A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
RECORDS / LOCAL
Police department moves
toward take-home vehicles
By JESSICA POLLARD
STAFF WRITER
The parking lot out-
side the Hermiston Police
Department is getting full,
but that will be less of a
worry for the department
this fall.
The department plans
on leasing nine Ford SUVs,
and modifying another
eight existing patrol cars to
become take-home vehicles
for patrol officers.
There are currently 17
officers who are assigned to
patrol, out of the 27 sworn
officers who are part of the
department.
Police
Chief
Jason
Edmiston said the move
came about when he noticed
other city departments in
Hermiston switching over to
take-home vehicles using A
program Enterprise Rent-A-
Car offers municipalities.
He said he anticipates
that the take-home vehicles
will each have fewer miles
on them. He also said that
the vehicles will increase
police presence, as more
than 60% of the department
lives in city limits and will
be driving them around.
It’s a way, as Edmiston
said, to “work smarter and
do more with less” as the
population in Hermiston
continues to grow and per-
sonnel time remains a high
expense for the department.
The cost of leasing the
vehicles is slightly lower
than the annual cost of pur-
chasing new patrol cars,
although the costs to upgrad-
ing each one represents a
small budget increase for
the year.
Edmiston said the move
would circumnavigate a pos-
sible parking lot expansion.
“It’s kind of a trifecta
of different things. One of
them is a need for a larger
parking lot. There’s a lot of
people that may have court,
and sharing with munici-
pal court gets crowded,” he
said.
The records manage-
ment system has also been
upgraded to accommodate
smartphones, discontinu-
ing reliance on computers in
patrol vehicles. In place of
digital cameras and comput-
ers, the officers were issued
cellphones.
The phones will reduce
the amount of time an offi-
cer spends at the station pre-
paring photos for incidents.
The move has report-
edly caused a buzz on social
media about distracted driv-
ing, according to Edmiston.
“I would argue that our
officers are distracted right
now with all the equipment
in our vehicles,” he said.
“For the most part, I don’t
see any changes in regard to
how the officers are.”
BRIEFS
SAGE Saturday
features farm
animal craft
Kids are invited to get
creative as they paint their
own wooden farm ani-
mal puzzles during SAGE
Saturday.
The free event is Satur-
day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the SAGE Center, 101
Olson Road, Boardman.
The activity is available
while supplies last. Also,
participants are encouraged
to tour the museum exhibits.
The SAGE — Sus-
tainable AGriculture and
Energy — Center is an
interactive visitor’s cen-
ter. It provides information
about technology within the
Port of Morrow and beyond.
There’s also a museum
store, which includes Tilla-
mook ice cream sold by the
scoop.
Center hours are Sun-
day through Thursday from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fri-
day/Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Regular admis-
sion is $5 for adults, $3 for
seniors/students and free
for children under 5, active
military personnel and vet-
erans. There is a $20 maxi-
mum for a family. For more
information, call 541-481-
7243 or visit www.visit-
sage.com.
Golf tourney
tees off for
Campus Life
A two-person flighted
scramble golf tournament
will benefit Campus Life.
In its fourth year, the
Campus Life Golf Tourna-
ment is Saturday, Aug. 24
at Big River Golf Course,
709 Willamette Ave., Uma-
tilla. Registration opens at
7 a.m. with a shotgun start
at 8 a.m. The cost is $50 per
person. Book money will be
awarded for gross and net
team scores.
The event raises thou-
sands of dollars to help sup-
port Hermiston’s Campus
Life program. The faith-
based organization supports
local youths.
For more information or
to register, contact info@
campuslifegolf.com or visit
www.campuslifegolf.com.
In addition, hole spon-
sorships are available.
To reserve a cart, contact
Megan Olsen at 541-922-
3006 or megan@golfbi-
griver.com.
WEDNESDAy, AuguST 7, 2019
COURTS
Sentences
$430.08.
ment for $1,811.44.
PENDLETON — The follow-
ing sentences have been
imposed in Umatilla County
courts:
•Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Alyssa
Wizner of Hermiston: seeks
$897.88.
•Credits Inc. vs. Francisco
Diaz Jr. and Julissa Moncada
of umatilla: judgment for
$1,119.72.
MISDEMEANOR
•Adolf gonzalez-Salazar, 34,
Hermiston, pleaded guilty to
DuII: sentenced to 49 days jail;
pleaded guilty to giving False
Information to Police in Con-
nection With Citation/Warrant:
sentence to discharge.
