On March 28, 2018 at 9:55 am the US Bank located at 987 Duane St. in Astoria reported a robbery that had just been committed by a known customer of the bank. No weapons were used during the robbery. The suspect fled from the area with an undisclosed amount of money. Law enforcement agencies including the Astoria Police Department, Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, Warrenton Police Department and Oregon State Police converged on the area.

The suspect was located just over an hour later in a room at the Columbia Inn located at 495 Marine Drive in Astoria and taken into custody without incident. Cash taken from the bank was recovered. Craig Francis Haberman 65 years old of Astoria with no current address was charged with Robbery III. Haberman is also being charged through the federal system for the crime of bank robbery with the assistance of the FBI.

Astoria Police would like to commend the staff at US Bank for their quick actions and professionalism in their response to a serious incident.

Update from earlier press release on the weather-related fatality from 9:30 am, today’s date.

Now that the next of kin have been notified, we are releasing the name of the deceased:

Debra Kay Burnett,  age 50

Resident of Astoria

Debra was a delivery driver for the Oregonian and was on her route delivering newspapers just prior to the unfortunate accident

On 02/22/2018 at 9:36 a.m. The Astoria Fire Department, Medix Ambulance and Astoria Police were dispatched to 12^th and Kensington for a report of a vehicle versus pedestrian crash.  On arrival it was determined that a delivery driver had attempted to climb a hilly section of 12^th Street near Kensington with their delivery vehicle.  Due to the road being covered in snow and ice, the vehicle was not able to make it to the top of the street and began to slide backwards down the hill. At some point the vehicle was stopped on the hill and the driver exited the vehicle to apply salt.  While the driver was outside the vehicle, the vehicle, which was left in gear rolled on top of the driver who was pinned underneath and reportedly unresponsive.  Astoria Fire and Medix attended to the victim while also working to lift the vehicle off.  Despite these efforts, the victim died at the scene.  At this time the name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Update from earlier press release on the weather-related fatality from 9:30 am, today’s date.

Now that the next of kin have been notified, we are releasing the name of the deceased:

Debra Kay Burnett,  09/02/1967

Resident of Astoria

Debra was a delivery driver for the Oregonian and was on her route delivering newspapers just prior to the unfortunate accident

Astoria Dispatcher Melanie Kinney received a Notice of Recognition from Police Chief Geoff Spalding at yesterdays command staff meeting. Dispatcher Kinney was cited for superior performance of duties for her work involving a multi-agency pursuit and arrest of a suspect. The citation appears below:

Early Monday morning November the 6^th, Dispatcher Melanie Kinney had just begun her morning shift when a traffic complaint was received by Seaside 9-1-1 reporting an erratic driver on Highway 101 approaching Seaside. State Police had no units in position so the information was relayed to Seaside Officers. The vehicle was soon spotted by a Seaside Officer as it was speeding through town. The Officer attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle which failed to yield and in fact began to attempt to elude the Officer. As it was still dark outside and raining heavily the Seaside Officer wisely ended the pursuit shortly after the suspect vehicle passed the high school in excess of 80 miles an hour.

Seaside then notified Astoria 9-1-1 regarding the last known direction of travel of the suspect vehicle. Shortly after Seaside ended their pursuit the vehicle was once again observed speeding northbound on highway 101 by a Deputy who also attempted a traffic stop only to wind up in pursuit of the vehicle as it continued northbound in excess of 125 miles per hour. As the pursuit continued the Deputy was soon joined by an Officer from Warrenton Police.

The pursuit was now headed for Astoria across the Young’s Bay Bridge. As the suspect approached the city it was going much too fast to negotiate the round-about, the vehicle struck the curb exiting the bridge knocking off a front tire. The vehicle continued on with a shower of sparks coming from the rim as the suspect managed to keep up its high rate of speed.

Astoria Police successfully deployed spike strips about a mile after the vehicle struck the bridge, further disabling the vehicle. The suspect continued towards the downtown corridor, nearly crashing into a nearby restaurant when he suddenly jumped out and began to run. After a foot pursuit that continued for several blocks, officers had the suspect in custody.

When the rush of the incident and identifying the suspect was over, Dispatcher Kinney started to investigate into the vehicles owner, as the suspect was not the registered owner. She called the registered owner on the return, only to find out he had sold the vehicle many years ago to a dealership in Washington. Looking into the VIN, she was able to determine the exact dealership the vehicle was sold to. It was with that information that they were able to find out that the vehicle had been purchased with two credit cards that were subsequently reported as stolen.  Because of her tenacious investigative work Dispatcher Kinney took a convoluted incident and laid the groundwork for officers to follow up on. Dispatcher Kinney kept calm and cool during the pursuit and continued the hard work even after the excitement had ended.

Dispatcher Kinney’s  ability to remain calm and professional during this multi-agency pursuit is to be commended and is in keeping with the highest standards of Public Safety Dispatching.

The Astoria Police Department is currently investigating an ongoing series of crimes involving a subject or subjects using a BB or Pellet Gun to shoot out windows in different areas of the city. So far the suspect/s have been targeting parked vehicles and in one case a window at a church.

The suspect/s may be on foot or in a vehicle. So far the locations have mainly been in neighborhoods above the downtown area, and have been going on sporadically over the last several weeks.

“While the suspect/s seem to be getting enjoyment from their actions, it places financial burdens and severe inconvenience on the victims of these senseless crimes” said Deputy Chief Eric Halverson.

