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Police arrest man for gun crimes in Pendleton - East Oregonian.Police arrest man for gun crimes in Pendleton Published 10:00 am Wednesday, June 3, 2026 PENDLETON — Reports of a man screaming and shooting a gun Monday, June 1, outside a Pendleton-area home led to his arrest for gun crimes.Ezra Taylor Niord, 30, of Hermiston, remains in the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton and faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearms silencer, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an untraceable firearm.The jail’s online roster of inmates shows Niord’s bail is $50,000.Unlawful possession of a machine gun, short-barreled firearm or firearms silencer is a Class B felony in Oregon.Felon in possession of a firearm is a Class C felony, and possession of an untraceable firearm is a Class A misdemeanor.According to local law enforcement, callers at about 1:45 p.m.on June 1 reported a man was yelling at people and firing rounds from a rifle in the backyard of a home on the 7100 block of Schroeder Road, Pendleton.An Oregon State Police trooper responded to assist the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.OSP reported a trooper arrived and contacted Niord, who had a rifle in the backyard and went into the residence.Eventually, he came outside, and law enforcement detained him.After further investigation, the sheriff’s office arrested Niord and booked him into the county jail in Pendleton.Niord has several convictions going back to 2014 for driving violations, according to state court records, all in Umatilla County, and he has convictions in 2020 for two criminal cases.Niord in July 2020 pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful use of a weapon, strangulation and menacing, and the state in that case dismissed charges of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and harassment.The court sentenced him to 180 days in jail, with credit for time served, and five years of probation.Then in November of that year, Niord pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants and hit-and-run.He received a sentence of 20 days in jail and two years of probation.The Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office arraigned Nirod on June 2 on the three gun crimes.Circuit Judge Carey Meerdink denied Niord’s request for a court-appointed attorney.Niord’s next court appearance is the morning of June 9 for a probable cause hearing.