HR motorcycle rider killed in head-on crash; Other driver arrested on suspicion of DUI, Manslaughter
A Hood River man was killed Wednesday night on Highway 281 after an alleged DUI driver crossed into oncoming traffic, striking his motorcycle head-on. The crash closed the highway for five hours during investigation.
From Oregon State Police:
Hood River, Ore., Oct. 17, 2025 — A Hood River man was killed Wednesday night in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 281 after an alleged DUI driver attempted to pass in a no-passing zone, according to Oregon State Police.
Troopers said the crash occurred around 9:23 p.m. near milepost 7, when a southbound Subaru Impreza, driven by Pedro Jonathan Flores-Flores, 26, of Hood River, attempted to pass a southbound Toyota Corolla driven by Jesus Esquivel Martinez, 38, of Hood River. The Subaru struck a northbound Honda VT750 motorcycle, operated by Phillip Mickey Himes, 37, of Hood River, head-on.
Himes was pronounced dead at the scene. Both Flores-Flores and Esquivel Martinez were reportedly uninjured.
Flores-Flores was arrested on charges of DUII, reckless driving, two counts of reckless endangering, and first-degree manslaughter.
Highway 281 was closed for roughly five hours during the investigation. The Oregon State Police were assisted at the scene by the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Hood River Police Department, Wy’east Fire, and ODOT.
The crash remains under investigation.
About the Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU)
The Oregon State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) is a specialized unit responsible for investigating fatal and critical injury collisions on Oregon’s highways. The team provides expertise in the documentation, investigation, and analysis of complex motor vehicle crashes and crime scenes. They receive specialized training in the use of advanced measuring techniques and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for on-scene investigations. The CRU team includes ACTAR accredited collision reconstructionists and technical collision investigators deployed across the state.
Man arrested for firing ‘6 or 7 rounds’ near Fourth Street Grade in TD
Police arrested a 43-year-old man after witnesses reported he fired multiple shots near the Fourth Street grade in The Dalles. Officers recovered several firearms, including a short-barreled AR-style weapon believed used in the incident.
The Dalles Police released this photo in connection to their announcement of arresting a 43-year-old for discharging a firearm in the 400 block of Fourth Street on Tuesday evening.
The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 8, 2025 — A 43-year-old man was arrested after police said he fired multiple shots Tuesday evening on the hillside near the Fourth Street grade in East The Dalles.
Police responded around 6:45 p.m. Oct. 7 to reports of gunfire in the area. Witnesses told dispatchers a man was standing behind a rock retaining wall and had fired six or seven rounds.
Officers arrived and detained Travis Stubbs, 43, near the scene. Detectives obtained a warrant for a nearby residence in the 400 block of East Fourth Street and recovered several firearms, including one believed to have been used in the shooting.
Stubbs was booked into the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangerment.
No injuries were reported, but police said the incident posed a significant risk to public safety.
DNA link identifies woman in 49-year-old missing person case
Nearly five decades after skeletal remains were discovered near Wolf Creek in Linn County, authorities have confirmed the young woman’s identity
Forensic Aproximation of Marion McWhorter who went missing in 1974.
“Forensic genetic genealogy allowed us not only to assist Oregon law enforcement and medicolegal personnel in identifying a woman who likely did not go missing voluntarily, but it also helped provide her family with answers,” said State Forensic Anthropologist Hailey Collord-Stalder.
LINN COUNTY, Ore., Sept. 16, 2025 — Nearly five decades after skeletal remains were discovered near Wolf Creek in Linn County, authorities have confirmed the young woman’s identity as Marion Vinetta Nagle McWhorter, who disappeared in 1974 at the age of 21.
McWhorter’s remains were first found in July 1976 by a moss hunter, who came across a skull and alerted law enforcement. Additional remains and personal items — including a leather coat, beaded belt, metal rings, jeans, and a clog-style shoe — were later recovered. But for 49 years, her name remained a mystery despite repeated attempts at identification.
Advances in forensic genetic genealogy finally provided the breakthrough. In 2020, Oregon State Police partnered with Parabon NanoLabs to build a detailed genetic profile, which predicted McWhorter’s physical characteristics and ancestry.
A breakthrough in the case occurred in April 2025, when someone spontaneously uploaded their genetic profile to the Family Tree DNA database, a genetic testing company that offers autosomal DNA, Y-DNA, and mitochondrial DNA tests to help users trace their ancestry and connect with relatives. This provided genealogists with a much closer look into the unidentified woman’s family tree.
Forensic scientists followed genetic and other leads and ultimately determined that McWhorter was likely the unidentified young woman. Genealogists found that McWhorter had one surviving family member, a younger sister living in the Seattle area. A detective with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office contacted the sister, who provided an oral swab for DNA comparison and shared the story of her long-lost older sister.
“Forensic genetic genealogy allowed us not only to assist Oregon law enforcement and medicolegal personnel in identifying a woman who likely did not go missing voluntarily, but it also helped provide her family with answers,” said State Forensic Anthropologist Hailey Collord-Stalder.
McWhorter, born Jan. 7, 1953, had last been seen at a Tigard shopping mall in 1974. For decades, her family had no answers. Authorities say the Linn County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to review evidence to determine, if possible, the circumstances of her death.
The identification highlights both the persistence of Oregon investigators and the power of genetic genealogy to close long-standing cold cases. For McWhorter’s family, it brings long-awaited closure.
Citizen follows reckless Driver on I-84; Carson man arrested on DUI
An observant citizen followed and reported a reckless driver On I-84 towing a trailer and weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds, leading to the arrest of a Carson, Wash. man on charges of drunken driving, according to the Oregon State Police.
