Kyra Ashley Johnston, DOB 10/21/1988, was arrested by the Union County Sheriff’s Office on a charge of felony possession of methamphetamine.

On Monday, UCSO Deputies received information about drug activity at Johnston’s home on Mitchek Lane in Elgin. Based on that information, the deputies applied for a search warrant for Johnston’s camper.

When deputies went inside, they found a ‘substantial’ amount of methamphetamine. Johnston had already been lodged in jail on charges of resisting arrest and harassment – offensive physical contact over a previous UCSO arrest. Deputies arrested her again, charging possession of methamphetamine.

The post One female arrested after ‘substantial’ amount of drugs found first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

Sean Tyler Hamilton, DOB 9/18/1988, was arrested by the Union County Sheriff’s Office charging Burglary II, Escape III, Parole Violation and multiple warrants. Two Umatilla County warrants: the first on a charge of giving false information to a peace officer in connection with a Citation/Warrant. The second, on a charge of interfering with a peace/parole and probation officer, Theft II and Criminal Trespass I. Additionally, Hamilton had a warrant out of Washington charging Protection Order violation, and two charges of Assault III.

Just after 6 a.m., a rollover accident was reported near Lower Cove Road and Kerns Loop in Cove. The driver reported he and Hamilton had been in an accident, but said neither needed medical attention. When deputies arrived, Hamilton was not at the scene, but dispatch reported he had warrants for his arrest.

Just after 7 a.m., multiple neighbors in the area of the accident reported a suspicious male knocking on doors, asking to come in. Another neighbor called dispatch and reported a male trying to forcibly come into the home, but the homeowner refused to let him in.

These calls helped law enforcement hone in on Hamilton’s location.

Hamilton was walking on a property when an Oregon State Police Trooper and UCSO Deputy spotted him. They informed him he was under arrest, and Hamilton fled. OSP and the Deputy pursued Hamilton on foot. At the same time, a neighbor riding his ATV on the road was stopped by another Deputy, who requested his assistance. The Deputy got onto the ATV, and the two rode toward Hamilton, joining the newly arrived OSP units who were attempting to head Hamilton off. Hamilton was ultimately found in a neighbor’s garage and taken into custody.

This is a wonderful example of the community helping its law enforcement. We want to thank those Cove community members who called dispatch, and especially the ATV owner who helped the deputy get to the suspect.

Thank you to Oregon State Police for their assistance.

The post One man arrested after pursuit first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

At 1:30 a.m. this morning, dispatch was called about a disturbance occurring at a home in Union. The caller ultimately told our deputy not to respond since law enforcement would only agitate the situation. The deputy arrived on scene and saw both Tynan and Richard, father and son, outside the home. The deputy witnessed no crime occurring between the two. The deputy remained within the vicinity of the home for 30 minutes to continue to monitor Richard and Tynan’s interaction and still did not observe an escalation to the situation.

At 3:15 a.m., a resident in Union called to report the sound of gunshots. Around the same time, the original caller reported a disturbance was starting once again. The caller did not want immediate response, and the caller would check on the situation.

Additional calls about gunshots came in, and deputies were quickly called to the area.

When deputies arrived, they found Tynan Frank, DOB 11-09-1985, dead from a gunshot wound outside of the home.

The Major Crimes Team was activated, which consists of members from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County District Attorney’s office, Oregon State Police and the La Grande Police Department.

Detectives then took Richard to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, where he agreed to be interviewed.

After multiple interviews, Richard Frank was charged with second-degree murder.

The post One man held on charges of second-degree murder first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

The arrest stemmed from a multi-month investigation by the Union County Drug Task Force Detective, which resulted in the subsequent search warrant served today on their RV. The transient father and son had been living in the Walmart parking lot.

Scott Mann, DOB 10/7/1984, is being charged with possession of methamphetamine and frequenting a place where drugs are sold. Steven Mann, DOB 12/11/2003, is charged with felony possession of a substantial quantity of a controlled substance – cocaine, distribution of a substantial quantity of controlled substance – cocaine, possession of cannabinoid extracts not from OLCC and frequenting a place where drugs are sold.

The UCSO and the Oregon State Police K9 unit assisted Drug Task Force.

The post Father and son arrested on drug charges first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

At 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Hamlin was arrested on a felony warrant charging first-degree kidnapping, Second-degree assault, Second-degree robbery, and Third-degree assault. He was also charged with attempt to elude on foot, attempt to elude in a vehicle and reckless driving.

Hamlin, DOB 10-5-1990, of La Grande, was already under surveillance by the Union County Drug Taskforce for suspicion of possible drug activity. Hamlin’s vehicle was surveilled today when the Union County Detective attempted a traffic stop with a vehicle believed to belong to Hamlin. Moments later, Union County Sheriff Deputies saw Hamlin leaving the area In another vehicle and they quickly followed.

Hamlin refused to stop and began to drive through town at a high rate of speed around 12:30 p.m. Law enforcement quickly terminated the pursuit due to the danger to the public and lost sight of the suspect. Thanks to phone calls to our dispatch center complaining of Hamlin’s recklessness, law enforcement was able to relocate Hamlin in the Flying J area. It is believed Hamlin drove through the Foothill Road area, and ended up on the Interstate near milepost 270. He then left his vehicle and ran on foot.

A witness called and identified a male subject matching Hamlin’s description going into the wooded area.

Deputies quickly set up a containment with the help of Oregon State Police, surrounding the area. K9 Molly was deployed, along with Deputy Hamilton who arrived on scene with the Sheriff’s Office drone to search for the suspect.

The residents who lived in the area were notified of Hamlin’s possible proximity and warned to stay in their homes and be on the lookout.

Hamlin was finally seen running toward a residence when law enforcement took him into custody.

