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| September 13, 2007 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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Superior court roundup:
Deputies told wife pointed
gun and pulled the trigger
Bail was set at $25,000 for a
Belfair woman who appeared in
Mason County Superior Court af-
ter she was arrested for allegedly
pointing a gun at her husband
- twice - in an incident last week-
end.
Katrina Francis Beltran, 36,
of 120 Ballycastle Way, Shelton,
was identified on Monday, Sep-
tember 10, in an investigation of
assault in the first degree. She was
arrested in connection with allega-
tions of domestic violence against
her husband.
She was arrested September 8
by deputies from the Mason County
Sheriffs Office who said they were
responding to a report of a distur-
bance at the Ballycastle residence
between Beltran and her husband,
Juan. The couple argued and she
reportedly took a semi-automatic
handgun from the closet. Depu-
ties said they were told the couple
struggled: the gun discharged and
a bullet went through the mat-
tress. Mr. Beltran then reportedly
unloaded the handgun and placed
it in the closet, Mrs. Beltran alleg-
edly retrieved the handgun, point-
ed it at her husband and pulled
the trigger on an empty chamber.
Judge James Sawyer appointed
James Foley as defense attorney,
set bail at $25,000 and scheduled
arraignment for September 24.
Sawyer ordered Beltran to have
no contact with Juan Beltran or
the residence and said if she posts
bail she must provide an address
where she will be residing.
On Tuesday, September 11:
• Steven James Kumba, 29,
was identified in an investigation
of assault in the second degree. He
was listed as transient at booking
and was arrested at 3000 Johns
Prairie Road, Shelton, by Sergeant
Jerry Lingle of the Shelton Police
Department.
Officers said they were respond-
ing to a report of a fight from Floyd
Roland "Ted" Marsh, the alleged
victim. Kumba is identified as
the boyfriend of Amanda Woodall
who lives in one of the apartments
and is a potential witness, accord-
ing to the police report. Kumba
and Marsh reportedly argued and
Kumba armed himself with a stud-
ded leather belt and threatened to
strike Marsh with it. Officers said
they were told Kumba then got
a large rock and raised it above
his head as if he was going to hit
Marsh in the head with the rock.
One potential witness, Ron-
aid Lee Burton, reported seeing
Kumba displaying a knife from in-
side Woodall's apartment. Kumba
denied threatening Marsh with
anything. Brook A. Stockwell and
Cherie Christine Carr also report-
ed seeing the altercation between
Kumba and Marsh.
Judge Sawyer appointed Foley
as defense attorney, set bail at
$2,500 and scheduled arraign-
ment for September 24. He or-
dered Kumba to have no contact
with Marsh or potential witnesses
named in the police report.
• Lance P Hamilton, 60, of 20
East Cedarshake Lane, Shelton,
was identified in an investigation
of manufacture of marijuana.
He was arrested September
10 by officers of the West Sound
Narcotics Enforcement Team who
served a search warrant at his
residence and reportedly found 43
plants, scales, lights and processed
marijuana. Court documents indi-
cate Hamilton had medical autho-
rization for marijuana but it had
expired.
Judge Sawyer appointed Jea-
nette Boothe as defense attorney
and released Hamilton on his
promise to appear for arraignment
on September 24.
On Monday, September 10:
• Shadow "Robert" Williams,
21, of 330 East Lakeshore Drive
East, Shelton, was identified in an
investigation of rape of a child in
the third degree.
He was arrested around 11:40
p.m. September 7 and is suspected
of having sexual intercourse with
a 15-year-old female identified in
court documents by the initials
"A.M.E.T.," who was described as
his girlfriend. On the morning of
September 7, the girl's mother told
officers she found her daughter in
bed with Williams at the residence
of Sandra Honeywell, who is his
mother.
Officers said they questioned
Williams and he denied having
any sexual contact with the girl.
However, officers said that after
they noted he had hickies on his
body, including one which was on
his neck, he admitted having in-
tercourse with the girl but said it
had been consensual. He also said
he thought she was 17 years old.
Williams uses the name Robert
but has not had his first name le-
gally changed, according to the po-
lice report.
Judge Sawyer appointed Ron
Sergi as defense attorney, set bail
at $5,000 and scheduled arraign-
ment for September 24. He or-
dered Williams to have no contact
with the 15-year-old girl or her
residence.