Anyone with any information that could assist the police with this investigation are asked to call Sgt. Christopher McNeary at 503 325-4411 or email at cmcneary@astoria.or.us.

Thank you and have a safe holiday season.

On 11/11/2017 at about 1:50 P.M. the Astoria Police Department, Astoria Fire Department and Medix Ambulance responded to a single vehicle crash on Leif Erickson Drive in the 5300 Block, near the Crest Motel.  Upon arrival Officers were directed to the North side of the roadway where a 1989 Ford Bronco vehicle had traveled over the embankment striking a tree.  The operator of the vehicle was identified as 39 year old Jason Martin of Astoria. Martin was transported to Columbia Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released.  The passenger in the vehicle was identified as 44 year old Shannon Inniss of Astoria.  Inniss died at the scene.  One of two dogs that were in the vehicle did not survive.  Upon release from the hospital Martin was arrested for charges of Manslaughter II, Criminally Negligent Homicide, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Reckless driving and Reckless Endangering of Another Person.   Astoria Police were assisted at the scene by an Oregon State Police Traffic Crash Reconstructionist and the Clatsop County Medical Examiner. 

Please join us downtown in front of the Liberty Theater as we once again are handing out Halloween Bags. Astoria 9-1-1 started this tradition several years ago with 50 bags. Today it has grown to 750 and includes the assistance of many of our Public Safety Partners.

We will begin the great 2017 Halloween Bag handout at 3:00.

See you there!

2017 HALLOWEEN BAG

The Oregon chapter of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), held their annual training and awards conference the week of October the 9^th, in Bend Oregon. This annual training and awards conference is the one time during the year where Chapter Members can recognize some truly outstanding contributions made by Oregon 9-1-1 Dispatchers.

This year Astoria 9-1-1 had two Dispatchers recognized. Dispatcher Candace Pozdolski received the Telecommunicator of the Year Award and an Impact award. The Telecommunicator of the Year Award recognizes a Dispatcher who demonstrates the highest level of commitment to the profession through dedication to continuous improvement, initiative in professional development, care of customers and investment in the team. For her contributions in bringing Text to 9-1-1 to Astoria Candace received an Impact Award. This award recognizes any person employed in emergency telecommunications field that, by act or deed, makes an extremely noteworthy contribution, thus positively impacting the local 9-1-1 jurisdiction in a significant way.

Dispatcher Jennifer Peden received two Critical Incident Awards which recognize an individual’s noteworthy contribution which results in the successful handling of a major incident or combination of incidents beyond the average or normal activity level.

I was honored to see these two recognized by their peers, for the great work they do all year long. Astoria 9-1-1 has an incredibly dedicated group of Dispatchers and seeing them receive these awards makes me proud to be part of this elite group, said Astoria 9-1-1 Manager Jeff Rusiecki.

Dispatcher Jennifer Peden
Astoria 911 Manager Jeff Rusiecki
Dispatch Supervisor Candace Pozdolski

On 10-6-2017 at about 7:12am Astoria Police, Astoria Fire Department and Medix Ambulance Service responded to an assault in the 1400 Block of Irving Avenue.  On arrival responders found the victim, 57 year old Anthony Stoinich, with stab wounds to his upper body. He was transported to Columbia Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries.  Anthony Stoinich’s attacker was identified as his daughter, 25 year old Alasa Stoinich of Astoria. Alasa Stoinich was located and detained in the area of 16^th and Franklin Avenue as officers responded to the scene.  She was subsequently taken into custody for charges of Assault II and Attempted Assault II and lodged at the Clatsop County Jail.  Anthony Stoinich was treated and released from Columbia Memorial Hospital for his injuries.  Detectives from the Oregon State Police and Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office assisted.

The week of September 18^th, a panel of experienced 9-1-1 Supervisors and Managers from various Oregon 9-1-1 Centers came together at Astoria 9-1-1 to review applications and conduct interviews for the position of Operations Supervisor. The Panel made their recommendation to Astoria 9-1-1 Manager Jeff Rusiecki and Police Chief Geoff Spalding.

Several internal command meetings were held to discuss the Panel’s recommendations, and a Command Interview was held with the finalist. Upon the conclusion of that interview the position was offered to, and accepted by Candace Pozdolski, a Lead Astoria Dispatcher.

Candace brings the right experience, perspective and insight to this position which will be of great value.

Candace has been with Astoria 9-1-1 for nearly three years and was one of the first to assume the Lead Dispatcher position. In addition to her time with this Agency she has previous dispatch experience with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office, the Atascadero Police Department, Morro Bay Police and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Her diverse background, coupled with her self-determination, were two attributes not lost on the Panel members. Candace has a great perspective on what current challenges the Center is facing and well-reasoned ideas and thoughts on how to improve and meet the increasing demands of the Center.

Candace was recently involved with the implementation of Text to 9-1-1 for our region and was part of the subcommittee tasked with creating a model policy for the use of this technology. Candace also serves on the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Telecommunications Policy Committee. This committee provides guidance on policies and training as well as reviewing disciplinary reports.

Because we had internal candidates applying for this position we wanted to rely on the experience and recommendations from other 9-1-1 Center Supervisors and Managers, said Rusiecki.

This is truly a specialized occupation, and if we are not training our future Supervisors, Managers and Directors today we will be facing a shortfall tomorrow.

The Operations Supervisor will assist in the planning, training and supervision of the daily operations of the Center which serves many public safety agencies. They will also assist in the development of specifications and policies and work closely with vendors on equipment and technology purchases and maintenance.