The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Columbia County Superior Court

November 18, 2015

First Appearance/Arraignment:

Fred James Martin, 42, Pasco; entered a plea of not guilty to one count of burglary in the second degree, and one count of assault in the third degree,. The charges stemmed from an altercation at the Rawhide Bar N’ Grill in Starbuck on Oct. 4.

Hector Vela, 53, Dayton; pleaded not guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 18 years of age, one count of violation of uniform controlled substance act – delivery/manufacture/possession with intent to deliver, and one count of violation of uniform controlled substance act – possession of over 1 oz. of usable marijuana.

Richard D Streck III, 40, transient; failed to appear for the second time at his first appearance. He is charged with one count of identity theft in the second degree, and one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer. A bench warrant was issued.

Sentencing:

Aaron Michael Nichols, 32, Walla Walla; accepted a plea agreement. He was originally charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance other than marijuana, a Class C felony; one count of use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor; one count of unlawful recreational fishing in the second degree, a misdemeanor. Nichols pled guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance other than marijuana and one count of unlawful recreational fishing. The other two charges were dropped. He was sentenced to one day on each count with credit for time served and required to pay $600 in legal financial obligations.

Joshua J. Berdar, 24, Spokane Valley; charged with obtaining a legend (prescription) drug (oxycodone) by fraud. Berdar changed his plea from not guilty to guilty and was sentenced to three months with credit for time served and $600 in legal financial obligations.

Eric Ryan Vanzandt, 31, Dayton; changed his plea from not guilty to guilty for one charge of escape from community custody. He was sentenced to two months with credit for time served and required to pay $1580 in fines and fees.

Trials Set:

Joseph John Richter, 31, homeless; charged with violation of uniform controlled substance act – possession of amphetamine, violation of uniform controlled substance act – use of drug paraphernalia, two counts of criminal trespass in the second degree, contempt of court, criminal trespass in the first degree, and reckless burning in the second degree. Trail set for Feb. 4-5, 2016.

Aidan Joseph Gemmell, 18, Dayton; charged with five counts of rape of a child first degree. Trial set for Feb. 4-5, 2016.

Durant A. Brown, 22, Dayton; charged with two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of violation of uniform controlled substance act – possession of over 1 ounce of usable marijuana. Conditions of release were extended to include Oregon. Trial set for Jan. 7-8, 2016.

Austin Kimmons, 19, Dayton; charged with two counts of possession of a stolen firearm, and one count of violation of uniform controlled substance act – possession of over 1 ounce of usable marijuana. Trial set for Jan. 7-8, 2016.

Lonnie Marrick, 39, Waitsburg, charged with violation of the uniform controlled substance act – possession of methamphetamine, and criminal trespassing second degree. Trial set for Jan. 7-8, 2016.

Other Legal Action:

Charles W. Gilliland, 31, Dayton; was granted termination of a no-contact order with the victim of two domestic violence charges that Gilliland pleaded guilty to in Sept.. The victim, who initiated the termination motion, requested the no-contact order be dropped because she has a child with Gilliland.

Kenneth Gene Toliver, 27, Dayton; did not appear to show cause for failure to pay legal financial obligations. Toliver plead guilty earlier this year to charges of theft with intent to sell and vehicle prowl stemming from incidents that took place in Dec. 2013. Prosecution is continued to Dec. 16, 2015.

Jared J. Mings, 32, Starbuck; Did not appear to have trial date re-set. Mings is charged with trafficking in stolen property and second-degree theft. Prosecution continued to Dec. 2, 2015.

Zachary T. Koehler, 28, College Place; failed to appear for a resolution or re-setting of trial date. He is charged with second-degree theft. Koehler was allegedly involved in the theft of a hydraulic motor and auger in January. A bench warrant was issued for failure to appear.

Salvador D. Saucedo, 26, Milton-Freewater; appeared on a bench warrant and was taken into custody. He first appeared on charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle and third-degree driving with license suspended or revoked. He allegedly drove 45 miles per hour on city streets, did not signal turns or stop at stop signs while eluding police. Saucedo was located hiding in a crawl space inside the home he parked the vehicle at. Prosecution is continued to Dec. 2, 2015.