Public defense in Island County received a big boost Monday morning as county commissioners approved an amendment that increases funding going to the contracted law firm by nearly 50 percent.
The amendment passed by a 2-1 vote, which is unusual for the three Democratic commissioners who typically can reach a consensus on major issues.
An overflowing crowd of septic tank owners told the Island County Board of Health that the On-Site Sewer Operations and Maintenance Program stinks.
A former coach of the North Whidbey Aquatic Club who was investigated nine years ago for molesting a young swimmer in Oak Harbor more recently pleaded no contest to 20 felony child molestation charges in California, the Mercury News reported.
Undigested sewage may hit the baffle, metaphorically speaking, at a special Island County Board of Health meeting Monday night to discuss the county’s septic system inspection requirements.
An Oak Harbor man filed a lawsuit against Island County’s emergency dispatch center, claiming that a dispatcher’s bad advice two years ago led to a serious injury.
Coupeville Public Works Director Malcolm Bishop unintentionally solved the mystery of the missing horse when he went out for his morning run Thursday.
As he was about to enter the Kettles Trail, the horse was coming out and heading for Highway 20. Rebel, an 8-year-old gelding, had been missing in the extensive trail system near Coupeville for 13 days after being spooked and running off into the bushes. Bishop didn’t even know there was a horse at large, but he realized the confused animal needed help.
The crew from Marine Services, a salvage company out of Cornet Bay, towed a fully submerged power boat into the Oak Harbor marina Monday afternoon. The 38-foot boat sat on the silty bottom of the marina overnight, with only a chair protruding above the water at high tide.
“It was a wreck removal, not really a salvage,” said Capt. John Aydelotte of Marine Services. He explained that the sunken Bayliner had to be towed out because it was a hazard to other boats.
A serial rapist who preyed on women and girls in Oak Harbor during the early 1990s was scheduled to be released from prison Sept. 1 after serving 16 years.
The state Attorney General’s Office, however, stepped in and had 37-year-old Paul Harell transported to the Island County jail. The office is attempting to have Harell deemed a “sexually violent predator” and civilly committed to the state’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
A 68-year-old Oak Harbor man pleaded guilty to a sex offense, but he won’t be spending any time in jail.
Under a plea bargain, Melvin Ross pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Aug. 31 to communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
Oak Harbor veterinarian Eric Anderson has a three-legged, Iraqi dog that needs a home.
The medium-sized mutt survived a horrendous ordeal on the streets of Baghdad before being rescued by an American contractor. But through it all, the dog dubbed “Iraqi Freedom” remained a wiggly, affection-loving pooch yearning to be someone’s lap dog.
A criminal case against a well-known Oak Harbor hotelier was resolved in district court last week.
Joseph Franssen, 80, pleaded guilty in Island County District Court to obstructing a police officer. Prosecution was deferred on charges of fourth-degree assault and attempted tampering with a witness.
Island County’s chief criminal prosecutor dismissed a domestic violence case against a 23-year-old Marine sergeant after the alleged victim disappeared.
Hayron Garcialemus, a 23-year-old Oak Harbor man, was scheduled to go to trial last week on a long list of domestic violence-related charges, including second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree assault by strangulation, fourth-degree assault, interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, and harassment.
A 55-year-old Oak Harbor man is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s house to assault her, court documents indicate.
Prosecutors charged Paul Ducken in Island County Superior Court Aug. 12 with first-degree burglary and third-degree malicious mischief. Both are filed as domestic-violence related charges.
Ducken pleaded not guilty Aug. 24.
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