Kessler rearrested, cited, released

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

WESTON – Oregon State Police troopers from La Grande, Pendleton, and Hermiston arrested Cody Lee Kessler, 32, of Walla Walla Saturday afternoon at a home on South Water Street in Weston. OSP said the homeowner gave them permission to take Kessler into custody.

The arrest occurred without incident. Kessler was charged with first-degree assault and being a fugitive from another state.

Earlier this month, he faced multiple charges for a high-speed pursuit in Union County that ended in a crash. Kessler wasn’t taken into custody in Union County, due to the severity of his injuries in the crash, which he had to be taken by helicopter out of state. The Union County District Attorney then filed a warrant for his arrest to bring him back to Union County.

In addition to charges from that pursuit, Kessler was also wanted on a warrant from Walla Walla County. He was lodged in Umatilla County Jail. Officials there say that he was cited and released from jail due to medical issues, and that both charging agencies agreed to the cite and release.

The story reported on Feb. 6 regarding the pursuit can be found here.