•Timathy Nathan Thomason,
27, Hermiston, pleaded guilty
to DuII: sentenced to 2 days
jail, 178 days jail-suspended,
3 years probation, 40 hours
community service, $1,000
fine, $4,000 fine-suspended
and 1 year driver’s license sus-
pension, plus court costs and
fees (termination of Diversion
Program).
•Jose Omar garcia garcia of
Hermiston vs. german Aguilar
of Hermiston: seeks $5,100.
•Credits Inc. vs. Michael g.
Acton of Stanfield: seeks
$1,082.81.
•Credits Inc. vs. Anna S. Carson
of umatilla: seeks $1,665.06.
•Credits Inc. vs. Thad T. Marti
of Irrigon: seeks $368.03.
•Credits Inc. vs. Wade (Patrick
Wade) Miracle of Hermiston:
seeks $515.72.
•Credits Inc. vs. Darlene and
Fortunato Pacheco of umatil-
la: judgment for $1,336.70.
Divorces
PENDLETON — Divorce
decrees were signed in Uma-
tilla County Courts for:
•Credits Inc. vs. Kelly and Re-
becca Robison of Hermiston:
seeks $3,147.08.
Krickett Jinae Mabe of Herm-
iston and James Roderick
Random Mabe of Newcastle,
Neb.
Judgments
PENDLETON — The follow-
ing suits have been filed
in Umatilla County courts
(interest, court costs and
fees not listed):
PENDLETON — The follow-
ing judgments have been
rendered in Umatilla County
courts (interest, court costs
and fees not listed):
•Synchrony Bank vs. Valerie
Hurford of umatilla: seeks
$1,813.78.
•Credits Inc. vs. Mario Bazan
Ayala and yaneli Ayala of
umatilla: judgment for
$718.88.
•Evergreen Financial Services
Inc. vs. Wayne and Carol
Roberts of umatilla: seeks
$2,323.08.
•Evergreen Financial Services
Inc. vs. Fayrine Mcgregor
League of umatilla: judgment
for $366.80.
•Credits Inc. vs. Martha E.
Montes of Boardman: seeks
$1,610.53.
Suits Filed
•Synchrony Bank vs. Karol
Westfall of Hermiston: seeks
$748.27.
•Evergreen Financial Ser-
vices Inc. vs. Mariah Murray
of Hermiston: judgment for
$1,892.20.
•Credits Inc. vs. Janea R. and
Kevin P. Fricke of Hermiston:
judgment for $2,988.94.
•Credits Inc. vs. Aaron Wilson
of Irrigon: judgment for
$1,159.73.
•Evergreen Financial Services
Inc. vs. Lisa McCoy of Hermis-
ton: seeks $305.55.
•Credits Inc. vs. Stephanie
Lynn Atilano of umatilla: judg-
ment for $577.59.
•Evergreen Financial Ser-
vices Inc. vs. Susana Q. Torres
Cisneros of Hermiston: seeks
•Credits Inc. vs. Rebekah L.
Comstock of Heppner: judg-
Marriages
PENDLETON — Marriage li-
censes have been registered
in Umatilla County for:
greg Barton Hamm, 33, and
Tavin Renae Headings, 22,
both of Hermiston.
Eric Todd Crowther, 35, of
Hermiston, and Josefina
Marianna Lonn, 29, of Skovde,
Sweden.
Aaron Robert Chrystal, 42, and
Marcia Shelynn Studebaker,
35, both of Hermiston.
Roberto Amezcua Cruz, 24,
and Kelly Maureen Buschke,
32, both of Hermiston.
Mycheal Angel Flores, 21, of
Hermiston, and Carla yesenia
Ledesma, 22, of umatilla.
Stanfield motorcyclist dies in head-on crash
A Stanfield man riding
his motorcycle died Thurs-
day evening near Plym-
outh after a car struck him
head-on.
The Washington State
Patrol reported the crash
occurred at about 6:50 p.m. a
half-mile north of Plymouth
when Alan W. Sells, 55, was
driving his gray 2004 Har-
ley-Davidson WGI west on
State Route 14 at McNary
Court. Tomas Alacaraz-Cor-
tez, 41, of Kennewick, was
eastbound on Route 14 in
a maroon Honda Accord,
crossed the center line and
plowed head-on into Sells
and his motorcycle.
Sells died at the scene.
Washington State Parol
reported he was wearing a
helmet. The crashed totaled
both vehicles. An ambu-
lance took Alacaraz-Cortez
to Trios Health Southridge
Hospital, Kennewick.
The state patrol also
reported the crash investiga-
tion is ongoing and charges
against Alacaraz-Cortez are
pending.