10 percent, she said, tax the
system.
Rowan made his pitch for
state funds Friday afternoon
in Salem to the Legislature’s
Subcommittee on Capital
Construction. He discussed
the proposal with Repub-
lican state lawmakers Sen.
Bill Hansell of Athena and
Rep. Greg Barreto of Cove.
Both said they support the
proposal but neither serve
on the subcommittee.
Rowan said if the Legisla-
ture does not come through,
he is not done pushing for
this. He said there might be
some opportunity through
Justice Reinvestment grants.
Mental health is a local,
state and national problem,
Murdock said, and this pro-
posal makes sense to house
mental patients on an imme-
diate basis.
“In Eastern Oregon,”
he said, “you may need to
sometimes find solutions
that aren’t perfect but that
work.”
MEDICAL
DIRECTORY
COUNSELING
Hermiston police Cpl.
Doug Gill was injured
after two suspects dragged
him under a vehicle after a
traffic stop Saturday.
At about 3 a.m. Satur-
day, Hermiston police Cpl.
Leonard Stokoe stopped a
2014 Toyota Camry for a
minor traffic violation near
the intersection of North-
east Third Street and East
Gladys Avenue, accord-
ing to a written statement
from police Lt. Randy
Studebaker. The offi-
cer reviewed documents
from the driver, Nathan
Olney, 36, of Hermiston,
and learned the car had the
wrong license plates.
Suspecting the vehi-
cle was stolen, he called
for backup, and Cpl. Doug
Gill arrived.
Stokoe and Gill tried to
detain Olney and passen-
ger Lucia Madrigal, 30,
of Boardman. The vehicle
sped away and Gill became
entangled on its passenger
WORSHIP
COMMUNITY
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
Grace Baptist Church
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
FAMILY DENTISTRY
Family Dentistry
541-567-8161
995 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston
Ryan M. Wieseler, D.D.S .
MENTAL HEALTH
URGENT AND FAMILY CARE
LET US BE THE ONE THAT HELPS!
HERMISTON FAMILY MEDICINE &
• Adult, Child and Family Therapy
• Psychiatric Evaluation and Treatment
• Mental Health and Crisis Services
• Confidential and Professional Care
LIFEWAYS PENDLETON Crisis Phone: LIFEWAYS HERMISTON
331 SE 2nd St.,
595 NW 11th St.,
866-343-4473
Pendleton, OR 97801
Hermiston, OR 97838
Office: 541-276-6207 WWW . LIFEWAYS . ORG Office: 541-567-2536
PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
Call Today!
541-289-5433
1060 W. Elm, Suite #115,
Hermiston, OR
(across from Good Shepherd Medical Center)
www.apd4kidz.com
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm
URGENT CARE
Sports & Dot Physicals • Minor Injuries • Family Care • Minor Surgeries
We accept Medicare & some Advantage Medicare plans
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
HOURS: Mon.-Sat.
7:30am-7:00pm
541-567-1137
236 E. Newport, Hermiston
(across from U.S. Bank)
VISION CARE
Eye Health & Vision Care
Robert D. Rolen , O.D., LLC
Optometric Physician
115 W. Hermiston Ave. Suite 130
541-567-1837
To advertise in the Medical Directory,
please call: Jeanne at 541-564-4531
or Audra at 541-564-4538
First United
Methodist
Church
Hermiston
191 E. Gladys Ave , Hermiston OR
Sunday Worship 11am • 541-567-3002
Nursery available Check us out on Face Book
Worship Livestream at herfumc.com
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
Echo
Community Church
21 N. Bonanza Street, Echo OR
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 PM
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
Phone: (541) 376-8108
Sunday School • 9:30am
Worship • 10:45am
Children’s Church • 11:15am
Potluck & Communion ~
First Sunday of the Month
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
NEW BEGINNINGS
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
~ N ew Patients Welcome~
side and was dragged for
about 30 yards.
Stokoe stayed to help
Gill, and the suspects
escaped.
Gill got 15 to 20 stitches
at Good Shepherd Medical
Center where medical staff
also removed glass from
his skin before releasing
him. Police Chief Jason
Edmiston said Gill would
return to work Wednesday.
Police found the vehi-
cle, which contained stolen
tools and electronics from
a burglary outside the city,
according to Studebaker.
The Morrow County
Sheriff’s Office on Sat-
urday afternoon arrested
Madrigal and booked her
into the Umatilla County
Jail on car theft and van-
dalism charges.
“We are still trying to
locate Nathan Olney,”
Studebaker said. “We
believe that he is armed,
and we are asking the pub-
lic to call 911 or 541-567-
5519 if they have informa-
tion about his location.”
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
...............................English 7:00 am
Thursday...............Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY:.........English 5:00 pm
...............................Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY:..............English 9:00 am
..........................Bilingual 11:00 am
..............................Spanish 1:00 pm
Offi ce..............................567-5812
First Christian
Church
“Proclaiming the Message of
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love”
Sunday School 9:15am
Worship Gathering 10:30 am
Children’s Church 10:30 am
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-567-8441
The Full Gospel
Home Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Sunday:
Sunday School........10:00 am
Worship...................11:00 am
Evening Service........7:00 pm
Wednesday Service..7:00 pm
“Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.”
1 Pet. 5:7
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
t. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
1520 W ORCHARD AVE
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am Classes for Kids @ 9:15 am
SEEKING JESUS, SHARING LIFE,
SERVING PEOPLE
www.hermistonnazarene.org
To share your
worship times call
541-278-2678