Two criminal cases involving several juvenile suspects in Baker County have more than doubled the county’s usual cost to keep juveniles in custody at the detention center in The Dalles.

Staci Erickson, director of the county’s juvenile department, told county commissioners on Wednesday morning, Feb. 5, that the arson fire that destroyed the historic Central Building in Baker City in May 2024, and a recent rash of burglaries, including the theft of guns, are largely responsible for draining the department’s detention budget.

Commissioners unanimously approved a $30,000 transfer from the general fund contingency to the juvenile department.

In early November, commissioners transferred $60,000, also from the contingency fund.

Erickson said the juvenile department’s detention budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 is $60,000. With the two transfers, the figure is $150,000.

In past years that amount was sufficient. Last fiscal year, for instance, the department didn’t spent the allotted amount.

But Erickson said the current fiscal year has been unlike any other in her 24 years with the department.

In late August police charged three juveniles with arson in the Central Building fire. Two of the three pleaded guilty in late October. Charges are still pending against the third.

Erickson said one of the suspects was in the detention center for 109 days, and another for 88 days. The third was in custody for 18 days.

At $198 per day, confining those three juveniles cost about $43,000 — 71% of the department’s detention budget.

More recently, in late January Baker City Police arrested four juveniles in a series of burglaries at local businesses. Three of the four were taken to The Dalles. They could be released to their parents on Friday, Feb. 7, but that’s not certain, Erickson said.

Erickson said it’s “very unusual” to have juveniles in detention for such extended periods. Generally they are in custody for no more than about 10 days. When released to their parents, juveniles often are required to wear an ankle monitor that allows juvenile department officials to keep track of their movements.

Erickson said the purpose of detention isn’t to “send a message” to juvenile suspects, but rather to protect the community. When a juvenile is accused of stealing or possessing a gun, for instance — as was the case with one of the arson suspects and the three juveniles arrested in late January — Erickson said she has a responsibility to ensure the suspects are in custody until the juvenile department can arrange a suitable release plan.

“100 percent we’re looking at it from the community safety impact,” she said.

Until 2021, Erickson said the county could recoup some of the detention cost by charging suspects’ parents. That’s no longer allowed under Oregon law, she said.

Although the county generally didn’t collect as much as one-third of the actual detention costs from parents, Erickson said she would welcome any additional revenue.

Although the Central Building arson and the recent burglaries have been the most expensive cases, in terms of detention, Erickson said several other juveniles have spent at least a day or two at The Dalles during this fiscal year.

Interim planning director

In other business during the Feb. 5 meeting, commissioners voted 3-0 to appoint Tara Micka as interim director of the Baker City/County Planning Department as of Feb. 24.

Longtime director Holly Kerns is leaving the job to pursue what she called an “exciting new opportunity.”