A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018
LOCAL
Police say Hermiston
shooting suspect bit
officer on thumb
HERMISTON HERALD
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY NWIC8
Firefighters work on the Wilson Prairie fire in south Morrow County.
A ‘thank you’ to firefighters
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
When it seems like the
entire state is on fire, it’s
only natural that people
want to show their support
to the firefighters working
to keep the flames at bay.
Christie Shaw of the
Oregon Department of For-
estry said simple thank-yous
are often enough. Person-
nel working on the Wilson
Prairie fire in south Mor-
row County have men-
tioned community mem-
bers and tourists thanking
them at a local restaurant,
and crews on large wildfires
will often see hand-written
signs posted in communi-
ties thanking them for their
service.
“I know that’s meaning-
ful to them,” she said.
Families displaced by
wildfires often need sup-
plies as they wait out in
the fire and in some cases
find they have no home to
return to. Firefighters on
large wildland fires, on the
other hand, are “fully com-
pensated and supported” for
their work, including water
and meals at the fire camp
that the Department of For-
estry has budgeted for.
Shaw said while fire-
fighters “love to feel that
they’re valued,” it tends
to make more sense to
check in with smaller rural
fire departments — which
often run on volunteers —
with more limited budgets
to ask if there is anything
they need help with, rather
than dropping off donations
unannounced at govern-
ment-run fire camps. One
year, for example, a com-
munity ended up dropping
off “crates and crates of
socks” to a fire camp even
though firefighters were
well-stocked with socks
already.
Danny Palomino of
Hermiston is trying to go the
rural support route by start-
ing a Facebook page called
“Watch my 6 I got yours”
this week. He said he hopes
to serve as a focal point for
people to drop off dona-
tions they want to give, and
then he can contact agen-
cies in Umatilla and Mor-
row counties and see if they
are running low on any of
those supplies, instead of a
stream of community mem-
bers dropping by fire sta-
tions unannounced.
“It’s been pretty horrible
with all of these fires lately,
and I know people want to
help but they feel helpless,”
he said.
He said he traveled to
the Eagle Creek fire in the
Columbia Gorge last sum-
mer to drop off Gold Bond,
baby wipes and “pocket
snacks” but had a lot of dif-
ficulty getting through to
deliver them, which is why
he thought coordinating
with local fire departments
was a better route.
Umatilla County Fire
District 1 operations chief
Jim Forquer said the district
has had to turn down some
offers of support lately, but
he hoped people understood
it was because the district
was incredibly busy and
not because they weren’t
grateful.
“We’re really apprecia-
tive of our relationship with
the community,” he said. “It
doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Forquer said the public
can be a huge help to fire-
fighters by paying atten-
tion while driving and get-
ting out of the way quickly
when a truck or ambulance
comes through with lights
and sirens.
He said the very biggest
thing people can do to sup-
port the fire district was to
stay safe — including pre-
cautions such as wear-
ing life jackets and staying
hydrated — and do every-
thing in their power to pre-
vent fires.
“We’ve had several fires
where folks weren’t follow-
ing the burn ban, and that
creates an additional work
load,” he said.
Alex Luis Ahumada
of Boardman pleaded not
guilty on Aug. 1 to assault
and other charges stem-
ming from the shooting
of a man in May in Herm-
iston. He also faces new
charges for biting a Pend-
leton officer while naked.
Pendleton police Lt.
Charles Byram said offi-
cers on July 28 responded
to a report of stranger
banging on the door, yell-
ing and acting erratic. Offi-
cers spotted the suspect in
a field behind the C M Sau-
sage Co. at 1140 Tutuilla
Road near Southwest Mar-
shall Avenue in Pendleton.
Ahumada was naked,
Byram said, under the
influence of some sub-
stance and in a state of
“excited delirium.” Police
tried to detain Ahumada,
and one officer recognized
him because there was a
warrant for his arrest.
“Then the fight was
on,” Byram said. “It took
four officers just to get him
under control, and during
the confrontation he bit
one of the officers.”
The victim was J.D.
Lambert, and the injury
was to his thumb. He went
back to work after receiv-
ing medical treatment.
Police hauled Ahu-
mada to St. Anthony Hos-
pital, Pendleton, due to his
intoxicated state. Byram
said officers kept a watch
on him there until Aug. 1,
when they booked him into
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton, on multiple
charges, including resit-
ing arrest, interfering with
police, attempted escape
and assaulting a police
officer.
Ahumada, 33, was
in Umatilla County Cir-
cuit Court, Hermiston on
Aug. 1 to face charges of
first-degree assault, two
counts of unlawful use of
a weapon and one count
of felon in possession of a
firearm. The state alleged
Ahumada on May 19 shot
and injured Carlos Antonio
Ramirez, 27, of Hermiston.
Police first captured
Ahumada on May 23 after
he barricaded himself
inside a Boardman home.
“It took four
officers just to get
him under control,
and during the
confrontation
he bit one of the
officers.”
Lt. Charles Byram,
Pendleton police
The grand jury handed
up the assault charges stem-
ming from the shooting
July 26 after hearing from
police and other witnesses,
including Ramirez, accord-
ing to the indictment.
Circuit Judge Dan Hill
set Ahumada’s bail at
$500,000. The next hear-
ing in the case is Aug. 13.
Court records also
show Ramirez has two
cases pending in Uma-
tilla County for second-de-
gree theft. The state alleges
Ramirez stole merchandise
worth $100 or more from
the Hermiston Walmart on
June 23, July 7 and July 10.
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