$2 million warrant issued for Umatilla man after sentencing no-show

HERMISTON – A Umatilla man who pleaded no contest to charges stemming from an intentional hit-and-run failed to appear for his sentencing hearing Wednesday, prompting a judge to issue a $2 million arrest warrant.

Manuel Contreras-Torres, 34, was arrested in March 2025 after Hermiston Police responded to the El Nopal restaurant where witnesses said Torres had intentionally run over a 28-year-old woman that he knew. The victim had to be airlifted to a hospital in Portland with injuries that were described as “extensive.”

In December 2025, Contreras-Torres entered a no-contest plea to third-degree assault and multiple charges of failure to perform the duties of a driver.

Under the terms of the agreement, prosecutors planned to recommend a two-year prison sentence followed by three years of post-prison supervision. The recommendation also included a five-year driver’s license suspension, mandatory anger management courses, and restitution.

Contreras-Torres had previously been released after posting 10% of a $100,000 bond. Because he failed to appear, that money has been forfeited and his driver’s license has been suspended.

On Thursday Contreras-Torres’ attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case citing “A material breach of our attorney-client fee agreement and an irreparable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship.”

While initial reports identified Contreras-Torres as a resident of Irrigon, court documents show an address in Umatilla.

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Elkhorn Media Group