• Monica Lea Bailey, 28, of
Shelton, was identified in an in-
vestigation of burglary in the first
degree. She was listed as transient
at booking, but also provided an
Not-guilty pleas:
McConkey charged
in campsite assault
An Olympia man arrested after
allegedly beating another man at
a camping area on the Skokomish
River was arraigned recently in
Mason County Superior Court.
Josef Wade McConkey, 30,
of 1315 71st Avenue SE, pied not
guilty on August 31 to a charge of
assault in the third degree. He is
scheduled for an omnibus hearing
on October 22, a pretrial hearing
on November 5, a trial readiness
hearing on November 9 and trial
during the jury term beginning
November 13.
McConkey is accused of assault-
ing Aaron Douglas Smith in the
early morning hours of August 18
at a campsite on property at the
Hunter Farm in Union. Deputies
fom the Mason County Sheriffs
Office reported Smith was trans-
ported to Mason General Hospital
and had sustained broken ribs as
well as other less serious injuries.
Deputies were told Smith was
sleeping in a van when he was
attacked at about 12:30 a.m. He
reportedly was with Edward and
Anthony Gloyne, who were sleep-
ing in a tent near the van and wit-
nessed the attack by McConkey.
Edward Gloyne reported the al-
leged assault.
The Gloynes said they had been
sitting around a campfire drink-
ing alcohol with Smith, who went
to sleep in the van. They said two
men, one named Joe, came over
from another campsite and, while
they were there, Smith opened the
side door of the van holding an AK
47 assault rifle.
The Gloynes said they teased
Smith about coming out and that
they thought Smith did it because
they had been banging on the van
earlier. They offered Joe and the
other man a few beers and told
them the rifle was not loaded. The
men went back to their campsite
and the Gloynes went to sleep in
the tent.
About an hour later, the Gloynes
said, they heard a commotion out-
side and saw Joe, a female and
about six other males standing
beside the van. The female opened
the sliding door and McConkey
reached in and began punching
Smith with his left hand while
holding a gun in his right hand,
according to the arrest report.
McConkey then allegedly pulled
Smith from the van and continued
beating him. Smith allegedly said
he had done something stupid and
it had been misinterpreted.
McConkey claimed he and a
man he knew as "Mike" went to
the campsite and Smith assaulted
him when he jumped out of the
van with the rifle and threatened
them.
Two defendants in unrelated
cases also were arraigned on Fri-
day, August 31, and are scheduled
for omnibus hearings on Septem-
ber 24, pretrial hearings on Octo-
ber 8, trial readiness hearings on
October 12 and trials during the
(Please turn to page 27.)
Page 26 - Shelton-Mason County Journal, Thursday, September 13, 2007
address of 605 Fairmount Avenue.
She was arrested September
7 by Officer Kenny Driver of the
SPD, who said he was responding
to a report from Wal-Mart that
Ranger Gapinski, a loss preven-
tion officer, was holding a female,
identified as Bailey, on the ground.
She was reportedly detained for
shoplifting underwear and put-
ting it in a new purse, then leav-
ing the store without paying for
those items although she did pay
for other items.
When Bailey was detained by
employees she allegedly started
to fight with them and punched
Tabrina C. Hall in the eye. Bailey
allegedly said she was just scared
and "freaked out" and did not in-
tend to hurt anyone.
Judge Sawyer appointed Boothe
as defense attorney, set bail at
$5,000 and scheduled arraignment
for September 24. He ordered Bai-
ley to have no contact with any
Wal-Mart properties including the
one in Shelton. He noted she had
been trespassed from the Shelton
store on a previous shoplifting con-
viction, an order which prohibits
her from going on any Wal-Mart
property.
• Patricia Rose Cinco, 52, of
520 NE Larson Boulevard, Belfair,
was identified in an investigation
of assault in the third degree. She
was arrested in connection with
allegations of domestic violence
against Michael Ong. According to
court documents, the two had been
living together for 11 years.
She was arrested September
9 by Deputy Kelly LaFrance who
said she was responding to a re-
port of a disturbance at the Larson
Boulevard residence. Cinco alleg-
edly pulled Ong off the bed by his
hair so she could go to sleep, then
grabbed a wooden club and hit him
on the arm.
