Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 14, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 1     (1 of 14 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 1     (1 of 14 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
July 14, 2011
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Thursday, July 14, 2011 Year 125 -- Week 28 -- 7 Sections -- 52 Pages -- Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1 Skokomish cop under investigation By KEVAN MOORE What started out as an other- wise routine Skokomish Reser- vation burglary has grown into a full-blown Mason County Sheriffs Office criminal investigation in which a tribal police officer and one of the tribe's most prominent members are persons of interest. In addition, a former officer with the Skokomish Department of Public Safety has also shown up on the sheriffs office radar during the course of the investigation for allegedly engaging in criminal be- havior while on duty. People ihmiliar with the inves- tigation said that a burglary oc- curred on the reservation about one month ago. Two days later, sources said, the victim, who is one of the tribe's most respected leaders and prominent members, armed himself with a weapon, en- tered the home of another man he thought was responsible for the burglary and beat him while an on-duty Skokomish officer stood by and watched with a taser in hand. Sources say that both men even- tually appeared before the tribal council and came to some sort of amicable resolution regarding the burglary and subsequent assault. The sheriffs office, though, "1 can confirm that there is an active criminal investigation..." which has jurisdictional authority to operate on the reservation, later learned of the allegations involv- ing the men and the officer who stood by during the assault and launched an investigation. "I can confirm that there is an active criminal investigation stemming from the burglary and the alleged incident that occurred two days later," Mason County Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy Dean Byrd said this week. "Beyond that, I cannot comment at this time be- cause the investigation is ongo- ing." Acting Skokomish Police Chief Mike Stately, who took over after Chief David Pratt was fired June 20, referred basic inquiries to trib- al attorney Lori Nies. Nies said she could not comment on Pratt's termination after less than a year on the job because it was a person- el matter. When asked specifically about the criminal investigation, Nies referred questions to Yvonne Oberly, the tribe's Chief Executive Officer who could not be reached for comment. Other sources familiar with the investigation said that the FBI is not yet actively involved in any investigation but is aware of the various allegations. Mason County Prosecutor Mike Dorcy said he was aware of the criminal investigation, but had not seen any paperwork and knew few details. Sources said that since the ac- tions of two officers have been brought into question, the crimi- nal investigation, and any subse- quent internal investigation, could take many months. Belfair man booked following shootings By KEVAN MOORE Belfair resident Kelly Dean Lund, 52, was ar- rested at about 11 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, after he allegedly assaulted a neigh- bor, shot at another neigh- bor and then fired shots at deputies when they tried to contact him at his residence in the 10000 block of North Shore Road. Lund, 52, was booked into the Mason County Jail under investigation of two counts of first-degree as- sault, felony harassment, reckless endangerment and one count of fourth-degree assault. According to sheriffs of- fice deputies, they received a call from a neighbor of Lund's complaining that he had been assaulted by Lund. Two deputies responded to the scene and when they tried to contact Lund at his residence, shots rang out. The deputies were not hit and took cover and called for assistance. The Mason County Sher- iffs Office SWAT team, troopers from the Wash- ington State Patrol and a ranger from Belfair State Park responded to assist deputies. The shooting closed the North Shore for more than two hours. Eventually, a sheriffs office detective was able to establish phone con- tact with Lund who was holed up inside his resi- dence. The detective was then able to talk Lund into surrendering to authorities without incident. "Further investigation disclosed that Lund alleged- ly shot at a neighbor woman who was in a boat tending some crab pots just off shore from Lund's residence," said Mason County Sheriffs Of- fice Chief Deputy Dean Byrd. "Lund also allegedly made threats to kill." Deputies searched Lund's house and found guns, am- munition and spent casings. Deputies also said they are familiar with Lund and know him to be aggressive toward law enforcement personnel. 8 III1!! UI!!I!!!!!!I1112 Journal photo by Aria Shephard At a public meeting on Tuesday in Belfair, business owner Brian Petersen argued that small businesses would be crushed by the Belfair Wastewater proposed sewer monthly rates and connection fees and that economic growth in Belfair would stall. business owners balk at sewer costs Belfair Wastewater unveils proposed monthly rates and fees By ARLA SHEPHARD A growing number of concerned citizens say that the Belfair sewer project could flush out residents, small businesses and non-profits in Belfair. As the county commissioners come close to finalizing interim sewer rates for the B;elfair Waste- water project, several community leaders are speaking out against projected connection costs and monthly fees that they feel will de- stroy economic growth in Belfair. "The costs are goin.g to be astro- nomical and devastating to Belfair in ways we couldn't; even imag- ine," said Port of Allyn Commis- sioner Randy Neatherlin at a Port meeting last week. "The danger to our community is so obvious that there's nothing I can do but stand up." Neatherlin made a motion, which his fellow commissioners approved unanimously, to send a letter of concern to the Mason County Board of Commissioners. According to Phase I of the sew- er project's proposed costs, which project managers and consultants presented at a public meeting in Belfair Tuesday night, connec- tion fees are estimated at $3,000 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), on top of another $6,000 to $7,000 to construct a side sewer into the system, and about $96 per month per ERU for sewer service. Water and sewer usage for a single-family residential home equates to one ERU; businesses hooking into the sewer can expect See Sewer on page A-7 Journal photo by Natalie Johnson Dann Gagnon poses with pride with his father's Guinness Book of World Records and his "9" card for his ninth plate of a dozen oysters a week after winning the first annual Oyster Challenge on Hood Canal. 9 The man who ate nine-dozen oysters By NATALIE JOHNSON Dann Gagnon has an interesting family legacy. Many people can say that two or more generations of their family served in the military, or ran a family business for example. Gagnon;s family has a slightly differ- ently legacy - that of champion shellfish eaters. On July 1, Gagnon won the Alderbrook Resort's first annual Oyster Challenge on :Hood Canal by eating nine dozen, that's 108, raw, medium sized oysters in only five :minutes. "I do crazy stuff- I've done some inter- esting things in my life," he said. Gagnon competed for a spot in the com- petition by explaining why he had the right stuff to compete in the eating contest. Gagnon said his wife entered him, and remembered to mention his shellfish-swal- lowing legacy. "I think the hook was, son of the world's champion clam eater, how could you not pick him?" he said. Forty years earlier, Gagnon's father ate 437 clams in 10 minutes to secure a spot.in the Guinness Book of World Records that has stood in the world of Guinness to this day. "The reason why nobody can beat b See Oyster on page