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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 6, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 6, 2012
 
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Trial Continued from page A-1 years in prison. "Mr. Baze in this incident, in this e,~ent, was an accomplice to the crimes of assault and robbery, and in the course of that assault and robbery, Shawn Morrow was killed," Dorcy said in his closing arguments on Wednesday. "No one is here to suggest to you that Shawn Morrow didn't have his demons that he dealt with in his life, but today he's dead and he shouldn't be." Stephan R.C. Churchill has also been charged with first-de- gree murder in the case. His trial is scheduled to start Monday. Dorcy asked the jury to disregard that fact. "Those other individuals be- long to another jury at another time, they're not your concern," Dorcy said. Baze's defense attorney, Charles Lane, began his clos- ing argument at about noon on Wednesday. He began by saying that in his arguments Dorcy did not meet the burden of proof in the case. "As my client sits here, he has merely been accused," Lane said. "My client, he had no motive. He had no dog in this fight." Lane called Morrow during his remarks to the jury, a "liar, thief, heroin addict." The state's case against Baze began with jury selection on Aug. 28 and con- tinued with the prosecution's case through the following Tues- Travis day morning. Dorcy took Baze extensive tes- timony in the trial from Detective Jeff Rhoades of the Mason County Sheriffs Of- rice, the lead investigator in the assault on Morrow, about a se- ries of text messages leading up to the assault, between phones used by Baze, Churchill and Mor- row. In text messages sent March 26, the day of the assault, Mor- row sent a message to Baze's phone expressing an interest to buy heroin. The prosecution ar- while Churchill hit Morrow in items. gues that Baze was part of a pro- the head twice with a metal base- Morrow and Churchill were cess to lure Morrow to the public ball bat. Baze also stated that he both confidential informants for fishing area where the assault knew Churchill took the metal the sheriffs department. took place later that day. bat from the home they were both Morrow had previously helped In text messages, Baze set up living at on Olde Lyme Road.detectives arrest Churchill for a meeting with Morrow at theAfter the assault, Baze saidselling heroin. Churchill stated public fishing area just north of he waited to watch Morrow try in his confession tape, played Bayshore on State Route 3. to get up, then drove home with as evidence in pretrial hearings On Friday, the prosecution Churchill. for his own murder trial, that also played a nearly hour-long "It sounded terrible, I was con- Morrow burglarized his house exerpt from a taped confession cerned for his well-being," Baze while he was in jail on the heroin Baze made to Rhoades and De-said in the confession, charge. tective Matt Ledford, also of Dorcy presented evidence from Dorcy rested his case Tuesday the Mason County Sheriffs Of- a forensic pathologist showing morning. rice, on March 27 after he and that Morrow had experienced Lane called Baze's father, Churchill were arrested for the significant trauma to the head, Herb Baze, as his first witness. assault, including skull fractures and He testified that his son worked In his confession, Baze saidswelling of the brain from at for him at The Strip Steak House, Churchill actually sent many of least three hits to the head from a business he owns in downtown the messages to Morrow from a blunt object. Shelton. Baze's phone. Based on the The prosecution also allegesHe also testified under cross phone records, Dorcy said Baze that Baze and Churchill tookexamination that his son was not actually contacted Morrow first, cash that Morrow brought to working when the assault took after Morrow inquired elsewhere buy heroin. Baze confessed on place on March 26. about buying heroin, the tape that Churchill took $45 Lane also called Fred Dough- Baze admitted in the taped from Morrow. ty, a private investigator, but confession that he drove Baze also confessed that Judge Amber Finlay deemed that Churchill in his car to the public Churchill told him afterwardhis testimony was not relevant to fishing area, where they waited that the attack was intended as the facts of the case, after an ob- for Morrow to appear, retribution because he believed jection from Dorcy. Baze told detectives after Mor- Morrow burglarized his'house in Lane rested his case on Tues- row arrived, he waited in his car Feburary, taking a TV and other day afternoon. Suit Continued from page A-1 entered into an Interim Management Agreement, which appointed John Clees as interim manager of the racetrack while Manke and Powell worked with an ac- countant to resolve their dif- ferences The lawsuit also alleges that Manke promised RG my land (sic) with my money buy Manke's share, or sell by the court. The countersuit torsports Group and Pacific Construction owner George and Rustys (sic) 1.7million his own for $5 million,states, "(Manke's) damages, Motorsports Management "Rusty" Gill, the general (sic) dollar credit to become Manke's suit alleges that if any, are the result of risks and