Nyssa robbery probe still ongoing
Police chief, law enforcement authorities are gaining ground in investigation
By William Lundquist
Argus Observer
Friday, November 16, 2007 10:41 AM PST
NYSSA — The investigation into who robbed Wong’s Cafe in Nyssa at gunpoint Nov. 8 is ongoing, but Nyssa Police Chief Lennie Elfering said he feels he is inching closer to building a case.
“The grapevine has been working great for us,” he said Thursday.
Elfering also reported that a car was stolen in Nyssa last week and recovered a short time later in good condition with just enough mileage on it to indicate it might have been taken to Ontario and back. He said the thieves also cleaned the car to remove their fingerprints.
“They knew just what to do, and probably left it cleaner than when they stole it,” Elfering said. He said he had a similar story about a car believed to have been taken to Boise and back.
“Most of our car thefts are just crimes of opportunity,” Elfering said.
When cars are left unlocked, he said, thieves go through them looking for change. When the keys are left in them too, he said, sometimes the vehicles disappear for a while. He advised motorists warming up their cars in the morning to always lock their doors.
Also out in the county, a Vale man, Alan Leuck, 59, was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants and lodged in the Malheur County jail Wednesday, Malheur County Undersheriff Brian Wolfe said. A resident, he said, called in to report a drunk driver at 4:20 p.m. and a deputy stopped Leuck driving south on U.S. Highway 26 toward Vale. Wolfe said cell phones have increased the number of people who report drunk drivers.
Deputies also arrested Christopher Jones, 20, Ontario, at 12:23 p.m. Wednesday at his Sunset Drive home in Ontario and charged him with violating a restraining order, Wolfe said. He said Jones also had two warrants out for his arrest on failure to appear charges. At 5:05 p.m. Thursday, Wolfe said, Wade Johnson, 49, Beaver Creek, was arrested at 580 Shire Lane, Ontario, on felony warrants: a failure to appear and a violation of a diversion on a driving under the influence of intoxicants charge. He was booked into the Malheur County Jail, Wolfe said, and was still there Friday.
On Tuesday at 4 p.m., Wolfe said, a 17-year-old girl was cited on a contempt of court warrant from Malheur County Justice Court after she failed to appear in court for driving without a license.
Those kind of warrant arrests are also common in Ontario, Ontario Police Capt. Mark Alexander said. This year alone, he said, his officers have made 149 arrests on felony warrants, 151 on misdemeanor warrants and 474 on restricted warrants.
He explained that felony warrants can be from any court in the United States, misdemeanor warrants can be from any Oregon court, and restricted warrants are from the Malheur County Justice Court only, mostly for traffic or ordinance violations. In addition, Alexander said, his officers have impounded 167 vehicles so far this year, mostly because their drivers had no insurance or driver’s licenses.