The Dalles, Ore., March 26, 2025 — An observant citizen reported a reckless driver in a red pickup towing a trailer and weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds, leading to the arrest of a Carson, Wash. man on charges of reckless driving, according to the Oregon State Police.
The driver was reported eastbound on Interstate 84 at milepost 69 on Monday, March 24 at about 3:30 p.m.
He was driving aggressively, cutting in and out of traffic , using his cell phone, and nearly sideswiping other vehicles and the guardrail, the witness told dispatchers.
The witness followed the vehicle as it passed by The Dalles.
An Oregon State Trooper then located a vehicle near Celilo and observed it traveling at 83 mph, making unsafe lane changes without signaling, and nearly losing control of the trailer. The trooper activated emergency lights, but the driver continued driving erratically, veering onto the shoulder and almost crashing before finally being stopped. The driver was in a red GMC Sierra Pickup towing a trailer.
Nathan D. Wilson, 49, of Carson, Wash., was arrested for reckless driving. A subsequent breath test showed his blood alcohol content at .09%, above the legal limit of .08%. The vehicle was towed by Simcoe Towing to Biggs, and Wilson was lodged at the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility jail.
Authorities credit the witness’ vigilance in reporting the incident and preventing a potentially dangerous situation.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Hood River Officer injured when man driving Land Rover flees after traffic stop
Instead of surrendering, the driver hit the gas pedal, slamming the driver door and hitting Sgt. Delancy. The driver then fled westbound on I-84 from Hood River, prompting a pursuit involving the Oregon State Police.
By Tom Peterson
Hood River, Ore., March 17, 2025 — A 26-year-old Washington man is accused of injuring a Hood River Police officer when he sped away from being stopped, slamming the officers elbow and fingers in the driver’s door as the officer attempted to remove him from the vehicle on Sunday evening, March 16.
Hood River Police Sgt. Emelike Delancy. He was the 2021 DUII Enforcement Officer of the year in Oregon.
Hood River Police Sgt. Emelike Delancy had pulled the vehicle over at milepost 61 on Interstate at 8:48 p.m. when the altercation occurred. The driver had warrants for his arrest and Delancy was attempting to get him out of the vehicle to take him into custody.
The driver's door was open at that point.
Instead of surrendering, the driver hit the gas pedal, slamming the driver door and hitting Delancy. The dirver then fled westbound on I-84 from Hood River, prompting a pursuit involving the Oregon State Police.
A state trooper successfully deployed spike strips at milepost 28, disabling the vehicle. The driver stopped and was taken into custody without further incident.
Garrett Michael Comer, 26, of Everett, Washington
Authorities identified the driver as Garrett Michael Comer, 26, of Everett, Washington. The passenger was identified as Crystal Monique Gomez, 29, of Spanaway, Washington.
In 2015, Comer pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery for a heist at a south Everett marijuana business, according to the Everett Herald. Net. He was a juvenile at the time but was convicted as an adult and sentenced to 3 1/2 years.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
Hood River Police Lt. Don Cheli said Sgt. Delancy was checked out at the emergency room in Hood River and was cleared to return to duty.
Cheli thanked OSP, and the Hood River Sheriff’s Department and all other assisting agencies in the case.
The Driver, Comer, was arrested and taken to NORCOR Jail in The Dalles.
Comer remained in jail this afternoon on second-degree assault, assault of a public safety officer, attempt to elude, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, and several other allegations.
His bail was set at $10,000.
“This happens once in a while,” Cheli said of injuries caused by people fleeing a traffic stop. “While it is rare, for sure.”
Maupin man killed when pickup flips near Grass Valley
A Maupin man was killed on Tuesday, March 11, when his Ford F150 left the roadway, went into a ditch, struck a culvert and flipped onto its roof, according to Oregon State Police.
The Dalles, Ore. March 12, 2025 — A Maupin man was killed on Tuesday, March 11, when his Ford F150 left the roadway, went into a ditch, struck a culvert and flipped onto its roof, according to Oregon State Police.
Timothy Crafard, 72, of Maupin was driving westbound on Highway 216 on Juniper Flat. He was at milepost 23 west of Maupin when his vehicle left the highway shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11.
“The preliminary investigation indicated a westbound Ford F150, operated by Samuel Timothy Crafard (72) of Maupin, left the roadway into the westbound ditch, struck a culvert, and flipped onto its roof,” the report states.
The Crafard was declared deceased at the scene.
A passenger of the Ford, Carol Ann Workman, 78, of Maupin, suffered reported minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital.
The highway was impacted for approximately three hours during the on-scene investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Juniper Flat Rural Fire District, Wasco County Sheriff's Office, and ODOT.
Semi driven by TD Man hits 21-year-old who was crossing Hwy. 97 in dark near Madras
Local semi-truck driver hits pedestrian at midnight on Jan. 10 after Carson City Man attempts to cross highway in the dark of night.
From Oregon State Police:
Jefferson County, Ore., 9 Jan. 9 2025- On Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 11:59 p.m., Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian crash on Highway 97, near milepost 85, in Jefferson County.
The preliminary investigation indicated a northbound Kenworth commercial motor vehicle and trailer, operated by Robert Allen Bowman (65) of The Dalles, struck a pedestrian, Keanu Rhune Blumenthal (21) of Carson City (NV), who was crossing the highway.
The pedestrian (Blumenthal) was declared deceased at the scene.
The operator of the Kenworth (Bowman) was not injured.
The highway was impacted for approximately two hours during the on-scene investigation. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
OSP was assisted by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
