RECORDS
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
OBITUARIES
HeRMIsTOnHeRaLd.COM • A5
POLICE LOG
Martha Sylvia Conklin Montez
Hermiston
December 23, 1949 — May 16, 2020
Martha Sylvia Conk- cleaner, and many other
lin Montez was born on things … but she wore the
December 23, 1949, to Car- title of “Grandma” best.
los and Carolina Conklin
She is survived by her
in San Felipe, B.C., Mex- sons Cesar (Claudia) Flores,
ico. She passed
San Felipe, B.C.,
away on May 16,
Mexico, Carlos
2020, at the age
(Rosa) Flores,
of 70 at Good
Salem, Oregon,
Shepherd Med-
Hector
Mon-
tez Jr., Herm-
ical Center in
iston, Oregon,
Hermiston.
At this time
and Lawrence
there will be no
Montez, Herm-
iston, Oregon;
services because
daughters Min-
of current state
erva (Marcelino)
Conklin Montez
and
federal
Flores, Hermis-
restrictions.
ton, Oregon, and
M a r t h a
moved to the U.S. at the Diana (Saul) Castro, Stan-
age of 25 where she resided field, Oregon; brothers Car-
in California with her four los Conklin, Enrique Conk-
oldest children (Cesar, Min- lin, Irineo (Carla) Conklin
erva, Diana and Carlos) for and Arturo Conklin, all
a short period of time. She of San Felipe, B.C., Mex-
later moved to Plymouth, ico; sisters Erika Conklin,
Washington, before set- Mexicali, B.C., Mexico,
tling in Hermiston, Oregon, Ramona Conklin, Happy
in 1981 where she married Valley, Oregon, Mayra
Hector Montez Sr. They (Hector) Medelez, Herm-
had two more children iston, Oregon, and Lili-
(Hector Jr. and Lawrence). ana Conklin, Mexicali,
For many years she B.C., Mexico; grandchil-
worked at UNI in Board- dren Ashlee, CJ, Chance-
man, Oregon, and Budrich lor, Marla, Genesis, Brissa,
in Hermiston, Oregon. Yanahi, Nohemy, Taylor,
Later in life she had her Emilio, Candice, Bran-
own cleaning business: don, Isaiah, Steven, Diego,
M&M Janitorial Cleaning Efrain, Victoria, Ariam,
Damian, Chloe, Emma and
Services.
Martha was a member Kain; three great-grand-
of the Hermiston Eagles. children, Kitana, TJ and
She was a kind spirit who Jayden; and numerous
loved others more than her- nieces and nephews.
self. She had a smile that
Martha was preceded
lit up a room and an infec- in death by her husband,
tious laugh that was like Hector Montez Sr.; parents
no other! Her hugs made Carlos and Carolina Conk-
you feel safe and loved … lin; brother Ruben Conk-
lin; and sister Maria Elena
instantly.
Her hobbies included Conklin.
cooking, cleaning, taking
In lieu of flowers, please
care of others, traveling make contributions in Mar-
(especially back to Mex- tha’s memory to Burns
ico to visit loved ones) and Mortuary in Hermiston to
her biggest love, BINGO help with expenses.
Please share memories
with her best friends Ora-
lia and Justina. She enjoyed of Martha with her family
being with her friends and at burnsmortuaryhermis-
family more than anything ton.com.
Burns Mortuary of
else in the world. She was
a supporter, mother, sis- Hermiston, Oregon, is in
ter, friend, comedian, cook, care of arrangements.
James Edward Hennings
Baker City
April 17, 1989 — May 19, 2020
James Edward Hen- two sisters, Katie and
nings of Baker City, Ore- Annie Hennings of Herm-
gon, 31, passed away iston, Oregon; grandma
Tuesday, May 19, 2020, Esther Johnson, Elgin,
in Baker City, Oregon. Oregon; grandma Lenora
James was born
( G e o rg e )
on April 17,
Houser, Bend,
1989, in Herm-
O r e g o n ;
iston, Oregon,
grandma Shir-
ley
Burkeen
to Nanette John-
son and Jerry
(Mamo), Cord-
ell, Okklahoma;
Hennings.
He spent his
many
aunts
early years in
and
uncles,
Oklahoma and
and
numer-
ous
cousins
then moved to
Hennings
and extended
Union, Oregon,
family.
where he gradu-
ated from Union
He was pre-
ceded in death by his
High School in 2007.
James grew up camp- grandpas Harlan Johnson,
ing and fishing. He loved Jerry Hennings Sr., Roy
to swim the local riv- Burkeen (Papo) and Jesse
ers and hang out on the K. Gregory.
beaches. One could also
A Celebration of Life
find him at the local skate will be held at a later date
park. James was an avid after COVID-19 mandates
gamer and volunteered have been lifted.
at the Blue Mountain
Memorial contributions
Humane Association in La can be made in his name
Grande, Oregon.
to the American Diabetes
He had a big heart and Association or the Animal
always lent a hand to those Rescue & Adoption Cen-
in need. James was greatly ter of La Grande.
