UPDATE: Man flown out of area for “traumatic injury” to hand after explosion in Wallowa County
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, January 10th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
WALLOWA COUNTY – (Release from the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office) On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 11:40 a.m Wallowa County 911 received a call from Marshal Cox of 71031 Whiskey Creek Rd, Wallowa, reporting he had blown his hand off.
Wallowa Fire, Medics, and the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident. Cox was found with a traumatic injury to his hand. He was taken to the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland ground and transported by Life Flight to Providence Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.
Providence Sacred Hearts Hospital did call Spokane police after finding suspicious items in Cox’s pockets. The items were later cleared. None of the items were explosive.
Due to the possible danger to first responders at the residence, the property was secured. The Oregon State Police were contacted and requested to respond with an Explosive Unit. OSP detectives were also assigned to the incident.
On Thursday morning, a search warrant was served on the property at 71031 Whiskey Creek Road by the Oregon State Police, the Explosive Unit, and the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office.
The search warrant was continued on Friday, and the property was kept secure until the Explosives Unit completed their assessment. Various substances were found including four glass containers of liquid and crystallized material and two devices with fuses. The Explosives Unit destroyed the four glass containers on the property. The two devices were taken to be examined.
The investigation is continuing, and the case will be forwarded to the Wallowa County District Attorney for review upon completion of the investigation.