for an appointment of a contractor in the project to equity afar powell (sic)is Powell backed out of the voluntarily and knowingly receiver to manage the busi- build the track, a $1.7 mil- dealt with." agreement after Manke assumed by (Manke)." nesses. lion share in the company. On July 23, RG Construc- agreed to take the buyout. The countersuit also al- A hearing to consider the The lawsuit includes a copy tion filed a $1.7 million lien Powell's countersuit claims leges that negligent conduct appointment of a general of the email making that ar- on the racetrack, that Manke is responsible for on behalf of Manke "contrib- receiver for the companies rangement. In mid-July, Powell andthe deal falling through be- uted directly and proximate- is scheduled for 1:30 p.m on The email, from Manke Manke's lawyers exchanged cause he didn't complete doc- ly to his own alleged dam- Sept. 10 in Mason County to Clees, reads in part, "The emails about a possible buy- uments related to the buyout, ages." Superior Court. ridge has been built by my- out of the track. Powell sug- Manke's lawsuit asked for Both suits ask for dis-Manke did not return a re- self and Rusty Gill with on gested that he would either damages to be determined solution of The Ridge Mo- quest i~or comment. Fairgrounds Continued from page A-1 voted against the proposal. "If the property is not appropriate for a fairgrounds, how is it that we just discov- ered that?" he asked. In 2001, the Federal Aviation Admin- istration notified the port that it would not support a renewal of the county's fair- ground lease beyond its end date in De- cember 2013. ing to discuss the port's options. Taylor said he called Suomi to schedule a meet- ing on Aug. 29. "The FAA declined our invitation," he said. The port commission also voted last month to make changes to Hupp's six- page future use plan. What emerged was a slimmed-down document, which Hupp called "a butchery" of his own. While Hupp's future use plan focused on keeping the fairgrounds as is and fight- ing the FAA, the new plan, renamed the The port's 1997 Airport Mas~er PlanFairgrounds Relocation Pla~ifi:Tuesday's designateffl the "fairgrounds prol~erty as meeting, follows the FAA's'wi'#hes. long-term aviation. Hupp plans to continue circulating his Carol Suomi, manager of the Seattlefuture use plan, which he said has grown Airports District Office of the FAA, sent to more than eight pages, in the commu- a letter to the port in response to Hupp's nity. first Fairgrounds Future Use Plan on July Taylor also said in the meeting that 31. Mason County has authorized land for a Her letter states that after December new fairgrounds location. 2013, the port must make efforts to revert Mason County Commissioner Steve the land back to airport use, and failing Bloomfield was at Tuesday's meeting, that, a profitable business venture ap- and told the Shelton-Mason County Jour- proved of by the FAA. nal that the land Taylor referred to was Hupp has long argued that the FAA does set aside as a possible location for a fair- not have the authority to force the port to grounds in 2006, but that the Board of stop using the land as a fairgrounds, and Commissioners has no plans to commit said he introduced his future use plan, that land to a fairground now. and subsequent drafts of six or more pag- "I think maybe you should have had es, as a way to challenge the FAA. your people contact my people," Bloom- Last month, the port commission field said during public comment at Tues- agreed to reach out to the FAA for a meet- day's meeting. Testing Continued from page A-1 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced school lunches statewide, about 61 percent of Shelton students are eligi- ble because of poverty. "When we do better than kids in the state, we feel like we're beating the odds,". she said. For the first time, the district's seventh graders topped the statewide average in all three of its subjects, reading, writing and math, Farr said. One disappointment was a slight drop in the reading scores of third- and fifth-graders, she said. Shelton School District Superinten- dent Wayne Massie said the district hopes to raise the writing test scores. Only 49 percent of fourth-graders met the reading test standards, a drop from 56 percent the previous year. "We will work more diligently on that," Massie said. In the 218-student Grapeview School District, 82 percent of fourth-graders met the reading test standards, compared to 71 percent statewide. Eighty percent of the seventh-graders met the read- ing standards, compared to 67 percent of their peers. The district's lowest score was the 25 percent of third-graders who met the math test standards. "When we do better than kids in the- state, we feel like we're beating the odds." In the 220-student Southside School District, 80 percent of third-graders met the reading st~dards, as did 70 percent of the foarth'graders~ 72 percent of the fifth: graders,' 5~: p~rce~ of ~el Sixth-graderS, and 72 percent of the seventh-graders. The district's highest score was the 81 percent of the seventh-graders who passed the writ- hag test; the lowest was the 48 percent of fourth-graders who passed the math exam. The highest score in the 145-student Pioneer School District was the 76 per- cent of fifth-graders