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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 13, 2014     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 13, 2014
 
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County asks state for nearlLy $150K for murder case By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@masoncounty.com Mason County has asked for reim- bursement from the state for nearly $150,000 for costs associated with the aggravated murder trial of Charles Longshore. Longshore, 23, has been charged with aggravated murder in the deaths of Ty- ler "Red" Drake, 19, and Anitrea "Rexy" Taber, 37, around 1 a.m. on May 28, 2012. His case is scheduled to go to trial in June. "Is it an extraordinary case, abso- lutely," Mason County Prosecutor Mike Dorcy said. 'The biggest tax is just time." The Washington Senate and House Ways & Means committees are consider- ing the request along with other requests from Clallam, King and Klickitat coun- ties. Members of the state Office of Public Defense, the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and the Wash- ington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs requested the reimbursements on behalf of the counties. According to a letter sent from the three agencies to the chairs of the state Senate and House Ways & Means com- mittees, state law allows for reimburse- ment of trial costs in aggravated murder cases if there is "disproportionate fiscal impact relative to the county criminal justice budget, efficient use of resources, and whether the costs were extraordi- nary and could not be reasonably accom- modated and anticipated in the normal budget process." According to information provided by Mason County for its request, "Mason County's criminal justice system was overwhelmed beginning in 2012, when 10 homicide cases were filed." This particular homicide trial quali- fies because Longshore was charged with aggravated first-degree murder, meaning he could face a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. The Ma- son County Prosecuto£s Office previous- ly announced it will not seek the death penalty. A first-degree murder charge can be classified as aggravated for a number of reasons, Dorcy said, including being a murder in the commission of a robbery or burglary, a murder with multiple vic- tims or a murder committed to cover up another crime. Robert W. Raphael, 34, has also been charged with first-degree murder in the case. Five other people have been charged with rendering criminal assistance. Those cases include one aggravated murder, seven first-degree murders, one second-degree murder and one vehicular homicide. The county also had a murder- suicide in 2012. In 2013, three homicide cases were filed, including two first-degre e murders and one second-degree murder. In contrast, between 2008.and 2011, six homicide cases were filed in the coun- ty. According to Mason County's request for reimbursement, the case has gener- ated 8,000 pages of evidence and court documents. "The discovery is voluminous -- it re- quired photocopying for all of the differ- ent co-defendants," Dorcy said. "There's dozens and dozens and dozens of CDs and DVDs containing.., discovery." The Mason County Public Defense Administration office had to find attor- neys to represent Longshore, Raphael and the five people charged with render- ing criminal assistance. "It was a pretty arduous task for me -- basically hours and hours and hours on the phone," said Mason County Pub- lic Defense Administrator Susan Serge- jan. Not all attorneys are capable of de- fending clients in murder trials, and even fewer are willing to defend a client in a trial in which the death penalty is an option, Sergojan said. The cost of public defenders in murder trials comes from Mason County's homi- cide fund, rather than the public defense budget, Sergojan said. "The direct fiscal impact is not big but it is extremely difficult to find that many qualified attorneys who don't have any conflicts (of interest)," she said. Most of the county's reimbursement request covers actual expenses, rather than the time salaried employees work. Dorcy said the biggest costs to the Ma- son County Prosecuto£s Office are yet to come. "The biggest hit as far as actual bud- get cost is when this case goes to trial," he said. Dorcy said he won't know the total cost of the trial until it is over. Police seeking suspect in burglary STAFF REPORT news@masoncounty.com The Mason County Sheriffs Office is seeking a burglary suspect caught in the act at a Lake Cushman home. The burglary was commited at 9:56 a.m. on Monday. Surveillance camer- as inside the home show a man wear- ing a brown jacket and dark hat, and a camera outside shows the suspect with a white Ford van. To identify the suspect, call the Sheriffs Office at 427-7761 and refer to case number 14-01689. Photo courtesy of Mason County Sheriff Office Mason County sheriff's deputies are seeking this suspect in connection with a burglary near Lake Cushman. Are ou looking for a varlet of exciting employment 0)portunities? Tired of Job Hunting? Try Career Exploring Instead! Please Join us Feb. 20th from 1-Gpm at the Squaxin Island Tribal Gym located at 70 Squaxin Lane Shelton, WA • Free Gifts • Door Prizes olndian Tacos $3.00 Unique career opportunities will be presented by Squaxin Island Tribal Government, Island Enterprises, Little Creek Casino Resort, Salish Cliffs Golf Club, Local Businesses & Educational Establishments. lslaHd Tribe I ISLAND ENTERPRISES INC Weaving l; stroflg business foundston for (he IllW sq..,J, t,ia, T.b¢, f,t,°. OAtl NO* PlIISOPlI'. www, ltttlo-creek.com GOLF CLUB Level 3 STAFF REPORT news@masoncounty.com sex offender released from prison County Superior Court for rape of a child in the third degree. Matz is not allowed to be around minors, and is under supervision from the state Department of Cor- rections. The Mason County Sher- iffs Office has assessed Matz as a Level 3 sex of- fender, meaning he is at a high risk to reoffend. A Level 3 sex offender re- cently released from prison has listed his address in the 1100 block of East Phillips Lake Loop Road. Jesse Michael Matz, 23, is required to register as a sex offender because of a 2010 conviction in Mason Matz Move Your Loan to OCCU and Receive 1% Cash Back' and No Payments for 90 Days'l OCCU Our Community Credit Union J Call 800-426-5657, stop by or visit www.ourcu.€om to take advantage of this great offer today! 1.1% cash back applies to any loan balances transferred from another financial institution over to OCCU, 1% cash back will be based on amount advanced at loan closing (example: $200 on a loan of $20,000), Offer cannot be combined with any other promotions. Loans must be funded before April 30 . Loans paid off within six months of funding will incur cash back reversal, Home Mortgage, Home Equity and Land Loans do not apply. 2, APR=Annual Percentage Rate Rates are subject to change, 3. Interest begins accruing upon disbursal ot loan. Deferred payments available upon approval. Offer may end at anytime without notice. For more information ]lease ca 360-432-7036 Mason County Journal- Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014 - Page A-7 , I I