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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2019)
LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Two suspects arrested in Navarrete slaying By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN AND PHIL WRIGHT STAFF WRITERS Staff photo by Jade McDowell/East Oregonian A portion of the pedestrian bridge over the Umatilla River near Umatilla High School collapsed Sunday. Flooding damages Umatilla bridge By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Umatilla County and several of its cities have declared a state of emer- gency as fl ooding damages structures. In Umatilla, a pedestrian bridge connecting South Hill with downtown par- tially collapsed sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The bridge spans the Umatilla River about half a mile west of Umatilla High School, and many students use it to walk to school. The next closest bridge is another half mile west where Highway 730 crosses the river. Umatilla city manager David Stockdale said on Monday that engineers had yet to make an offi cial deter- mination, but staff believe it is a total loss. Demolition and replacement costs will likely be in the millions of dollars and take at least a year — probably more like three to fi ve years, he said. On Sunday morn- ing a section of the bridge dipped down toward the water, which was rush- ing just below the bridge as spring runoff pushed the river higher than usual. A tangle of branches was caught under the break in the bridge. Scott Coleman, city pub- lic works director, said when rivers are swollen with fl oodwaters, debris tend to collect against the bridge and form a natural dam, magnifying stress and pressure on the structure. “That’s what we had going on here,” he said. A water main runs along the bridge, carrying water to South Hill residents. Coleman said the water had been rerouted and was being delivered through a different pipe. No one lost Alzheimer’s Association offers support Emotional support and resources are available for family, friends and care- givers for people with Alz- heimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Asso- ciation coordinates groups that connect people that are on the same unique journey of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The groups offer an opportu- nity to learn, share and gain emotional support from others. “Alzheimer’s is a debil- itating disease,” said Tom Moore, Hermiston support group facilitator. “One of the most diffi cult things for family members and care- givers to recognize is that the behaviors exhibited are coming from the disease and not from their loved one.” There is no fee to attend. Hermiston groups include: •Second Monday of each month from 5:30-7 p.m. at Guardian Angel Memory Care, 540 N.W. 12th St. •Fourth Monday of each month from 5:30-7 p.m. at Good Shepherd Medical Center, 610 N.W. 11th St. Both of Moore’s par- ents had dementia and his wife is now battling the dis- ease. Moore began studying The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com the disease through online courses offered by organi- zations like the Alzheimer’s Association and Oregon Care Partners. “I have found by attend- ing a support group for years — and also facilitat- ing two different support groups — that I not only learn from other’s experi- ences, but am able to con- tribute to their ability to deal with their caregiving experiences in a positive way.” For more information about the Alzheimer’s Asso- ciation support groups and other resources, call 1-800- 272-3900 or visit www.alz. org/oregon. their water service but they may see a drop in pressure, and there would be a major problem if the backup line broke. Umatilla Police Depart- ment posted on Facebook that anyone trying to cross the broken bridge would be subject to criminal tres- pass charges. Stockdale said the bridge is “unusable and unsafe.” “Go ahead and be curi- ous — from a distance,” he said. “If nature is taking out a structure like that, it’s defi - nitely lethal to humans.” The Umatilla city council planned to make an emer- gency declaration regard- ing the bridge during their meeting at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening at city hall, follow- ing a budget work session at 6 p.m. Over the weekend the Umatilla River contin- ued to run high elsewhere, including the rapids formed along Umatilla River Road, fl ooded fi elds between Echo and Pendleton and the fl ood- ing that continued to wash over Riverfront Park and the Oxbow Trail in Hermiston. On the other side of the county, McKay Creek has fl ooded neighborhoods in Pendleton, Ukiah and Pilot Rock. On Friday and Sat- urday hundreds of volun- teers fi lled, transported and stacked sandbags to protect homes. Willowbrook Ter- race evacuated its 35 res- idents and several homes experienced water damage. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners offi cially declared an emer- gency on April 10, and the county’s emergency man- agement department has been busy taking stock of the damage and meeting with offi cials in areas where fl ooding has occurred. They are being assisted by numer- ous local agencies and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led team of disaster volunteers. CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS SATURDAY APRIL 20 TH Hermiston Best Western Hermiston Police have arrested two men in a June 2018 murder. David Edgar Sommer- ville, 19, of Hermiston, and Vincent Wesley David Shermantine, 29, have been charged in connection with the murder of 26-year-old Erik Navarrete, who was found on June 4 of last year with a gunshot wound to the head at a residence in the 500 block of West Hart- ley Avenue. Navarrete was unconscious and was fl own to Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, where he was taken off life support sev- eral days later. Sommerville has been charged with aggravated murder, felony murder, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and robbery in the fi rst degree. Sherman- tine was charged with mur- der, fi rst-degree robbery, felon in possession of a fi re- arm and unlawful use of a weapon. Both men had been in the Umatilla County Jail since late March on charges not related to the homicide. Hermiston Police identi- fi ed Sommerville as a sus- pect after following leads for several months. On March 26, they arrested him for resisting arrest, unlawful possession of methamphet- amine, interfering with a peace offi cer and carrying a concealed weapon. On April 10, the Navarrete homi- cide case was presented to the Umatilla County Grand Jury, who charged Sommer- ville with murder. According to the indict- ments, Sommerville and Shermantine attempted to commit robbery and, while trying to leave the scene, Shermantine Sommerville Sommerville fi red a gun at Navarrete, who, according to the document, was not a participant in the crime. Umatilla County District Attorney Dan Primus said he was aware of what Som- merville was trying to steal, but was not comfortable releasing the information. He would not say whether Sommerville and Navarrete knew each other. Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmis- ton said there was a “family relation” between Sherman- tine and Sommerville. Sommerville is being held in the Umatilla County Jail without bail, and has a preliminary hearing on April 30. Shermantine was arraigned Friday afternoon in Hermiston and is also being held at the jail. The court appointed two Portland-area lawyers to represent Sommerville: Benjamin Kim and Steve Lindsey. They defended Edwin Lara, 31, who in Jan- uary 2018 pleaded guilty to aggravated murder for the 2016 killing of 23-year-old Kaylee Sawyer of Bend. Lara is serving a life sen- tence at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, Pendleton. Sommerville’s attorneys fi led a request for the court to order the district attor- ney’s offi ce to allow inspec- tions of evidence and pro- vide copies of police reports, recordings, photographs and more. Primus said his offi ce has set a meeting with Kim and Lindsey. VISIT US ON THE WEB AT HermistonHerald.com May 2-4, 2019 1PM CLASS ONLY! Multi-State $ 80 Oregon Included No Fee Oregon Only $ 45 MULTI-STATE Valid 35-States, including Washington Shaun Shaun Curtain Curtain 360-921-2071 360-921-2071 or or email: email: ShaunCurtain@gmail.com ShaunCurtain@gmail.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com Join us for a full weekend of geldings, grit and cowboy gear. 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