who passed the read- ing exam. The lowest score was the 28 percent of fourth-graders who met the math test standards. In the Hood Canal School District, the high score was the 67 percent of fourth- graders who passed the reading test. The low score was the 11 percent of fifth-grad- ers who met the math test standard. Ac- cording to the state, 324 of the district's 340 students were eligible for free or re- duced price lunches. Sheriff - Casey Salisbury IIIIIIII SEX OFFENDER INFORMATION BULLETIN LEVEL 3 NOTIFICATION OF RESIDENCE Date: September 4, 2012 Prepared by: Detective William Adam Bulletin#: 12-32 The Mason County Sheriff's ()ffice is releasing the following inlbrmalion pursuant to RCW 4.24,550 and the Washington State Supreme Court decision in ~, which authorizes law enforcement agencies 1o inlbrm the public eta sex offenders release when: in the discretion of the agency, the release of information will enhance public safety and protection. The individual ~ho appears on this notification has been convicted of a sex offense that requires registration with the Sheriff's ()ffice in the county of their residence. Further, their previous erimi~ml history places them in a classification level which reflects the potential to re-nit'end. This sex offender has ser`*'ed the sentence im~oosed on him by the courts and has advised the Mason County Sheriff's Office that he will be living in the location below. HE IS NOT WANTED BYTHE POLICE ATTHIS TIME. THIS NOTIFICATION IS NOT INTENDED TO INCREASE FEAR, RATHER, IT IS OUR BELIEF TItAT AN INFORMED PUBLIC IS A SAFER PUBLIC. The Mason County Sheriff's Office has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may or may not live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, this offender is constitutionally free to live wherever he chooses. Sex offenders ]lave ahvays lived in our communities, but it wasn't until passage of the Community Pro~e~ti~nAct~f~99~(whichmandatessexq~enderregistra~i~n)that~awentbrcementevenknewwheretheywer~iving~ In many eases, law enforcement is now able to share thai inlbro|adon with you. Citizen abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders wilt not be tolerated, Further, snch abuse conld potenlially end law enforcemem's abdity to do community notitications. We believe the only p~son who wins if community notilication ends is the sex o fl'ender, since sex offenders derive Iheir pov, er through secrecy. If you have any information regarding current criminal activity of this or any other offender, nlease call 911. For other sex offender inlbnnation, I~tt~://so.et~.mason.wa.us/and click on: GREGORY ALLEN HOWARD, JR. WHITE MALE - DOB: !1/30/1982 - 6 02 - 222 LBS. BLONDE HAIR & BLUE EYES Gregory HOWARD has recently utoved to Mason County and is required to register as a sex offender due 1o his conviction on 08/21/1997 of Rape of i cr a Child 1~ De=ree, Kitsap County Superior Court cause number 97-8-00198-0. "['his couviction stems fi'om wlten HOWARD was 14 years old lte sexnally assaulted and raped a 7 year old little boy that was a fiiend oft friend. HOWARD brandished a katit'e and used threats to kill in order to a schieve compliance and coutrol of the little boy. HOWARD has nmRiple convictions of Failure To Register as a Sex Offender as well as other criminal history including, but,not limited 1o assault. Due to these factors, HOWARD is considered a HIGH RISK. HOWARD is no longer on DOC Supervision and his only requirentenl is the duty to register. HOWARD is assessed by the Mason Connty Sheriff's Ol:fice as a ' " . This is the highesl-level given Ina Sex Ofl'euder, meaning that the subject is at a HIGH RISK to re-off'end. HOWARD has given his address within Mason County as: Within the 300 Block of South 1st Street, Shclton, WA Sheriff - Casey Salisbury SEX OFFENDER INFORMATION BULLETIN LEVEL 3 NOTIFICATION OF HOMELESS/TRANSIENT STATUS Date: September 4, 2012 Prepared by: Detective William Adam Bulletin#: 12-33 The Masot~ Coulny Sheri ff's Office is releasing the Ibllowing inlbrmalion pursuanl to RCW 4.24.550 and the Washington State Supreme Court decision in ~, x~,hicb authorizes law entbreement agencies to infbrm the public of a sex offenders release when; in the discretion ol'thc agency, Ihe release of~n formation "*','ill enhance public safety and protection. The individual who appears oil this notification has been convicted oft sex ofl'ense that requires regislralion with the Sherifl"s Office in the couuty of their residence. Further, their previous criminal history places them in a classification level ecb.ich reflects the potential to re-offend. This sex offender has served the sentence imposed on him hy the corms and has advised the Mason County SherilVs Office that he will be living in the location below. HE IS NOT WANI'E D BY TIlE POLICE AT Tills TIME. THIS NOTIFICATION IS NOT INTENDED TO INCREA~SE FEAR, RATIIER, IT IS t)l! R BELIEF I"tlAT AN INFORMED PUBLIC IS A SAFER PUBLIC. The Mason County Sheriff's Office has no legal anthori~y to direct where a sex offender may or may nnt live. Unless court ordered restrictions exist, this offender is constitutionally free In live wherever he chooses. Sex ofl'cnders have always lived in our communities, but it wasn't until passage of the Community ~,r~t~c~i~Act~f~99I~(~*~hi~`hn~t7d~es~`~