NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Hermiston animal East Penney Avenue project moves forward
fi es bicycle regulations in
cue Plan funds, and should
at the last meeting. One is
sighting could be a
downtown Hermiston.
receive at least that in
the city law regarding nui-
Hermiston is going for-
City Manager Byron
2022. According to meet-
sances. The ordinance has
bear, biologist says ward with building East ing documents, the city several updates, includ- Smith
said the staff
Hermiston Herald
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
A dark and fuzzy photo
of a possible bear is circu-
lating around social media,
causing exhaustive argu-
mentation. While some
people believe the image
in the photo is a bear, other
people are not so sure.
Maybe it is a dog, they
say. A few people even
claim it is a calf.
A UPS Customer Care
Center employee made the
fi rst report Thursday, Oct.
21, at 1 p.m. after he saw
the animal near his work on
Westport Lane, Hermiston.
A Umatilla County
sheriff ’s deputy responded
to the call, arrived on the
scene and took photos
that are now causing all
the debate.
Steve Cherry, district
wildlife biologist with the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife, said a bear
sighting is possible.
“You never know,” he
said.
The odds are not great
of a black bear being seen
where it was, but he would
not rule it out. He has seen
photos of the sighting, and
he said “they all look like
they could be a bear.”
The nearest popula-
tion of black bears lives
around 30 miles away
from the report of the
sighting, Cherry said. That
population lives toward
the Blue Mountains, just
outside Pendleton.
When young bears leave
their mother, they some-
times wander as they search
for a new home. Cherry
said such a bear, right now,
would be getting ready for
hibernation and would be
looking for a food source.
A stray bear, in this sit-
uation, could be attracted
by trash cans. There would
be few other sources for
Umatilla County Sheriff ’s Offi ce/
Contributed Photo
A Umatilla County sheriff ’s
deputy on Thursday, Oct,.
21, 2021, shot this photo of
a possible bear off Westport
Lane in Hermiston.
food in the area, so it would
likely move on to a diff er-
ent place.
Mark Kirsch, John Day
watershed manager for the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife, said the pres-
ence of a bear in Hermiston
would be “very atypical.”
“I can’t remember
another one,” he said.
Kirsch said he can’t
speak to the exact moti-
vation that would drive a
bear out of the mountains
and toward the desert, but
added animals’ motivation
to wander is “typically tied
to their stomach.”
People should not be
worried about an attack,
Cherry said. Bears, unless
they are overly famil-
iar with people, are afraid
of us.
If people come face-
to-face with a bear, they
should “act big,” Cherry
said. They should stand tall
and shout, keeping their
eyes on the bear. Backing
up is fi ne to do, but peo-
ple should not turn and run.
Such action may encourage
bears to pursue.
Most times, bears will
run from people when peo-
ple do not act fearful in
front of the bears.
———
EO Media Group
reporter Bryce Dole con-
tributed to this report.
Penney Avenue’s connec-
tion between Southeast
Kelli Boulevard and High-
way 395.
The Hermiston City
Council at its meeting
Monday night, Oct. 25,
voted 6-0 to authorize
accepting up to $596,600
from the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s
Immediate
Opportunity
Fund to develop and com-
plete the road.
The city also has to pro-
vide a 50% match against
the grant funding. The city
has received $1.9 million
in federal American Res-
can use those funds to pro-
vide the 50% match.
The council voted 6-0
to approve the agreement
with ODOT to accept the
grant.
The next steps are for
the engineering and design
fi rm of Anderson Perry to
work on the design in the
next month or so. The city
plans to advertise for bids
from January to February
2022, select a bid and have
construction going by the
summer.
The
council
also
returned to amending a
pair of ordinances it tabled
ing to a number of defi ni-
tions and adds graffi ti as a
nuisance.
The update also clari-
fi es the appeals process.
In special circumstances
when the council declares
a nuisance the appeal
would go to circuit court.
The council voted 6-0
to approve it and make it
eff ective 30 days after the
vote.
The second city law
grants the code enforce-
ment offi cer the authority
to issue traffi c citations,
establishes a parade per-
mit process and simpli-
brought this back to the
council for feedback only
from the council. The
council gave several sug-
gestions. City attorney
Richard Tovey suggested
it would be benefi cial
to allow enough time to
incorporate the council’s
feedback to amendments
and bring back a complete
proposal at a future meet-
ing. The council voted to
table approval.
In related city business,
the League of Oregon Cit-
ies announced Mayor Dave
Drotzmann is the new trea-
surer for the league.
Man faces murder, more in 2020 Hermiston killing
EO Media Group
A suspect in the slaying of a man
in Hermiston in 2020 is not getting
out of the Umatilla County Jail any-
time soon.
Keith Michael Beridon, 26, of La
Grande, is on the hook for two counts
to unlawful use of a weapon, one
count of felon in possession of a fi re-
arm and one of second-degree murder
in the homicide of Jesus Eli Lopez,
according to state court records.
Lopez’s body was found June 9,
2020, in his family’s garage, accord-
ing to news reports. He died from
a gunshot.
Umatilla County District Attorney
Dan Primus said his offi ce extradited
Beridon from California. He is in jail
without bail, where he will stay for
the remainder of the case.
Beridon in September had a bail
hearing. Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen
found the evidence showed a strong
presumption that Beridon was respon-
sible for the homicide and would not
grant him bail, so he remains in cus-
tody, Primus said.
Primus said he can’t speak to any of
the facts in the case, “only the posture
of the case, where it’s at in the court sys-
tem.” Offi cials have yet to publicly dis-
close any apparent motive in the case.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason
Edmiston said based on the investi-
gation, Beridon is the lone suspect,
but when detectives fl ew to Orange
County, California, after his apprehen-
sion, possibly on an out-of-state war-
rant, he declined to talk.
Beridon’s pretrial conference
is scheduled for the afternoon of
Nov. 19 at the Umatilla County
Courthouse, Pendleton.
The most valuable and respected
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CORRECTION
The Page A9 story
“Echo’s Oktoberfest
gives rare opportunity
to local musicians,”
published Wednesday,
Oct. 20, misidentifi ed the
hometown of Margaret
Mayer and Alan Feves.
They live in Pendleton.
www.eomediagroup.com
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