Wallowa County – On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at 11:40 am, Wallowa County 911 received a call from Marshall 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 grounds and transported by Life Flight to Providence Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.
Providence Sacred Heart 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 was contacted and requested to respond with an Explosives 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 Explosives 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.