Judge Sawyer appointed Foley
as defense attorney and released
Cinco on her promise to appear
for arraignment on September 24.
He ordered her to have no contact
with Michael Ong, who told the
court he was willing to move out
of the house they shared so she
can reside there.
• Joseph S. Ryan, 22, of 3724
Longhorn Way NW, Bremerton,
was identified in an investiga-
tion of possession of methamphet-
amine.
He was arrested September
8 by deputies at Sandy's Dell in
Belfair. A deputy stopped the ve-
hicle Ryan was driving for having
a headlight out and learned his
license had been suspended and
arrested him. The deputy reported
searching the vehicle and finding a
jar behind the driver's seat which
contained white residue and a can-
vas bag with a glass smoking pipe
and a clear plastic baggie with a
white crystal substance inside.
The white crystal substance field-
tested positive for meth.
Judge Sawyer appointed Boothe
as defense attorney and released
Ryan on his promise to appear
for arraignment on September 24.
Sawyer imposed conditions of re-
lease including weekly drug test-
ing to ensure abstinence.
On Friday, September 7:
• Bruce Wade Barker, 37, of
381 Picadilly Road, Shelton, was
identified in an investigation of
possession of methamphetamine.
He was arrested on three superior
court criminal warrants for legal
financial obligations in 1988 and
1989 cases and a warrant related
to a family support matter.
The arrest was made on Sep-
tember 6 by a deputy from the
sheriffs office on routine patrol
on State Route 3 near Deer Creek.
He reportedly stopped the vehicle
Barker was driving after observ-
ing it drift over the fog line and
the center line of the highway. The
deputy said he searched the vehi-
cle and found a small black safe on
the floor behind the driver's seat.
Barker claimed it was not his and
allegedly gave permission for the
deputy to open it. The box con-
tained 17 grams of a white crys-
tal substance which field-tested
positive for meth, according to the
deputy.
The deputy reported that Bark-
er was with Melissa A. Johnson
who reportedly told officers the box
with the meth in it was not hers.
Judge Toni Sheldon appointed
Foley as defense attorney in the
new allegation, set bail at $2,500
and scheduled arraignment for
September 17. She ordered him to
have no contact with Johnson.
JACKIE BROOKS TALKS about gold, art and his
habits while waiting for a handout in Shelton. B.
Hanlon took his picture.
Homeless man's
dreaming of gold
in the open air
By ELIZABETH WELLS were just little kids and grew
and B. ALLISON HANLON
He stands outside in a parking
lot on Wallace Kneeland Boule-
vard, a man with long gray hair
dressed tbr the weather. Apart
from being homeless, he's an artist
and an underwater gold miner by
trade. Jackie Brooks has learned
some lessons the hard way, but he
he doesn't want to make the same
mistakes over and over again.
"I'm my own greatest critic," he
said. "I try to keep myself in line.
I don't want to make a mistake. I
make mistakes but I tz-y not to and
I berate myself when I do."
His life, is simple but his dreams
are big. He was born in Kalamazoo,
Michigan, on February 2, 1949 to a
family that hailed from the South.
"I was conceived in Arkansas but
then we went to Michigan," he
said. "My dad was a silo builder
and he chased work. There's not
that much money in cotton. With-
in a year after I was born, they
moved back down South."
As a teenager he had a run-in
with the law and says he spent 15
years 6 months and 9 days in pris-
on in Michigan for possession of
burglary tools and possession of a
concealed weapon. "! was a crook,"
he said.
DURING HIS conversation in
the parking lot with the writers
identified above several people
gave money to Mr. Brooks: a dollar
from a child's hand out a car win-
dow, a lady who kneels down to
give him some food and juice. Two
young men stop by, one slurring
his words, "You remember me? I
gave you money once" He slurs.
The other guy quickly adds, "He's
just tired" and Brooks quips, "Yea
he's in the wind. I can see that."
The phrase "in the wind" means
the man's not sober and after some
banter the two depart. Brooks says
that they have an understanding
with him, staking out different
parts of the parking lot because no
one gets any money if they crowd
each other. He says keeping their
distance makes the difference
between his getting $10 to $15 a
day and not getting any. "We get
along," he said. "We respect each
other. I'll go back there and social-
ize with them later."
