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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