Grays West & Co. Pio-
loved and will be truly
missed by those chosen to neer Chapel of Baker City
is handling arrangements.
cross his path.
James is survived by his Please leave stories and
mother Nanette Gregory, tributes at grayswestco.
Burns Flat, Oklahoma, and com.
stepdad Kenny Gregory,
Burns Mortuary of
Cordell, Oklahoma; his Hermiston is handling a
dad Jerry (Arlene) Hen- private family burial at
nings, Hermiston, Ore- the Hermiston Cemetery.
gon; two brothers, Jesse Please share memories of
Gregory, Baker City, Ore- James and sign the guest
gon, and Travis Gregory, book at burnsmortuary-
Burns Flat, Oklahoma; hermiston.com.
TUESDAY, MAY 19
FRIDAY, MAY 22
5:28 a.m. — A vehicle theft was reported on Southeast 10th
Street.
11 a.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on North First Street.
11:51 a.m. — A caller reported he was fighting with his brother
on East Montana Avenue.
2:34 p.m. — A “minor” motor vehicle accident was reported in a
parking lot on Geer Road.
2:51 p.m. — A noninjury motor vehicle accident was reported in
a parking lot on North First Street.
3:01 p.m. — An assault was reported on West Elm Avenue.
3:21 p.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on West Highland Ave-
nue.
12:46 p.m. — A caller reported that someone had used their
information to make a fraudulent unemployment claim.
2:18 p.m. — A caller reported that she had left an envelope with
$1,400 on the seat of her vehicle in the Safeway parking lot and
she must have forgotten to lock her vehicle because when she
came back the money was gone.
8:49 p.m. — A caller reported they were involved in a motor
vehicle accident at 8 p.m. on North First Street with more than
$3,500 in damage.
11:17 p.m. — A disturbance was reported on Southeast Sixth
Street.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
9:37 a.m. — A disturbance was reported on West Hermiston
Avenue.
1:37 p.m. — A caller on East Ridgeway Avenue reported that her
daughter’s friend had been staying over at their house too much
and she didn’t want her there anymore, and she didn’t want the
friend to come to their property to pick up her belongings.
2:09 p.m. — A caller reported she was trying to pick up her be-
longings from a home where she had been staying, but the other
party was refusing to let her come over and threatening to get
physical if she tries.
6:40 p.m. — A drunken driver was reported on North First Street.
THURSDAY, MAY 21
3:19 a.m. — An assault was reported on Sixth Street.
5:37 a.m. — A domestic disturbance was reported on South First
Street.
7:19 p.m. — A disturbance was reported on East Francolin Ave-
nue.
Darrell Wayne Solomon
Hermiston
Aug. 28, 1940 — May 22, 2020
Darrell Wayne Solomon, 79, of Hermiston, died Fri-
day, May 22, 2020, in Hermiston. He was born Aug. 28,
1940, in North Platte, Nebraska. Arrangements are pend-
ing with Burns Mortuary of Hermiston. Share memories
with the family at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
SUNDAY, MAY 24
2:22 a.m. — A disturbance was reported on West Sunland Ave-
nue.
4:55 a.m. — A motor vehicle accident involving a driver hitting a
parked car was reported on Northwest 11th Street.
12:28 p.m. — A domestic disturbance was reported on East
Autumn Avenue.
6:21 p.m. — A burglary was reported on South Highway 395.
COURTS
SUITS FILED
PENDLETON — The following suits have been filed in Umatil-
la County courts (interest, court costs and fees not listed):
•Financial Assistance Inc. vs. Stuart and Deborah Harris: seeks
$8,646.32.
•Cavalry SPV I LLC vs. Michelle R. Getchell of Hermiston: seeks
$1,602.03.
•Capital One Bank vs. Kaley Lankford of Hermiston: judgment for
$3,514.78.
DIVORCES
PENDLETON — Divorce decrees were signed in Umatilla
County Courts for:
Steve George Cline and Angeline Carol Merkt-Cline of Hermiston.
MARRIAGES
JUDGMENTS
PENDLETON — The following judgments have been rendered
in Umatilla County courts (interest, court costs and fees not
listed):
PENDLETON — Marriage licenses have been registered in
Umatilla County for:
Travis Joseph Beck, 28, and Breena Renee Tolar, 29, both of
Hermiston.
Hermiston woman falls victim to scam
By KATY NESBITT
FOR THe HeRMIsTOn HeRaLd
One woman’s retirement
dream turned into a night-
mare this month when she
lost her life savings and her
home to wire fraud.
Karen Cranford has been
in Hermiston nearly 40
years, raising two sons and
working as an emergency
dispatcher for both Uma-
tilla County and the city of
Hermiston. Her retirement
plan was to sell her older
house, in need of much
repair, and buy a bigger one
that could accommodate
visiting family. With three
great-grandchildren close
by, she expected her new
house to be a hub of activity.
Cranford’s
daughter-
in-law, Jennifer Dorsey,
said Cranford’s dream was
dashed the day before she
was to close on the sale of
her new home when she dis-
covered the down payment
she wired to the title com-
pany in fact disappeared
into a fraudulent account.
