Lewis County News March 22, 2023

Lewis County News

Covering rural communities in Southwest Washington since 1967

Sheriff promotes incompetence

By Lynnette Hoffman

While reporting on the recent East Lewis County murder of Aron Christensen, it came to the Lewis County News’ attention that the Sergeant in charge of the murder investigation, Jeffery Humphrey has an employment history raising competence issues.

Local fire department raises over $5,000

By Lynnette Hoffman Lewis

County Fire District 15 (Winlock) participated in the stair climb for Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation at the Bank of America Building in downtown Seattle. This is an event where firefighters climb the 70 floors to raise money.

Richard Underdahl, Lewis County Fire District 15 stated, “As fire chief, I am extremely proud of Winlock Fire and Rescue’s participation in this event. Out of all the Lewis County agencies that

participated, we sent the most people and raised the most donations! It goes to show how committed our team is and we are a tight knit group of individuals who care about the community and pushing ourselves to hopefully find a cure to this terrible disease. A big thank you to our community who helped us raise over $5,000. It shows that our community is behind us all the way to the top.”

Good job Winlock, we are proud of you!

In 2012, Detective Humphrey was involved in a major cartel drug distribution investigation while intimately involved with one of the suspects, Maggie Mahoric (aka. Maggie Engel). The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Tacoma declined to prosecute the case due in part to Humphrey’s “intimate relationship” with Mahoric. The reason for not prosecuting was: “At the end of the conversation, the USAO declined to prosecute due to the inappropriate actions by the Lewis County Detective and the lack of supervision by their then

sergeant (now Sheriff Rob Snaza) leaving the investigation in limbo.”

In July 2013, the following record appears: “At the DEA’s request, Detective Humphrey was told to cease all communication and contact with the female suspect based on her direct involvement in criminal activities. Sergeant Rob Snaza, was advised of the situation.” It was discovered that while Mahoric was in a Pierce County jail, she contacted Detective Humphrey asking him to pay for one or two motel rooms where her belongings and those of another suspect had been left. The record does not state whether Humphrey paid the rent but does go on to say: “It was undetermined by investigators whether Detective Humphrey paid for the room or not, but the suspects were able to recover their property from the motel.” After federal prosecution was declined, it appears that the prime cartel suspect,

Venegas-Gatica, continued to sell drugs in and out of Washington state for another ten years until he was caught in 2022. There was no discipline of Humphrey by his supervisor, Sergeant Snaza.

In 2013, Detective Humphrey was charged and convicted of driving under the influence. According to the report Detective Humphrey drove through a collision investigation while heavily intoxicated. There was a DOT truck with flashing lights with the words “ramp closed” and “use alternate route”, which Humphrey bypassed.

After conviction, Detective Humphrey was demoted by Sheriff Mansfield and given a “last chance” notice which stated that after one more issue he would be fired. After Sheriff Snaza was elected, Humphrey was promoted to Detective.

In 2019, Detective Humphrey’s performance was criticized

Photo courtesy of Lewis County fire District 15 Winlock firefighters Justin Wilkey, Kellen Newberry, and Justin Shoemaker at the Seattle stair climb along with many more local firefighters.

Winlock

by Lynnette Hoffman 785-3151

Winlock Hardware

What a beautiful week we had! I saw more people walking around town this past week than I have seen in a while. It’s so nice to see so many out and about during the nice weather!

There have been a lot of stray animals out and about lately. A huge shout out to Melissa at the Winlock Shell Station for keeping two dogs, one was a puppy, safe until their owners could be found. One thing I love about this community is everyone works together to make sure their fur babies are treated with love and respect!

For those who are Farmers Market folks, the Toledo Thursday Market is back in operation. They do such a fabulous job with their farmers market. Head on over on a Thursday afternoon and check out all the programs they offer. I’m a big fan of the lemon bars and other goodies they have there. It’s worth the drive.

We have run the Country Canopy & RV ad three (3) times now so we can stop on that one now and start running the Ramblin Jack’s Rib Eye ad next week. Attached is a scan of the Rib Eye business card but it needs to be expanded to a 2x3, as that is what Mike Hamilton is paying for.

748-8175

CHEHALIS, WA 98532

Ad Proof Town Crier

What a beautiful week we had, the sunshine and warm temperatures gave us a little taste of spring. While this week will not be full of sunshine, the temperatures are going to be in the 50s… much better than the 20 degrees we had a few months back!

The survey was just completed during the Toledo Big Meeting and the results are very interesting.

