HERMISTON â A Hermiston man is being held in the Umatilla County Jail on a charge of attempted murder after police responded to a disturbance at a residence.
Steven Maurice Tompkins, 54, was arrested on Tuesday, April 6, after officers from Hermiston Police Department responded to the 200 block of West Beech Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. to a report of a disturbance involving a knife and a gun, according to Police Chief Jason Edmiston.
Edmiston said when officers arrived they found Tompkins, who lived at the address, actively engaged in a dispute with a 34-year-old male who also lived at the location. He said both parties were initially detained, and through subsequent investigation officers determined Tompkins was the primary aggressor and had been acting extremely erratic, and the other party had what appeared to be defensive wounds.
Police log March 23-29 hermistonherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hermistonherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Hermiston city council approved a franchise agreement during their Monday, March 8, meeting to allow U.S. Cellular to place small cell wireless technology used for 5G cell phone coverage around the city.
Cellphone carriers, internet service providers and other telecommunication companies pay fees known as franchise fees to place their technology on city rights of way. The five-year agreement approved Monday, which will allow a company known as Oregon RSA#2 to place the small cell technology on behalf of U.S. Cellular to bring faster upload and download speeds to customers in the area, is the first for the city for this type of technology.
A city employee who stepped in during a recent shooting was recognized for âactions above and beyond the normal call of dutyâ during the Hermiston City Councilâs Monday, March 8, meeting.
Brandon Artz, the cityâs recreation supervisor, was the previously unnamed city employee that Hermiston Police Department had praised for âquick thinkingâ on February 10 when police arrested Howard Califf, 46, of Hermiston on several charges, including attempted murder.
According to the initial news release from police, Califf arrived armed at a home in the 250 block of East Gladys Avenue that he had previously lived in and then been barred from by a court order. He allegedly fired several rounds inside the residence and at a male relative of the homeâs owner, at one point shooting the victimâs dog as it attempted to defend its owner. The dog is expected to make a full recovery, police said.
By the way: Construction starts on water project hermistonherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hermistonherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.