Two people are in jail today after being arrested Sunday on burglary and theft charges.
Jonathan Price, 35, 1183 S.W. Sixth St., Hermiston, and Maria Martinez, 34, of 1280 S.E. 13th Place, Irrigon, each face charges of second-degree burglary and first-degree theft.
According to Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, the department received a report of an attempted theft at Good Shepherd Medical Center around 4 p.m. on Sunday. Surveillance footage showed a male and female attempting to steal two spools of high-voltage copper wire valued at $2,000 from inside a storage room. The two were interrupted by a roaming security employee on the hospital campus and fled in a Suzuki SUV.
The video surveillance was shared a couple hours later at a briefing for the oncoming shift. Based on vehicle and video information, it was believed at that time the suspects were Price and Martinez.
As shift briefing was ending, Hermiston officers heard a call for service for the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) of a theft that took place at a heating and cooling business north of Hermiston. The suspect vehicle was a Cheverolet S10 pickup and the two people in the pickup matched the description of the people involved in the hospital incident.
Around 6:40 p.m., Sgt. Kelly Parsons of the Hermiston Police Department conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of S.E. 10th Street on an older Chevrolet S10 pickup matching the description from the UCSO incident. Both Price and Martinez were occupying the pickup. The two were arrested and lodged in the Umatilla County Jail.
The Umatilla Police Department provided assistance in this investigation as the duo was believed to be staying at a motel in their community. The sheriff’s office may have additional charges for the pair, said Edmiston
“The quick resolve on this theft shows the tenacity of our officers,” he said. “The interagency cooperation between our department, the sheriff’s office, and the Umatilla Police Department should be encouraging for all our citizens we are responsible to.
