2A • September 1, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com
Hood to Coast runner
allegedly stole truck
Charged with
assault and
other crimes
By Jack Heffernan
EO Media Group
A Hood to Coast runner
was arrested early Satur-
day, Aug. 26, after allegedly
stealing a pickup truck and
running over another racer.
The pickup was servic-
ing port-a-potties at an ex-
change site near Birkenfeld
at about 2 a.m. when David
Jon Blackmon, 36, of Bend,
allegedly entered it and be-
gan driving. Soon after, he
allegedly drove the truck
through a field where run-
ners were resting.
Three runners were able
to move out of the way,
while another — Cynthia
Gillespie of Canby — was
run over and dragged a
short distance, authorities
said. The truck then stopped
while her leg was pinned
under a tire. She was later
transferred to Oregon Health
& Science University Hos-
pital and released after be-
ing treated
for minor
injuries.
Black-
mon
al-
legedly
fled
the
scene after
the truck’s
driver con-
David Jon
fronted
Blackmon
him. Or-
egon State Police located
Blackmon in the nearby
woods and charged him with
second-degree assault, reck-
less endangering, unautho-
rized use of a motor vehicle,
unauthorized entry into a
motor vehicle, possession of
a stolen vehicle and driving
while revoked.
Blackmon was taken to
Columbia County Jail. Po-
lice are still investigating the
incident.
High-visibility DUII
enforcement coming
Over the Labor Day hol-
iday Clatsop County law
enforcement agencies will
participate in the “Driving
While Under the Influence
of Intoxicants High Visibili-
ty Enforcement” grant from
Oregon Impact.
As part of the grant, the
law enforcement agencies
will have extra officers pa-
trolling the roadways, specif-
ically looking for impaired
drivers. It is important to
remember that impairment
is not limited to consuming
alcohol. Impairment can also
be caused by marijuana, in-
halants and other controlled
substances, such as illegal
drugs and prescription med-
ications.
There are several ways
to get home safely, such as
having a designated driver,
calling a taxi or walking.
If you see someone you
suspect may be operating
a motor vehicle while im-
paired, call 911 immediately.
We were ‘blinded by the light’
busy month, beginning with a
beach volleyball tournament
in Seaside the week before
and Hood to Coast this com-
ing this weekend. The popular
recreational Buoy 10 fishery
has drawn hundreds of anglers
to the area all month long.
Eclipse has
spectacular
views, few
hassles
By Jack Heffernan, Katie
Frankowicz
and Brenna Visser
On a whim
EO Media Group
Porsche Brunzell, sporting
a NASA shirt and sweatpants
featuring drawings of galax-
ies, sat at the base of the As-
toria Column facing the sun.
An admitted space nerd, she
had been counting down to the
moment for weeks.
She figured the Column,
just up the road from her
home, was as good a spot as
any to see the celestial event.
“I’m geeking out a bit, try-
ing to calm down,” she said
about an hour before the so-
lar eclipse as early morning
clouds began to fade. “The
universe has to give me this.”
For Brunzell and millions
of people across the United
States on Monday, Aug. 21,
the universe did just that. But
the total solar eclipse did not
bring the potential downsides
many had feared. There was
little traffic gridlock and no
unruly crowds — a relief on
the North Coast.
Sunny skies
Estimates had roughly 1
million people coming to Or-
egon over the weekend and
Monday, temporarily — and
quickly — increasing the
state’s population by nearly 25
percent. Officials from around
the state were expecting mas-
sive traffic delays, including in
some areas outside the path of
totality like the North Coast.
But compared to initial wor-
AP PHOTO/TED S. WARREN
The moon covers the sun during the total solar eclipse near
Redmond.
ries, it was sunny skies for the
state Department of Transpor-
tation.
“It’s like a busy weekend,”
ODOT spokesman Lou Tor-
res said. “We didn’t encounter
anything we couldn’t handle.”
The Department of Trans-
portation’s maintenance crews
and communications teams
will take the next few days
to discuss what worked and
didn’t work in preparation for
future large events.
“This was a great expe-
rience,” Torres said. “We’ve
never had anything like this in
terms of a mass traffic event.”
Though some agencies in-
creased patrols and even sent
some officers south to aid oth-
er departments near the path of
totality, law enforcement offi-
cials did not report any unusu-
al traffic or criminal activity.
“I think this is a reaction
to over-advertising,” Cannon
Beach Police Chief Jason
Schermerhorn said.
‘Eerily quiet’
In Clatsop County, out of
the path of totality, state and
local officials mostly worried
about fire and emergency sit-
uations that could occur in
the days before and after the
eclipse when people were
traveling to and from their
viewing locations. Local for-
estland and campground man-
agers prohibited all campfires,
and the Astoria Department of
Forestry Office began staging
crews and equipment at key
spots across the county last
week.
One firefighter stationed
near the county’s southern
border was prepared to camp
for several days in case traffic
was so bad that it didn’t make
sense for him to return to the
office each day.
By Sunday, the whole thing
felt more like a test run for this
weekend’s Hood to Coast relay
than a response to the eclipse.
When fire crews near Forest
Grove asked for assistance
with a wildland fire there, the
Astoria Department of For-
estry office was easily able to
send a few people down.
