Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014 - Mason County Journal - Page A-7
STAFF REPORT
news@masoncoun cam
Shelton School Board Vice
President Jim Carnahan re-
signed from the board Oct. 22
during a special meeting.
"I want to move on with
my life, so I have no further
comments," Carnahan said
in an email.
School Board President
Barbara Hirschi announced
Carnahan's resignation at the
beginning of the board's meet
ing Tuesday night. In brief
comments, Hirschi expressed
thanks for Carnahan's service
and announced that the vacant
position is being advertised on
the district's website.
The move comes afar Car-
nahan voiced his concern over
a proposed school district trans-
gender policy.
"This is offensive, the law
is offensive," Carnahan said
during a Shelton School Board
meeting Oct. 14.
The School Board approved
the measure 3-2, with Carna-
han and School Board member
Sandy TarzweU voting no.
Later in Tuesday's meet-
ing, Hirschi proposed that the
vacancy be advertised through
Nov. 26 and that the candidates
be interviewed at a special
board meeting Dec. 4.
During the time devoted to
beard member comments at
the end of the meeting, the only
member to mention Camahan's
resignation was Cheryl Wil-
lianas, who said, "We will still
operate as a board with four
members... We will soldier on."
No one from the public spoke
to the board about Carnahan's
resignation.
$49.1M
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncoun cam
The city of Shelton's proposed
2015 budget calls for $49.1 mil-
lion in revenue and expenditures
and includes money for one new
full-time employee who would
work with three city programs.
No employee cuts are in the
preliminary budget, which was
presented to the Shelton City
Commission at its work ses-
sion Monday. The budget of
$49,129,281 is an increase of
$1,662,459 from the 2014 city
budget. The increase is primarily
due to the expanded Upper Moun-
tain View Pressure Zone construc-
tion project, according to the city's
preliminary budget report.
The commission is hosting
public hearings on the prelimi-
nary budget and on revenue
sources Monday. The final bud-
get public hearing is scheduled
for Dec. 1.
'~We are experiencing a very
challenging period for local gov-
ernments," City Administrator
Dave O%eary wrote in the in-
troduction to the proposed bud-
get. "Costs have risen and the
economy has not produced cor-
responding increases in taxes.
We have even lost traditional
revenue sources such as liquor
revenues, and been denied ac-
cess to emerging sources such
as the newly established mari-
juana taxes.
"These challenges are largely
a result of the weak economy,
and an inclination of federal
and state governments to push
greater responsibilities onto lo-
cal government, without corre-
sponding revenues to cover the
costs," he wrote.
The proposed $49.1 mil-
lion in expenditures include
$16.7 million for the sewer sys-
tem, $12.6 million for the gen-
eral fund, $10 million for water
and $3.8 million for capital im-
provements.
The budget recommends
an ongoing cost of $84,744 for
regular officers, O'Leary said.
The one-time expenses recom-
mended in the budget include
$105,111 for a new financial sys-
tem, $112,000 on the state Route
3 park-and-ride site project, and
$46,000 for a new police car.
The proposed new employee
would split his or her duties
to help three programs, with
a full-time IT technician and .... half of his or her time with
adding five reserve officers for ' the Storm Fund, one quarter
$21,000. The reserve officers can of his or her time with equip-
perform such duties as parking ment maintenance and rental
at events, "a much better deal, and one-quarter of their time in
a much better cost" than using sewer collection.
S
continued from page A-6
Moran said he did not
realize the clothes were
still at the jail until a
month and a half later.
The jail had washed them.
Then the prosecution
called Kristina Selwyn.
Selwyn was dating and
living with Raphael at the
time of the shooting. She
was~rcharged with ren,~
dering c~ assis{~ancel
Selwyn testified aS part of
a plea agreement that al-
lowed her to plead guilty to
making a false statement
-- a misdemeanor.
Selwyn testified that
she saw Raphael give
Longshore the gun.
She said Raphael and
others at the house that
night were smoking meth-
amphetamine before the
shooting and that Taber
owed Raphael money.
Purtzer asked Selwyn
if she smoked metham-
phetamine before show-
ing up to testily. She said
no, but admitted to occa-
sionally using the drug.
Purtzer asked if Sel-
wyn told other inmates
at the Mason County Jail
afLer the shooting that she
couldn't "believe Bobby
(Raphael) did it." Selwyn
said she couldn't remem-
ber using those words.
II IIII
Much of testimony on
Oct. 23 and OCt. 24 focused
on recorded statements
Longshore made to inves-
tigators in the days after
he was arrested on June 1,
2012.
Longshore's state-
ments on the shooting
changed several times in
the hours of taped state-
ments.
"Your story today has
not tracked from the mo-
ment we started," said
Detective Jeff Rhoades of
the Mason County Sher-
iffs Office duringan early
interview with Longshore.
First; Longshore told
detectives that he was not
in the Harvard Avenue
house during the shooting.
Instead, he told police
that two Mexican men
shot Taber and Drake.
In a later interview,
Longshore recanted that
statement.
"There was no Mexican
involved. That was a bald-
faced lie," Longshore told
detectives.
Longshore then told
detectives he was in the
house but not in the room
when Taber and Drake
were shot.
Later, Longshore told
detectives he was in the
room and saw Raphael
shoot Taber but then ran
out of the house and heard
a second gunshot.
"I did witness that
murder," Longshore said
in a June 4, 2012, inter-
view with detectives.
Longshore also told
detectives about driving
to McCleary the day after
the shooting, throwing
items from his wallet and
articles of clothing out
the car along the way. He
also discussed driving to
Oregon in the days after
the shooting, telling de-
tectives he was afraid of •
being implicated in the
shooting or being labeled
a "snitch" if he talked to
authorities.
Meanwhile, local and
state law-enforcement
officers were conducting
a manhunt to find the
shooting suspect.
Longshore told detec-
tives he returned to Ma-
son County with the in-
tention of turning himself
in.
He was arrested after
law-enforcement officers
stepped a car he was riding
THINK HUNTER FARMI i
for your
WREATHS & CHRISTMAS GREENERY
Wreaths- various sizes 8, styles. We ship!
Coil and tulk to us!
• Or visit htlp:/ unter-farms.com/wrealfls for more information
i • Each item includes decorated g~ box, bow and card.
, * Be sure to order early to insure deliv~ and avaihbilily
• Prices in&de shipping & tax in con~ntol USA
(Shipping is lhmgh UPS Ground)
Extra shipping charge of S1S.O0 to
Alaska, Hawaii and Canada
Please do not emnil or fox orders.
i
1921 E. Hwy. 106, Union WA 98592
(360) 898-2222
(360) 426-2222 I
in on U.S. Highway 101.
The prosecution called
several witnesses Friday,
including four forensiC sci-
entists from the Washing-
ton State Patrol.
The scientists all testi-
fied about pieces of evi-
dence they collected and
analyzed, such as finger-
prints, hair and DN/
While DNA material
was found on the .38 cali-
ber handgun used in the
shooting, forensic scientist
Jeremy Sanderson testi-
fied that not enough DNA
was present to analyze
the sample or compare it
to the DNA of suspects in
the shooting.
If convicted, Longshore
faces life in prison. The
Mason County Prosecu-
tors Office announced last
year that it did not plan to
seek the death penalty.