Brooks said he got out of prison
about 25 years ago and says all
those years living in a "concrete
box" convinced him that the cor-
rectional system does not reha-
bilitate people. "You rehabilitate
yourselI," he said. "You cannot be
rehabilitated. Rehabilitation is
your own decision."
He got a college education in
prison and developed a passion for
gold mining but lost touch with
his family, especially the younger
brothers and sisters who grew up
while he was behind bars. "I didn't
know my family anymore," he
said. "I literally didn't know them.
I had brothers and sisters who
into adults." m 11
BROOKS ALSO came out
prison with a taste for the mo
air and so he lives out-of-doorS.I[
don't like the idea of being indo0
' O
I m out here because I want t
out here," he said.
Upon release from prison
says he became the dredger
underwater gold mining o
tions, working for 22 years in
Feather River of Northern Calii
(Please turn to page 27.)
More kids
said to be,
homeless
This year's census of Me"
son County people who are
living on the edge found 504
people who have no homes or
are at risk of losing whatever
shelter they may have.
That's fewer people tha
the 515 who were counted
last year, but there are more
children in this year's count.
Most of the people who are
homeless and alone are male,
but females are the majority
among those people who have
a household without a stable
home. That's according to fig"
urea released by Patti Sells
of Union, who is coordinat"
ing programs for the home"
less in the county. She has
been compiling informatio9
gathered in January of this
year by census takers who
hosted such outreach efforts
as a lunch for the homeleSS t
at S,'nt David of Wales Epis"
copal Church, where Sells is
a deacon, as well as simil.
gatherings in Belfair annd
Union.
Census takers counted
118 households with 271
children who did not have
stable place of their own i
Mason County. That's two
fewer households than were
counted last year but 38 more
children who are living fro i '
door-to-door. Most of the chil" iil
dren who do not have a ho e. i
are under the age of 13 attd !i
80 of them are under the agei
of 6, according to informatio
provided by Sells.
Mason County is in the
second year of an annual
census required by a state
law that also requires the
county to prepare a!Oye
plan to address the prou---
of homelessness. "We look at ,:
the needs of the community
and try to focus on that./if"
(Please turn to page 27.)
Superior court roundup:
Deputies told wife pointed
gun and pulled the trigger
Bail was set at $25,000 for a
Belfair woman who appeared in
Mason County Superior Court af-
ter she was arrested for allegedly
pointing a gun at her husband
- twice - in an incident last week-
end.
Katrina Francis Beltran, 36,
of 120 Ballycastle Way, Shelton,
was identified on Monday, Sep-
tember 10, in an investigation of
assault in the first degree. She was
arrested in connection with allega-
tions of domestic violence against
her husband.
She was arrested September 8
by deputies from the Mason County
Sheriffs Office who said they were
responding to a report of a distur-
bance at the Ballycastle residence
between Beltran and her husband,
Juan. The couple argued and she
reportedly took a semi-automatic
handgun from the closet. Depu-
ties said they were told the couple
struggled: the gun discharged and
a bullet went through the mat-
tress. Mr. Beltran then reportedly
unloaded the handgun and placed
it in the closet, Mrs. Beltran alleg-
edly retrieved the handgun, point-
ed it at her husband and pulled
the trigger on an empty chamber.
Judge James Sawyer appointed
James Foley as defense attorney,
set bail at $25,000 and scheduled
arraignment for September 24.
Sawyer ordered Beltran to have
no contact with Juan Beltran or
the residence and said if she posts
bail she must provide an address
where she will be residing.
On Tuesday, September 11:
• Steven James Kumba, 29,
was identified in an investigation
of assault in the second degree. He
was listed as transient at booking
and was arrested at 3000 Johns
Prairie Road, Shelton, by Sergeant
Jerry Lingle of the Shelton Police
Department.
Officers said they were respond-
ing to a report of a fight from Floyd
Roland "Ted" Marsh, the alleged
victim. Kumba is identified as
the boyfriend of Amanda Woodall
who lives in one of the apartments
and is a potential witness, accord-
ing to the police report. Kumba
and Marsh reportedly argued and
Kumba armed himself with a stud-
ded leather belt and threatened to
strike Marsh with it. Officers said
they were told Kumba then got
a large rock and raised it above
his head as if he was going to hit
Marsh in the head with the rock.
