Newborn found dead in Baker City home

BAKER CITY — Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter said a Baker County Major Crimes Team investigation that started Dec. 30 involves the body of a newborn baby found in a Baker City home.

Baxter said the investigation is ongoing.

“We understand the public’s interest in this case but at this time there will be no more details released until a thorough investigation is complete,” Baxter said on Jan. 10.

The baby was found at 1912 17th St., between Broadway Street and Court Avenue.

The Baker County Dispatch Center reported a medical call at that address on Dec. 29, at 4:54 p.m. Pioneer Ambulance and the Baker City Fire Department responded. The report had no other information about the call.

The property’s owner is Angela M. Croucher, according to Baker County Assessor’s Office records.

On Dec. 16, a loan company filed a complaint in Baker County Circuit Court stating Croucher was in default on a mortgage. The company, Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC, is seeking $133,000.

Rape charges filed against John Day man

CANYON CITY — A 19-year-old John Day man is facing felony charges for allegedly having sex with a woman who was not capable of giving consent.

Tristen Gibson was arraigned on a grand jury indictment Jan. 7 in Grant County Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree sodomy, court records show.

The indictment asserts that the woman was incapable of giving consent because of “mental incapacitation and physical helplessness.”

All three counts are Measure 11 offenses that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years and four months in prison in the event of a conviction.

Gibson has not entered a plea in the case.

The alleged victim, who is not named in court documents, is a female between the ages of 18 and 21, according to information from the Grant County District Attorney’s Office.

All of the charges in the case stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on Aug. 16, 2024, in Grant County.

A plea hearing for Gibson has been scheduled for Feb. 3. He was being held in the Grant County Jail on $150,000 bail.

Oversized loads head out from Boardman

BOARDMAN — Oversized loads make their way at night from Boardman to the Oregon-Idaho border starting Jan. 29.

Omega Morgan, which provides heavy hauling and rigging services, announced it will handle the loads on routes that include Highway 395, Highway 26 and Highway 201, with nighttime operations to help ensure public safety and minimize traffic disruptions.

These superload moves are expected to last for approximately three months, according to the announcement.

“We are committed to ensuring the safe and efficient transport of these loads while minimizing the impact on the communities we serve,” Omega Morgan spokesperson Doug Smith said in the announcement.

Drivers should expect temporary delays and pilot vehicle escorts along the route to guide traffic safely around the oversized loads, according to the press release.

Omega Morgan also encouraged drivers to exercise caution, adhere to traffic control measures and allow additional travel time during evening hours.

Moderate drought expected to ease

PENDLETON — Moderate drought continues to affect portions of northern Wallowa County in Oregon and northwest Kittitas County in Washington, the National Weather Service in Pendleton reported Jan. 14.

But precipitation is forecast to end drought conditions area-wide during the upcoming winter months.

For now, abnormally dry conditions continue in parts of north-central Oregon, far Northeastern Oregon and Southeast and south-central Washington, the weather service said.

However, well-above-normal precipitation (in excess of 200% of normal across the basin and the Blue Mountains) is predicted.

The agency also reported well-above-normal snow-water equivalent in mountain snowpack across the eastern mountains, with near to above normal elsewhere.

Anyone aware of drought conditions or impacts in their area is asked to report them to the National Weather Service in Pendleton via email at george.perry@noaa.gov, camden.plunkett@noaa.gov and ed.townsend@noaa.gov, or through the National Drought Mitigation Center at droughtimpacts.unl.edu.

— East Oregonian