Dorsey said Cranford got
an email two days before
she was to close on the new
house. The email, allegedly
from the title company,
instructed Cranford to wire
the down payment and clos-
ing cost to a bank account
included in the message and
not to call her contact at the
title company — he would
be too busy to talk to her by
phone, she was to communi-
cate only by email.
“The email from the title
company looked authen-
tic. It had the company’s
logo and the name of the
employee she had been
talking to, and a correct sig-
nature line, but on second
glance my husband and I
could tell it was a scam,”
Dorsey said.
The red flag was that the
email came from a Gmail
account, not the title com-
pany’s account, nor was
the title company employ-
ee’s name part of the email
address. These details
weren’t noticed right away
because the hacker did
know the title contact’s
name and the exact amount
of the down payment.
The police were con-
tacted, as well as the FBI,
but in cases like these the
money is typically wired
to a U.S. account, and then
to an overseas bank and
is gone.
tion and are easier to access.
“It’s easier to break into a
small office than a large cor-
poration,” Galloway said.
To ward off attacks, Gal-
loway said Stearns has
moved to a secured, digital
portal or encrypted website
instead of using email with
clients. When email is used,
an extra step is necessary,
like entering a password.
Spying on realtors is
often how hackers gain
“WE GOT ACCESS TO THEIR GMAIL
ACCOUNT TO SEE HOW THEY
OPERATED. THIS GROUP HAD OVER
30 ATTACKS THAT WERE ONGOING”
— Jason Jacobson, senior vice president and
chief information officer of AmeriTitle
With no down payment
and no home, Cranford will
have to move to Olympia,
Washington, to live with
Dorsey and her husband.
They now have to find a big-
ger home to accommodate
Cranford and her three dogs.
Dorsey wants her family’s
story to be a cautionary tale.
“They ruined her life
and now all of our lives
are upside down,” Dorsey
said. “If we make one per-
son stop and question some-
thing, hopefully it wasn’t all
for nought.”
Greg Galloway of Stea-
rns Home Loans said Cran-
ford’s story is a textbook
case of real estate wire
fraud.
“There has been a sig-
nificant increase as we have
moved into a more digital
environment — documents
are shared via email or other
electronic uses,” he said. “If
you can break into it, the
information can be used in
an illegal way.”
Title companies in small
communities are often tar-
geted because they don’t
have data security or encryp-
BIRTHS
DEATH NOTICE
SATURDAY, MAY 23
6:28 a.m. — A vehicle theft was reported on Southwest Ninth
Street.
6:54 a.m. — A vehicle theft was reported on West Orchard Ave-
nue.
12:52 p.m. — A vehicle theft was reported on West Eskimo
Avenue.
1:20 p.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on North First Street.
5:04 p.m. — Police conducted a death investigation on West Oak
Avenue.
7:24 p.m. — A domestic disturbance was reported on Northeast
Second Street.
9 p.m. — A hit-and-run was reported on Northwest 11th Street.
Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston
MAY 13, 2020
MURRAY — Delene A. Murray and Jacob T. Murray of Hermiston:
a girl, Gracie Marie Murray.
MAY 14, 2020
SEGURA HERNANDEZ — Otilia Hernandez and Victor Segura of
Hermiston: a girl, Genesis Daleila Segura Hernandez.
MAY 19, 2020
DOYLE — Kira Doyle and Justin Doyle of Hermiston: a girl, Cece-
lia Sunu Grace Doyle.
the information they need
to attack the home buyer,
Jason Jacobson, senior vice
president and chief infor-
mation officer of AmeriTi-
tle, said.
“They copy the signature
line and paste it into a new
Gmail account to try and
spoof the buyer or seller that
the email is coming from
the title company in order to
divert wire funds,” he said.
Jacobson said he does a
lot of education of his com-
pany’s realtor customers on
wire fraud because they are
now the primary target com-
pared to 10 years ago when
banks and title companies
were the targets.
“More financial institu-
tions are investing money
into securing their environ-
ment: he said.
Often the hackers get
information from the client
through an email offering a
free gift card. The receiver
clicks the link for the card
and a screen pops up that
looks like a Google login.
Once a password is entered,
the hacker can access an
email account and spy on
conversations and pick up
on closing dates and down-
payment amounts.
Jacobson said hackers
are usually from Nigeria or
the United Arab Emirates.
He said two months ago, his
company hacked a hacker
after 23 days embedded
with the FBI.
“We got access to their
Gmail account to see how
they operated. This group
had over 30 attacks that
were ongoing,” he said.
To help clients avoid
fraud, Jacobson said Amer-
iTitle provides information
upfront, letting customers
know agents never email
changes in wiring instruc-
tions. He said two-factor
authentication is also used,
like having a one-time pass-
word texted to the client to
access the account.
11
THINGS
TO DO
DURING
QUARANTINE
MOVE TO SUN TERRACE
- HERMISTON
1. Call Pam at 541-564-2595
2. Discuss apartment options
3. Learn about amenities
4. Book tour (virtual or in person)
5. Take tour
6. Choose apartment
7. Reserve apartment
8. Schedule assessment
9. Schedule movers
10.Pack up
11.Move in