One potential witness, Ron-
aid Lee Burton, reported seeing
Kumba displaying a knife from in-
side Woodall's apartment. Kumba
denied threatening Marsh with
anything. Brook A. Stockwell and
Cherie Christine Carr also report-
ed seeing the altercation between
Kumba and Marsh.
Judge Sawyer appointed Foley
as defense attorney, set bail at
$2,500 and scheduled arraign-
ment for September 24. He or-
dered Kumba to have no contact
with Marsh or potential witnesses
named in the police report.
• Lance P Hamilton, 60, of 20
East Cedarshake Lane, Shelton,
was identified in an investigation
of manufacture of marijuana.
He was arrested September
10 by officers of the West Sound
Narcotics Enforcement Team who
served a search warrant at his
residence and reportedly found 43
plants, scales, lights and processed
marijuana. Court documents indi-
cate Hamilton had medical autho-
rization for marijuana but it had
expired.
Judge Sawyer appointed Jea-
nette Boothe as defense attorney
and released Hamilton on his
promise to appear for arraignment
on September 24.
On Monday, September 10:
• Shadow "Robert" Williams,
21, of 330 East Lakeshore Drive
East, Shelton, was identified in an
investigation of rape of a child in
the third degree.
He was arrested around 11:40
p.m. September 7 and is suspected
of having sexual intercourse with
a 15-year-old female identified in
court documents by the initials
"A.M.E.T.," who was described as
his girlfriend. On the morning of
September 7, the girl's mother told
officers she found her daughter in
bed with Williams at the residence
of Sandra Honeywell, who is his
mother.
Officers said they questioned
Williams and he denied having
any sexual contact with the girl.
However, officers said that after
they noted he had hickies on his
body, including one which was on
his neck, he admitted having in-
tercourse with the girl but said it
had been consensual. He also said
he thought she was 17 years old.
Williams uses the name Robert
but has not had his first name le-
gally changed, according to the po-
lice report.
Judge Sawyer appointed Ron
Sergi as defense attorney, set bail
at $5,000 and scheduled arraign-
ment for September 24. He or-
dered Williams to have no contact
with the 15-year-old girl or her
residence.
• Monica Lea Bailey, 28, of
Shelton, was identified in an in-
vestigation of burglary in the first
degree. She was listed as transient
at booking, but also provided an
Not-guilty pleas:
McConkey charged
in campsite assault
An Olympia man arrested after
allegedly beating another man at
a camping area on the Skokomish
River was arraigned recently in
Mason County Superior Court.
Josef Wade McConkey, 30,
of 1315 71st Avenue SE, pied not
guilty on August 31 to a charge of
assault in the third degree. He is
scheduled for an omnibus hearing
on October 22, a pretrial hearing
on November 5, a trial readiness
hearing on November 9 and trial
during the jury term beginning
November 13.
McConkey is accused of assault-
ing Aaron Douglas Smith in the
early morning hours of August 18
at a campsite on property at the
Hunter Farm in Union. Deputies
fom the Mason County Sheriffs
Office reported Smith was trans-
ported to Mason General Hospital
and had sustained broken ribs as
well as other less serious injuries.
Deputies were told Smith was
sleeping in a van when he was
attacked at about 12:30 a.m. He
reportedly was with Edward and
Anthony Gloyne, who were sleep-
ing in a tent near the van and wit-
nessed the attack by McConkey.
Edward Gloyne reported the al-
leged assault.
The Gloynes said they had been
sitting around a campfire drink-
ing alcohol with Smith, who went
to sleep in the van. They said two
men, one named Joe, came over
from another campsite and, while
they were there, Smith opened the
side door of the van holding an AK
47 assault rifle.
The Gloynes said they teased
Smith about coming out and that
they thought Smith did it because
they had been banging on the van
earlier. They offered Joe and the
other man a few beers and told
them the rifle was not loaded. The
men went back to their campsite
and the Gloynes went to sleep in
the tent.
About an hour later, the Gloynes
said, they heard a commotion out-
side and saw Joe, a female and
about six other males standing
beside the van. The female opened
the sliding door and McConkey
reached in and began punching
Smith with his left hand while
holding a gun in his right hand,
according to the arrest report.
