News-Times Whidbey
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 22 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
INSIDE: Pucker up for St. Patty’s Day. A17
Merrill back in hunt for fire chief
Mermaid graces Pioneer Way
By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
With a little help, Oak Harbor artist Larry Marcell, center, installs his bronze mermaid on the corner of Dock Street and SE Pioneer Way. Marcell said the piece took about six months to complete and was inspired by the historic Greek marble figure, Venus DeMilo. It is one of three public art works that will be installed as part of the downtown street project. Behind Marcell is Project Manager Larry Cort, Project Engineer Joe Stowell, and Oak Harbor Arts Commission member Rick Lawler. An official unveiling will be held at 4 p.m. on April 6.
Mother and son, 4, abducted from home, saved by sheriff’s deputies By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Deputies with the Island County Sheriff’s Office saved a woman and her 4-year-old child from a man who abducted them from their Freeland home Friday morning. Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said deputies located the suspect’s car traveling on Highway 20 near Coupeville at about 11:30 a.m. They closed the highway near Jacobs Road, executed a felony stop and rescued the woman and boy from the car.
The suspect, 22-year-old George Downey, was arrested without incident on suspicion of two counts of kidnapping, violation of a protection order and burglary. Brown said there was a domestic violence no-contact order which barred Downey from contacting either the woman or the child. “It was a pretty disturbing incident,” Brown said. The sheriff said the department was in the process of sending out an Amber Alert, which alerts the community about a child abduction, when the arrest was made.
Brown said the distraught woman called 911 from an E. Harbor Road home at 10:42 a.m. She told the dispatcher that her boyfriend was breaking in the house, in violation of a no-contact order. The woman screamed and the line went dead. According to Brown, Lt. Evan Tingstad arrived at the scene about 11 minutes after the 911 call was first made. He found a broken window, but the house was empty. The deputies immediately started looking for Downey and his vehicle. A deputy positioned on Highway 20 spotted the vehicle as
it was headed north. Downey was transported to Whidbey General Hospital for treatment of a laceration on his hand. The woman and child were also transported to the hospital. Brown said a detective is investigating allegations of another crime, but he couldn’t go into specifics. Brown said he was very impressed by the deputies’ action. “The deputies quick action possibly averted further harm to both of the victims,” he said.
Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley will once again ask the city council to confirm his choice to fill the vacant fire chief position. Ray Merrill, Oak Harbor’s former battalion chief, reinstated his name for the position after withdrawing his candidacy in frustration at the end of the last council meeting. The confirmation is on the agenda for the Tuesday, March 20 meeting. Dudley said he asked Merrill to reconsider and understands his angry reaction to the council members’ actions. “When you have a political decision that doesn’t seem to be made in the best interest of the city of Oak Harbor, it is frustrating,” Dudley said, adding that Merrill is very passionate about the fire department. In a showdown two weeks ago, the majority of the council members questioned the mayor’s process for choosing Merrill and highlighted evidence that suggests the mayor offered Merrill the job before even taking office. Under questioning, the city’s human resource director said she was concerned that Merrill thought he had been promised a job since he wanted to have his retirement canceled while the job was still being advertised. Both Dudley and Merrill insist that no promises were made. In the end, the council voted to table the confirmation until after the mayor gives a presentation about all the costs associated with the terminations of the former fire chief, the city administrator and the city attorney. In response, Dudley said Finance Director Doug Merriman will be See chief, A8