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PENINSULA DAILY NEWS February 17, 2013 | $1.50
Port Angeles-Sequim-West End
Downtown PA merchant held over stolen property Store arrest part of sting operation PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES — A downtown merchant who allegedly bought “obviously stolen” jewelry has been arrested for investigation of second-degree stolen-property possession and first-degree stolen-property trafficking, both felonies, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
Michael Allen VanAusdle, owner of Port Angeles Antique Mall at 109 W. First St., remained in the Clallam County jail Saturday with no bond set. VanAusdle, 51, was arrested at his place of business at about 2 p.m. Friday, said Sgt. John Keegan of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office in a statement. The arrest followed a stolenproperty sting operation by a multi-agency burglary task force. “On more than one occasion, Michael VanAusdle purchased
items he was told were stolen,” Keegan said in the statement, adding that the transactions occurred at a consignment store VanAusdle operates in downtown Port Angeles.
Gold, silver buyers Keegan said Saturday that VanAusdle was one of several gold and silver buyers recently approached by undercover operatives with the intent of selling stolen jewelry, though Keegan declined to give the exact number of merchants. “But [VanAusdle] was the only one that knowingly
accepted obviously stolen property,” Keegan said. The operation was prompted by reports that jewelry stolen in about 30 summertime burglaries in Port Angeles and Sequim had been purchased by local gold and silver buyers, Keegan said. Detectives had been told that jewelry stolen during the residential burglaries had been sold locally, Keegan said. “According to the burglary suspects, they were doing this to finance their controlled substances” addictions, he said. TURN
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Collision on U.S. Highway 101
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Alleged mail thief in court 10,000 pieces sorted; some from Sequim BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 and sheriff’s personnel gather on U.S. Highway 101 at South Brooke Avenue east of Port Angeles on Saturday after a two-car wreck. The State Patrol said that Rebecca Solway, 34, of Sequim failed to stop at a red light and her Buick struck a Chevrolet driven by Sherry L. Melin, 27, of Bremerton, which was making a left turn onto the highway. Solway — who was to be cited, the State Patrol said — was in satisfactory condition at Olympic Medical Center later that day, while her passenger, Kyliegh Solway, 10, and Melin were treated and discharged.
Retrial without death penalty may lose Stenson defense team Judge mulls accused murderer’s lawyers as cost to taxpayers soar BY ROB OLLIKAINEN PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES — A judge soon will decide whether accused double-murderer Darold Stenson can retain his three-lawyer defense team now that he is no longer facing the death penalty. Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict is urging that the judge rule against what he calls an unnecessary expense. Stenson’s lawyers have charged county taxpayers $175,307 since they were
appointed to the double-murder case last summer. Benedict said retaining the death penalty-qualified defense panel is a waste of precious county resources. County Administrator Jim Jones had estimated that retrying Stenson could cost up to $1.4 million before Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly decided against seeking the death penalty. “Why are we going to spend a million dollars to convict someone when there is no doubt whatsoever that there is
Stenson now is being represented by lead attorney Roger Hunko of Port Orchard and cocounsels Sherilyn Peterson of Seattle and Blake Kremer of University Place.
$125 an hour each Hunko, Peterson and Kremer each earn $125 per hour “plus reasonable costs and expenses,” according to the court orders. The money for Stenson’s defense comes out of the Clallam County general fund. Most murder defendants are represented by a single attorney from Clallam Public Defender. TURN
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Sequim mail in apartment After three days of sorting through plastic bags of stolen mail, officers found a few pieces from Sequim, said Port Townsend Police Officer Luke Bogues. Nearly all of the mail recovered from Lysiak’s Sherman Street apartment and car is from Kitsap and Jefferson counties, Bogues has said, adding that police believe Lysiak took it from mailboxes between Poulsbo and Port Townsend. By Friday, sorters had found about 10,000 pieces of mail, as well as credit cards and passports. A few dozen pieces of mail appear to be from Pierce, King and Clallam counties, Bogues said. He did not know if that mail was sent at the same time the rest was accumulated — during the past two months — or if it was from an earlier date.
Mail sorted, rearranged Bogues said all of the junk mail has been separated from the stolen items, with what remains placed in a folder sorted by ZIP code or victim. “Every single letter needs to be inspected,” Bogues said. Officers are taking a break from the routine and will continue Tuesday, Bogues said. TURN
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guilt?” said Benedict, who said he fears a big bill for S t e n s o n ’s defense eventually could lead to layoffs in his depart- Stenson ment. Stenson, 60, was convicted in 1994 of the shooting deaths of his wife, Denise, and business partner, Frank Hoerner, at his bird farm near Sequim in March 1993. The conviction of the longtime death row inmate was overturned by the state Supreme Count last May.
PORT TOWNSEND — A man allegedly found with about 1,000 pounds of stolen mail from several counties — including Jefferson and Clallam — in his residence has been charged with 12 counts of seconddegree possession of stolen property and one count of possession of stolen mail. Adam Justin Lysiak of Port Townsend, who was arrested Tuesday and who remained in the Jefferson County jail on $250,000 bail Saturday, will be arraigned on the charges at 8:30 a.m. this Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court. Lysiak His attorney, public defender Ben Critchlow, requested a continuance Friday for the 38-year-old man to enter a plea, and it was granted by Clallam County Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer, who presided as a visiting judge Friday.
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