City council amends the resting ordinance
By Terry Murry on Thursday, May 4th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council has approved an amendment to the city’s resting ordinance. That ordinance allows people to sleep on some public properties between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Pendleton Police Department asked the council to clarify its ability to trespass people from certain properties when they are convicted of committing felonies.
“The ordinance talked about banning someone from a particular area if they had misbehaved,” Mayor John Turner said. “Let’s say that you had trespassed somebody from your place of business and they came in and broke that trespass. You can arrest them.”
The ordinance deals with misdemeanor convictions with a 30-day ban. However, its language regarding felony crimes was not clear, which prompted police to ask for the amendment.
“For really bad behavior, you can be banned from a location for up to a year now,” Turner said.
The amendment took effect upon passage and approval by the mayor. The amendment reads, “Extension of exclusion may be imposed: for one year in addition to the period of the original exclusion when there is probable cause of the subsequent commission of a felony offense involving violence, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, or theft.”