What capital improvements would you like to see happen in Toledo? The votes were 8 for more street lights, 11 for lights on the bridge, 11 votes for walking trails, 5 votes for better signage and 7 for mini parks/ green spaces and 11 miscellaneous.

What new business would you like to see? 15 votes for bakery and pharmacy, 12 votes for a fitness center, 11 votes for a brew pub and assisted senior housing, 10 for a bed and breakfast, 9 for a cannabis store and 8 for a deli.

Public Notice • Public Notice

Legal Public Notice

RESOLUTION NO. 06-2023

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VADER, AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF A CERTAIN PARCEL OF REAL PROPERTY, AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO IMPLEMENT THIS RESOLUTION, INCLUDING AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO UNDERTAKE DUE DILIGENCE, CONTRACT WITH CONSULTANTS TO PERFORM THE SAME, DESIGNATE AN ESCROW AGENT, REVIEW TITLE, DEPOSIT ERNEST MONEY, AND COMPLETE THE PURCHASE.

Publish: March 22, 2023

85274

This week at Winlock Miller Elementary School they are having their Penny War. Each grade has their own jug for collecting money located in the library. Add points to their grades jugs by adding pennies and dollar bills. Subtract points from other grades by adding silver coins to their jug. I don’t know about you but this sounds like a lot of fun!

Overnight closure of I-5 near Vader

Travelers who use northbound and southbound Interstate 5 near Vader may experience overnight delays on Thursday, March 23.

Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, SB Structures, LLC, will close all lanes in both directions of I-5 to remove falsework along the State Route 506 overpass.

This is for one of the future ads, probably in 9 weeks, for Ramblin Jacks Rib Eye. Just wanted to get each of these done and ready to go when the time comes. I have attached a business card. Mike Hamilton has ordered 2x3’s but Brian McSherry said to just make it simple and use the card as a 2x2. When it comes time to run this one I’ll make the adjustment to the ad size and add some more ads to make up the money difference.

Falsework is a temporary structure used to support a permanent structure during construction and is removed once the structure is self-supporting.

1393 Rush Road Chehalis, WA 98532

Closure and detour information

From whom do you usually get your information about what’s happening in Toledo? 17 votes for Lewis County News, Daily News and Chronicle got a combined 8 votes. Thank you for mentioning the Lewis County News!

WWW.BK.COM A

Which of these events have you attended or participated in? 27 votes go to Cheese Days, 15 to Wine and Cheese Tasting, 13 Giant Cheese Ball Drop, 11 Veterans Day Ceremony and BlueGrass Festival. 8 Kids Fishing Derby and Walk in the park.

More information to come about the Big Toledo Meeting in next week's edition.

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Thursday, March 23 from 8:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Friday, March 24: All lanes of northbound and southbound I-5 will be reduced to a single lane and detoured to the off-and on-ramps at Exit 60 for SR 506/ToledoVader Road.

Mondays through Fridays from 8;00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.: Drivers may encounter nighttime, intermittent single lane closures in both directions of I-5 at the SR 506/Toledo-Vader Road overpass. Travelers should expect delays through the work zone.

Additional overnight closures may be needed as work continues to replace the damaged overpass. WSDOT will announce the dates of any future overnight closures once they are confirmed.

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Legals, Obituararies

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Lewis County News is glad to print the views and interests of our readers and will accept letters to the editor, photographs, and community announcements received by email or post the Friday before publication. We will decline to print submissions which are inaccurate, misleading, anonymous, or for profit.

202B NE First St. • PO Box 10 Winlock, WA 98596

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Toledo Presbyterian Church

312 Augustus Street

Toledo Wa 98591

Toledopresbyterian.com

Worship Service: Sundays @ 10:30 am

Sunday School: Sundays @ 9:15 am

Thursday morning Bible Studies:

Men: 9-10 am

Women: 11-12 am

sheriff

Continued from page 1 again, this time for incompetence during a murder investigation. The report reads: “It was found only six photographs had been taken by you, and none of the photographs appeared to include the firearm believed to be involved.” The report states Humphrey violated policies, including competent performance. Although Detective Humphrey did not properly process the murder investigation, he was later promoted by Sheriff Snaza to Acting Sergeant.

In 2021, then Acting

Sergeant Humphrey did not properly supervise investigation of a serious assault incident. A review of Humphrey’s actions states: “I think a more appropriate policy which does apply to Acting Sergeant Humphrey’s actions and communications with the deputies would be Policy 320.10. Standard of Conduct - Competence Performance.” He was the supervisor in charge and he did not direct his deputies to process the scene. Humphrey was promoted to Sergeant by Sheriff

Snaza in early 2022.