McConkey then allegedly pulled
Smith from the van and continued
beating him. Smith allegedly said
he had done something stupid and
it had been misinterpreted.
McConkey claimed he and a
man he knew as "Mike" went to
the campsite and Smith assaulted
him when he jumped out of the
van with the rifle and threatened
them.
Two defendants in unrelated
cases also were arraigned on Fri-
day, August 31, and are scheduled
for omnibus hearings on Septem-
ber 24, pretrial hearings on Octo-
ber 8, trial readiness hearings on
October 12 and trials during the
(Please turn to page 27.)
Page 26 - Shelton-Mason County Journal, Thursday, September 13, 2007
address of 605 Fairmount Avenue.
She was arrested September
7 by Officer Kenny Driver of the
SPD, who said he was responding
to a report from Wal-Mart that
Ranger Gapinski, a loss preven-
tion officer, was holding a female,
identified as Bailey, on the ground.
She was reportedly detained for
shoplifting underwear and put-
ting it in a new purse, then leav-
ing the store without paying for
those items although she did pay
for other items.
When Bailey was detained by
employees she allegedly started
to fight with them and punched
Tabrina C. Hall in the eye. Bailey
allegedly said she was just scared
and "freaked out" and did not in-
tend to hurt anyone.
Judge Sawyer appointed Boothe
as defense attorney, set bail at
$5,000 and scheduled arraignment
for September 24. He ordered Bai-
ley to have no contact with any
Wal-Mart properties including the
one in Shelton. He noted she had
been trespassed from the Shelton
store on a previous shoplifting con-
viction, an order which prohibits
her from going on any Wal-Mart
property.
• Patricia Rose Cinco, 52, of
520 NE Larson Boulevard, Belfair,
was identified in an investigation
of assault in the third degree. She
was arrested in connection with
allegations of domestic violence
against Michael Ong. According to
court documents, the two had been
living together for 11 years.
She was arrested September
9 by Deputy Kelly LaFrance who
said she was responding to a re-
port of a disturbance at the Larson
Boulevard residence. Cinco alleg-
edly pulled Ong off the bed by his
hair so she could go to sleep, then
grabbed a wooden club and hit him
on the arm.
Judge Sawyer appointed Foley
as defense attorney and released
Cinco on her promise to appear
for arraignment on September 24.
He ordered her to have no contact
with Michael Ong, who told the
court he was willing to move out
of the house they shared so she
can reside there.
• Joseph S. Ryan, 22, of 3724
Longhorn Way NW, Bremerton,
was identified in an investiga-
tion of possession of methamphet-
amine.
He was arrested September
8 by deputies at Sandy's Dell in
Belfair. A deputy stopped the ve-
hicle Ryan was driving for having
a headlight out and learned his
license had been suspended and
arrested him. The deputy reported
searching the vehicle and finding a
jar behind the driver's seat which
contained white residue and a can-
vas bag with a glass smoking pipe
and a clear plastic baggie with a
white crystal substance inside.
The white crystal substance field-
tested positive for meth.
Judge Sawyer appointed Boothe
as defense attorney and released
Ryan on his promise to appear
for arraignment on September 24.
Sawyer imposed conditions of re-
lease including weekly drug test-
ing to ensure abstinence.
On Friday, September 7:
• Bruce Wade Barker, 37, of
381 Picadilly Road, Shelton, was
identified in an investigation of
possession of methamphetamine.
He was arrested on three superior
court criminal warrants for legal
financial obligations in 1988 and
1989 cases and a warrant related
to a family support matter.
The arrest was made on Sep-
tember 6 by a deputy from the
sheriffs office on routine patrol
on State Route 3 near Deer Creek.
He reportedly stopped the vehicle
Barker was driving after observ-
ing it drift over the fog line and
the center line of the highway. The
deputy said he searched the vehi-
cle and found a small black safe on
the floor behind the driver's seat.
Barker claimed it was not his and
allegedly gave permission for the
deputy to open it. The box con-
tained 17 grams of a white crys-
tal substance which field-tested
positive for meth, according to the
deputy.
The deputy reported that Bark-
er was with Melissa A. Johnson
who reportedly told officers the box
with the meth in it was not hers.
Judge Toni Sheldon appointed
Foley as defense attorney in the
new allegation, set bail at $2,500
and scheduled arraignment for
September 17. She ordered him to
have no contact with Johnson.
