ONTARIO
Ongoing issues with transients, such as break-ins, burglaries, theft, drug activities including shooting up in public, used needles left on the ground, loitering, urinating and defecating in public, panhandling and myriad other issues are cited as the reason that frustrated business owners on the east side are meeting with Ontario Police Chief Steven Romero on Friday.
Some of the problems with theft have been going on for years, but business owners in that area say it has become increasingly worse. Several reasons are cited, including the break-up of a well-established transient camp along the Snake River in November of 2019, as well as the fact that the Malheur County Jail isnât lodging people who havenât committed a major crime, a step Malheur County Sheriff Wolfe has said was made due to needing to limit inmate numbers because of COVID-19.