Hamlin has been involved in multiple pursuits in the past.

The Union County Drug Taskforce and Deputies were assisted by the La Grande Police Department and Oregon State Police.

The post One in custody following pursuit first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

The Major Crimes Team was called out to investigate. The remains are unidentifiable and incomplete but are being collected by the Oregon State Crime Lab. They will work on identifying the remains or finding the gender and age of the remains. This is a slow process and results will take an extended amount of time.

Until the OSP Forensics Lab releases its results, any speculation to the identity of the remains by the public is fictitious. We ask the public to respect the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and no more information will be released at this time. The Union County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the OSP Crime Lab, Oregon State Police Detectives, Union County District Attorney’s Office and the La Grande Police Department.

The post Human Skeletal Remains Found outside of La Grande first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

On Sunday at 7 p.m., dispatch was notified of an injury accident. When the Union County Sheriff Deputy arrived on scene, he learned the victim had been driving his UTV near the intersection when he was struck by a vehicle. He was deceased at the scene.

UCSO will not be releasing his information because next of kin has not been notified. He did not live in the community.

The driver of the other vehicle is not facing criminal charges.

The victim had three dogs with him in his UTV. They were injured during the accident. One was found and taken immediately to the Animal Health Center.

The other two dogs ran away. Responders attempted to find the animals but had to assist in the accident and focus on the victim.

Julia Boland, who had been passing by the scene when the crash happened, took it upon herself to help find the dogs.

Julia, her husband Brian, and her sister Diana, pulled over to help where they could at the time of the crash.

“(My sister and) I went after the dog we had seen running north,” Julia said.

One of the dogs had stayed on the scene and had injuries. Julia and Diana took the dog immediately to the Animal Health Center. They both returned to the scene to look for the other two dogs.

“We found it at the trailer we assumed (the victim) lived in,” said Julia, who had taken that dog to the vet, as well. Though they continued to look for the third dog they were unable to find it. Finally, this morning, the veterinary clinic called Julia and said they had found the third dog back at the same trailer.

All three dogs were examined and given some calming medication. Marisa Vaughn, who works at the Animal Health Clinic, said the dogs sustained no serious injuries and are currently resting comfortably.

Thank you to the Island City Fire Department, La Grande Fire Department, Oregon State Police and the La Grande Police Department for their assistance with this call.

The post One man is dead after UTV accident first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

A drone is a small, unmanned aircraft guided by a remote control. The drone operator is required to get a Remote Pilot Certificate from the Federal Aviation ­­­Administration. There are rules and regulations for the pilots on where they can fly the drones, and how high the drone is able to go. 

Union County Sheriff Cody Bowen said he’s excited about this new program and what it means for our deputies, as well as Search and Rescue.

“I’m grateful that we have this new piece of equipment that will aid our deputies in the apprehension of criminals,” Sheriff Bowen said. “This will also help our Search and Rescue volunteers when they need aerial help. This is an exciting thing for our office and we’re happy that we’ll have opportunities to help the other law enforcement agencies when needed.”

The new drone will assist the Sheriff’s Office when deputies need situational awareness about an incident to reduce the risk of harm or injury to personnel or persons involved. The drone program will also assist our Search and Rescue volunteers when they need aerial support for lost subjects.

UCSO received support and encouragement from counties across the state. The utilization of this program will allow our county to assist other communities if they ask for our help, Sheriff Bowen said. The drone and its pilot will be made available to those law enforcement agencies in Umatilla, Baker, Wallowa and Morrow counties and other agencies who request our assistance.

The SO has two licensed pilots who can respond to a scene with the drone.

“The Union County Sheriff’s Office, and specifically UCSO Deputy Dylan Hamilton and SAR Incident Commander Willy Crippen, who are now licensed pilots for the drone, collectively have many years of research, training, and experience that positioned the sheriff’s office to be competitive to add this capability,” said Nick Vora, Emergency Services manager and SAR Coordinator.”

UCSO Deputy Hamilton has done the necessary training to get his pilot’s license to fly the drone.

“The Sheriff’s Office drone program will be an invaluable asset for various tasks,” Hamilton said. “By working in conjunction the K9 unit, Search and Rescue, fire departments and EMS, the program will enhance the effectiveness of these agencies. The drone will provide an additional layer of coverage – greatly improving the overall safety and success rate of those critical operations.

The drone will also be equipped with thermal imaging capabilities that are critical for locating lost persons at night, and a speaker for communicating with people who have been located.

The post UCSO receives grant for new drone program first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

OSP requested assistance after Collett eluded Troopers in multiple counties on the interstate. He was traveling at 100+ MPH through the construction zone in Union County where he exited the interstate and drove on private land.

UCSO Deputies quickly responded, including K9 Molly, and went toward the Hot Lake area where Collett continued to elude.

Sheriff Cody Bowen, as well as multiple Deputies and Troopers, continued the pursuit cross-country ending at the top of the ridge about 1.25 miles south of Hot Lake to try and spot the suspect vehicle again. The two suspects were seen running on foot down the ridge.

UCSO and OSP converged on the suspects and they were taken into custody.

The pickup they had been driving was a stolen vehicle out of Nampa, Idaho. Collett has two out-of-state warrants and was charged with Reckless Driving, Attempt to Elude, Theft I, UUMV and Criminal Trespass II. 

The post UCSO assists OSP in pursuit first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.

We will soon be replacing the address of UnionCountySheriff.us with UCSOOregon.gov for the official Union County Sheriff website.

Visiting a .gov website gives assurance that the site is an official government website registered in the United States.  Only official government entities can register a .gov domain.

This change will affect the official website only.  Email addresses will remain as union-county.org until further notice.

For more information about .gov visit get.gov.

The post UCSOOregon.gov first appeared on Union County Sheriff's Office.