JACKIE BROOKS TALKS about gold, art and his
habits while waiting for a handout in Shelton. B.
Hanlon took his picture.
Homeless man's
dreaming of gold
in the open air
By ELIZABETH WELLS were just little kids and grew
and B. ALLISON HANLON
He stands outside in a parking
lot on Wallace Kneeland Boule-
vard, a man with long gray hair
dressed tbr the weather. Apart
from being homeless, he's an artist
and an underwater gold miner by
trade. Jackie Brooks has learned
some lessons the hard way, but he
he doesn't want to make the same
mistakes over and over again.
"I'm my own greatest critic," he
said. "I try to keep myself in line.
I don't want to make a mistake. I
make mistakes but I tz-y not to and
I berate myself when I do."
His life, is simple but his dreams
are big. He was born in Kalamazoo,
Michigan, on February 2, 1949 to a
family that hailed from the South.
"I was conceived in Arkansas but
then we went to Michigan," he
said. "My dad was a silo builder
and he chased work. There's not
that much money in cotton. With-
in a year after I was born, they
moved back down South."
As a teenager he had a run-in
with the law and says he spent 15
years 6 months and 9 days in pris-
on in Michigan for possession of
burglary tools and possession of a
concealed weapon. "! was a crook,"
he said.
DURING HIS conversation in
the parking lot with the writers
identified above several people
gave money to Mr. Brooks: a dollar
from a child's hand out a car win-
dow, a lady who kneels down to
give him some food and juice. Two
young men stop by, one slurring
his words, "You remember me? I
gave you money once" He slurs.
The other guy quickly adds, "He's
just tired" and Brooks quips, "Yea
he's in the wind. I can see that."
The phrase "in the wind" means
the man's not sober and after some
banter the two depart. Brooks says
that they have an understanding
with him, staking out different
parts of the parking lot because no
one gets any money if they crowd
each other. He says keeping their
distance makes the difference
between his getting $10 to $15 a
day and not getting any. "We get
along," he said. "We respect each
other. I'll go back there and social-
ize with them later."
Brooks said he got out of prison
about 25 years ago and says all
those years living in a "concrete
box" convinced him that the cor-
rectional system does not reha-
bilitate people. "You rehabilitate
yourselI," he said. "You cannot be
rehabilitated. Rehabilitation is
your own decision."
He got a college education in
prison and developed a passion for
gold mining but lost touch with
his family, especially the younger
brothers and sisters who grew up
while he was behind bars. "I didn't
know my family anymore," he
said. "I literally didn't know them.
I had brothers and sisters who
into adults." m 11
BROOKS ALSO came out
prison with a taste for the mo
air and so he lives out-of-doorS.I[
don't like the idea of being indo0
' O
I m out here because I want t
out here," he said.
Upon release from prison
says he became the dredger
underwater gold mining o
tions, working for 22 years in
Feather River of Northern Calii
(Please turn to page 27.)
More kids
said to be,
homeless
This year's census of Me"
son County people who are
living on the edge found 504
people who have no homes or
are at risk of losing whatever
shelter they may have.
That's fewer people tha
the 515 who were counted
last year, but there are more
children in this year's count.
Most of the people who are
homeless and alone are male,
but females are the majority
among those people who have
a household without a stable
home. That's according to fig"
urea released by Patti Sells
of Union, who is coordinat"
ing programs for the home"
less in the county. She has
been compiling informatio9
gathered in January of this
year by census takers who
hosted such outreach efforts
as a lunch for the homeleSS t
at S,'nt David of Wales Epis"
copal Church, where Sells is
a deacon, as well as simil.
gatherings in Belfair annd
Union.
Census takers counted
118 households with 271
children who did not have
stable place of their own i
Mason County. That's two
fewer households than were
counted last year but 38 more
children who are living fro i '
door-to-door. Most of the chil" iil
dren who do not have a ho e. i
are under the age of 13 attd !i
80 of them are under the agei
of 6, according to informatio
provided by Sells.
Mason County is in the
second year of an annual
census required by a state
law that also requires the
county to prepare a!Oye
plan to address the prou---
of homelessness. "We look at ,:
the needs of the community
and try to focus on that./if"
(Please turn to page 27.)