Two men sentenced for unrelated incidents in Baker County
By Shannon McKone on Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BAKER CITY – (Release from Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter) On July 15, 2021, Travis James Sprague, 24, was sentenced to the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections for a period of 102 months. Mr. Sprague plead guilty to Assaulting a Public Safety Officer and Robbery in the First Degree. Mr. Sprague committed these crimes while in Baker County on the weekend of May 14, 2021. Mr. Sprague was also sentenced on a probation violation, and given credit for the time that he had served since his arrest. Though Mr. Sprague was sent to the Department of Corrections after his sentencing hearing, he could still face additional charges in Union County for actions that allegedly occurred prior to his arrest.
On July 21, 2021, Mathew Guy Schlett, 32, was sentenced to the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections for a period of 60 months. Mr. Schlett was driving while intoxicated on November 30, 2020, when he rolled his vehicle in a field next to Pocahontas Road in Baker County. One passenger passed away from her injuries, and two juveniles suffered physical injury. Mr. Schlett plead guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, Assault in the Third Degree, and Reckless Endangering. Family members of the deceased and one of the juvenile victims addressed the Court prior to sentencing. District Attorney Greg M. Baxter appreciated the comments of the victim and family members. He echoed the family member’s comments to the judge, adding “There are no winners in a case like this. A harsher punishment won’t bring back the victim or cure the injuries suffered by the juvenile victims. This is an example of how many lives can be affected by one person’s decision to drink and drive.”
District Attorney Baxter wished to thank the various members of law enforcement who investigated these cases, including the Baker City Police Department, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police, the La Grande Police Department and the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
