July 5, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Thursday, July 5, 2012
Week 27-- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- Published for Mason County and Harry Griffith of Shelton -- $1
Nonprofit files suit against county
for garbage hauling contract
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncounly.eom
The Advocates for Responsible Gov-
ernment, a nonprofit group based in
Belfair, has filed a lawsuit against
Mason County and the Mason County
Board of Commissioners in response
to a contract for garbage hauling that
caused some controversy when it was
approved on June 5.
"My clients are strong proponents
of open government. We believe this is
a prime example of just the opposite,"
said Wayne Hagen, an attorney repre-
senting the group.
The lawsuit argues that the Mason
County commission failed to comply
See Suit on page A-3
A Hope Island raccoon enjoys a crab
islands, is accessible by boat only.
Man with area
ties on most
wanted list
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nataZie@ma,~oncounty.com
A Mason County man is on
the Washington State Depart-
ment of Corrections' (DOC) most
wanted sex of-
fender list•
Bradley Al-
len Barr, 48, has
been on the run
since February
2002, according
to the DOC.
The updated
list was posted
Bradley on June 25.
Barr According to
the DOC, Barr
is a white male,
5 feet 10 inches tall with red hair
See Wanted on page A-3
81111U!!I!!IIU!I!I!!IIII2
Journal photo by Jesse Mullen
lunch on Sunday. Hope Island, located between Squaxin and Steamboat
Hoodsport home declared total loss after fire
By EMILY HANSON
emil3~@)ma.~oncounty.com
A rental home in Hoodsport
was consumed by flames last
week in an accidental fire.:
The call came in at 4:13 p.m.
on June 28 that there was a
structure fire at 340 N. Kokanee
Ridge Drive, Hoodsport.
"The woman living in the
home was tryiqg to open a gal-
lon of olive oil and dropped it
on the stove, which was already
turned on," said Mike Fain, Ma-
son County Fire District No~ 18
assistant chief. '%Vhen she tried
to clean up with paper towels,
she got too close to a burner and
the paper towel ignited."
Once the fire began, Fain said
it spread quickly, resulting in
the total loss of the house.
The woman and two of her
five children were in the house
at the time of the fire but were
able to safely exit the home
without injuries.
Mason County Fire Districts
1, 6, 9, 17 and 18 as well as the
Central Mason Fire Marshall
were on the scene, with the first
arriving less than 10 minutes af-
Courtesy photo
A Hoodsport rental home was declared a total loss
after an accidental fire spread from the kitchen on
June 28.
ter the Call
Fain said a fire extinguiser is
the proper way to put out an oil
fire in a kitchen.
"If a fire extinguisher had
been handy, it would've been a
quick way to knock the fire down
a bit for us to be able to save
something, he said, .
The family left with relatives
a_Pmr the fire began and Fain said
the American Red Cross assisted
by giving them a way to purchase
foodand get by for a day or so.
The names of the family have
not yet been released.
4 open
homicide
cases
head to
trial
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalh~@masoncounty.com
Mason County's spate
of violence between March
and early June has resulted
in four open homicide cases
heading to trial in the county.
..... Travis Carl Baze and Ste-
phen Churchill, Christopher
Thorson, Dylan J. Burke
and Charles Sydney Long-
shore will soon stand trial for
charges ranging tkom vehicu-
lar homicide to aggravated
1st degree murder.
The county has experi-
enced six deaths ruled a ho-
micide so far this year. This is
the most homicides recorded
in Mason County in a single
year since 2005.
Baze and Churchill, both
of Shelton, are accused of
murdering Shawn Joseph
Morrow with a baseball bat
on March 26. Morrow met
with the two in a public fish-
ing area in the 3900 block of
State Route 3, purportedly to
buy heroin.
Baze and Churchill
pleaded not guilty to first-
degree murder charges
on March 30. Although
the men were given bail of
$250,000 and $350,000, re-
spectively, their bail was
raised to $1 million each
on March 30 when Morrow
died of his injuries.
Both Baze and Churchill
are scheduled to attend a pre-
trial hearing on Aug. 6 at the
Mason County Courthouse.
Christopher Thorson is ac-
cused of murdering his wife
of 37 years, Vanessa Thor-
son, with a shotgun on April
12.
According to authorities,
Thorson and his wife were
arguing and drinking when
Vanessa Thorson said to her
husband, "Why don't you just
shoot meT'
Thorson, who lived near
Lake Cushman with his wife,
originally told authorities the
incident was an assisted sui-
cide.
Thorson pleaded not guilty
on April 23 and was granted
$1 million bail.
His next appearance in
Mason County Superior
Court will be at a pre-trial
hearing scheduled for Aug.
6: His trial is scheduled to
start on Aug. 20 at the Mason
County Courthouse.
According to authorities,
Dylan J. Burke, a Shelton
resident, was be~nd the
See Homicide on page A-3