In August 2022, Humphrey was the sergeant in charge of the Aron Christensen East Lewis County murder investigation. Sergeant Humphrey determined that the death was not caused by a gunshot wound. After public outcry by the victim’s family questioning the investigation, the case has been forwarded to the Lewis County Prosecutor.

Sergeant Humphry’s most recent incident occurred in October 2022, when he approved a pur -

suit involving several other deputies. A report of that incident states that Humphrey violated “Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Policies, 307.3.1 when to initiate a pursuit (RCW 10.116.060).”

Humphrey's record as a deputy leaves unclear why, after receiving a “last chance” notice from Sheriff Mansfield, Humphrey has been repeatedly promoted by Sheriff Snaza.

It is important to note that Sergeant Humphrey was put on the Brady List in October and is one of seven Lewis County

Sheriff deputies and officers on a “Brady List.”

The Brady list is defined as: “A list compiled usually by the prosecutor’s office or a police department containing the names and details of law enforcement officers who have had sustained incidents of untruthfulness, criminal convictions, candor issues or some other type of issue placing their credibility into question.” For comparison, the Thurston County Sheriff has only one Brady List employee.

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Bill to assist small schools with capital finances passes House

Legislation that could provide assistance to small school districts in need of capital funding passed the state House of Representatives unanimously on Wednesday.

House Bill 1044, sponsored by 19th District Rep. Joel McEntire, says the legislation was an idea that was generated from taking tours of the older, smaller schools in his district in poor condition and needing repair.

"Unfortunately, in Washington state, students have different learning environments. In touring the small schools, I could see why it would be difficult to learn when your surroundings are

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Saturday 9-5, Sunday 9-3

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Admission $8/$6:

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run-down and in need of repair," said McEntire, R-Cathlamet. "Capital funding is part of our primary obligation to fund education. With the passage of this bill, we are also hopeful it would incentivize school districts to pass their bond measures."

The bill would provide funding for small school districts through a grant process based on need. School districts would receive a score based on certain criteria. Grant dollars would then go to the school district whose score reflects the most need. Projects eligible for grant funding must correct critical physical deficiencies or essential safety concerns. That includes modernizing, repairing, reconfiguring, or replacing existing buildings and construction of new buildings.

"I am pleased to see the bill pass with unanimous support. This is a bipartisan effort to improve our small schools across the state that have structural deficiencies or safety concerns with their infrastructure," said McEntire. "Our goal is to ensure that regardless of where students go to school, they have a quality learning environment."

The bill would: create a supplementary capital

• grant program for school districts with enrollments of 1,000 students or fewer for comprehensive instructional facility modernization or replacement; require that grants be coordinated • with the School Construction Assistance Program to the extent that a district has program eligibility; require school districts awarded • a grant to provide a district share equal to 50% of a district's remaining debt capacity for capital purposes; cap at an estimated property tax • rate increment of $1.75 per thousand of assessed district value, under various assumptions; and establish various project eligibil- • ity criteria, grant prioritization, and administrative processes.

House Bill 1044 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The legislative session is scheduled to adjourn April 23.

Legal Public Notice

ORDINANCE NO. 645

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NAPAVINE, WASHINGTON, AMENDING THE NAPAVINE MUNICIPAL CODE TO ENACT A NEW CHAPTER 12.20 ENTITLED “NAPAVINE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT”, ESTABLISHINGATRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT, SPECIFYING THE BOUNDARIES FOR THE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT, SPECIFYING THE MAINTENANCE

AND PRESERVATION OF EXISTING TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

PASSED by the City council of the City of Napavine, Washington, at a regularly scheduled open public meeting this 14th Day of March 2023.

The above is a summary of Ordinance 645 may be requested in its entirety by coming to Napavine City Hall at 407 Birch Ave SW.

Publish: March 22, 2023

ORDINANCE NO. 646

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NAPAVINE, WASHINGTON, IMPOSING AN ADDITIONAL SALES AND USE TAX OF ONE-TENTH OF ONE ONE-PERCENT WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE NAPAVINE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DISTRICT IDENTIFIED HEREIN AS

AUTHORIZED BY RCW 36.73.040; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

PASSED by the City council of the City of Napavine, Washington, at a regularly scheduled open public meeting this 14th Day of March 2023.

The above is a summary of Ordinance 646 may be requested in its entirety by coming to Napavine City Hall at 407 Birch Ave SW.

Publish: March 22, 2023

19th District Rep. Joel McEntire