HERMISTON â A Hermiston man is being held in the Umatilla County Jail on a charge of attempted murder after police responded to a disturbance at a residence.
Steven Maurice Tompkins, 54, was arrested on Tuesday, April 6, after officers from Hermiston Police Department responded to the 200 block of West Beech Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. to a report of a disturbance involving a knife and a gun, according to Police Chief Jason Edmiston.
Edmiston said when officers arrived they found Tompkins, who lived at the address, "actively engaged in a dispute" with a 34-year-old male who also lived at the location. He said both parties were initially detained, and through subsequent investigation officers determined Tompkins "was the primary aggressor and had been acting extremely erratic," and the other party had what appeared to be defensive wounds.