The celestial event hap-
pened right near the end of a
People who wanted to
experience the full eclipse
had already traveled south to
watch it glide along the path of
totality. Those who remained
to watch it at North Coast
landmarks — the Astoria Col-
umn, Peter Iredale shipwreck
and Haystack Rock — were
largely a mixture of locals and
vacationers who happened to
be passing through the area.
Libbie Stobely and Jeff
Skinner of Seattle made res-
ervations at the Hallmark Re-
sort and Spa in Cannon Beach
a year in advance. Regulars at
the hotel, the two did not con-
sider booking a room in the
path of totality.
When pondering whether
they should have made plans
inside the path or away from
possible cloud cover, both
had the same response: “Who
cares?”
Others, like Tom Ch-
mielewski and Sharon Russel,
of Madeira Beach, Florida,
ended up making their eclipse
plans on a whim. They were
visiting Astoria as part of a
two-week West Coast trip cel-
ebrating their upcoming 30th
anniversary. Though they
knew of the eclipse, it didn’t
factor much into the plans
they made Monday morning.
“We stumbled upon this
and we said, ‘Let’s go see the
totem!’” Chmielewski said.
Later that day, they witnessed
the eclipse from the Astoria
Column.
POLICE LOG
Aug. 11
12:38 a.m. — 12:52 a.m., The
Cove: Multiple subjects are
warned about unlawful lodging.
1:113 a.m. — 1:19 a.m., Cinema
parking lot: More multiple sub-
jects are warned for unlawful
lodging.
2:56 a.m., Estuary parking lot:
Unlawful lodgers are dislodged
from the parking area.
3:27 p.m., 1200 block Avenue E:
A man is arrested and charged
with burglary in the second
degree.
3:26 p.m., 200 block S. Roos-
evelt: A subject in possession of
methamphetamine is arrested
and charged.
Aug. 12
12:18 a.m., Avenue G: A subject
is arrested and charged with
forgery, robbery in the second
degree and harassment.
12:19 p.m., S. Lincoln: A man
feeling ill requested medical
assistance.
3:31 p.m., 500 block Broadway:
A man who committed a “dine
and dash” crime also provided
false information to police; later
it was noticed he had failed to
register as a sex offender with
the local police department.
4:42 p.m., 400 block N. Prom: A
subject was arrested for DUII.
Aug. 13
2:26 p.m., Avenue A and Beach:
A man taking pictures of fe-
males on the beach was told by
police his behavior was making
people uncomfortable and to
quit doing it.
8:31 p.m., 900 block Avenue
S: Police respond to a report
of children screaming for help
while locked inside a storage
unit for six days. No children or
any sign of children being held
captive were found.
8:35 p.m., Holladay and 16th: A
motor vehicle accident with an
injury is reported.
Aug. 14
1:26 a.m., Convention Center: A
disturbance is reported.
8:07 a.m., 800 block 15th
Avenue: Seaside police assist
Portland police with a police
matter.
16:10 p.m., 400 block S. Roos-
evelt: An assault is reported.
Aug. 15
12:44 a.m., N. Prom: Suspicious
circumstances are reported.
8:25 a.m., 1200 block N. Frank-
lin: Caller reports an injured
seagull in their yard. Wildlife
rehab was contacted.
Aug. 16
5:50 a.m., 1600 block S. Frank-
lin: Burglary in the 2nd degree,
criminal trespass, and theft in
the 2nd degree are reported.
4:55 p.m., 300 block S. Colum-
bia: A person is charged with
interfering with a police officer.
Aug. 17
3:56 a.m., Broadway Park: A
person who has been tres-
passed from sleeping in the
dugout and the park was
caught sleeping where he
shouldn’t have been sleeping.
9:41 a.m., Avenue A: A transient
who was sleeping on private
property was told to leave.
10:43 a.m., Police headquar-
ters: A person came in to be
fingerprinted for a liquor license
in Arizona.
11:15 a.m., Goodman Park:
A woman suspected of using
drugs in the public bathroom
was gone on police arrival. A
witness made note of the wom-
an’s license plate and turned
that information over to police.
observed emptying a jar or urine
on the sidewalk. The illegal uri-
nator is contacted and advised.
18:54 p.m., S. Edgewood: Caller
expresses concern for children
left alone after mother is taken
away by ambulance. Police
were able to contact a responsi-
ble adult for the children.
after; she said she was fine.
Aug. 22
Aug. 21
7:25 p.m., Police headquarters:
A woman walked in making
suicidal statements and then
left. Officers contacted her soon
10:47 a.m., 800 block S.
Lincoln: A person reported to
be in violation of the local laws
regarding marijuana cultivation
was contacted and advised.
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6:04 p.m., The Prom: Sex crimes
are reported.
9:06 p.m., The Prom: A highly
intoxicated woman was trans-
ported to the hospital by Medix.
Aug. 19
11:15 a.m., 1200 block S.
Roosevelt: Caller reports an
outhouse on property being
improperly used and in viola-
tion of the building code. The
building management is con-
tacted and told to remove the
outhouse and open the indoor
toilet facility to customers.
12:07 p.m., McDonald’s: A
banded white pigeon hanging
around McDonald’s for a week is
captured and boarded at Lyle’s
until its owner can be contacted.
Aug. 20
5:49 a.m., Highway 101:
Officers assist wrangling loose
horses on the highway. Horses
are returned to the custody of
their owner.
3:20 p.m., 400 block S. Roo-
sevelt: Caller complains of
offensive littering; a man was
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