News-Times Whidbey
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 38 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
County prosecutor shows need with cart of paperwork By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
It’s nearly budget season again at Island County and the first official funding requests are beginning to roll in, literally. At the commissioners’ weekly work session in Coupeville Wednesday, Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks entered the room lugging a wheeled cart loaded with massive three-ring binders. Banks told the board that the thousands of pages of documents were from just one of the three murder cases currently being handled by the prosecutor’s office. The department is also juggling two public corruption cases and is laboring with a rash of recent sex offenses. “We’re really still struggling to keep our heads above water,” Banks said. He requested that a three-day-aweek deputy prosecutor be hired to full-time status as well as reinstating a half-time receptionist and legal assistant. Both positions would begin immediately, impacting the 2012 budget, but only the increased hours of the deputy pros-
ecutor’s job would be permanent, he said. Since 2008, the county has cut millions from its general fund to address revenue shortfalls. Much of those savings were found in the reduction of staffing levels and departments have been struggling to keep up ever since. According to Budget Director Elaine Marlow, funding the two positions isn’t impossible, at least for this year. A contingency fund for unexpected expenses is built into every annual budget and about $124,000 is still available. That’s more than enough to cover the estimated $35,000 price tag of funding the positions for the rest of the year. But that’s just the prorated price of funding both beginning June 1. Continuing just the deputy prosecutor’s increased hours would run about an additional $40,000 a year. Marlow is planning to provide a budget presentation and six-year forecast on May 21, but said in an interview after the work session that she could not yet comment on the 2013 budget. The board expressed willingness to consider Banks’
SPORTS: Wildcat wins golf title. A9
Council to pay tribe $600,0000 Total cost may top $3 million By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
larly large and time intensive. Homola said she was aware that the planning department is also struggling greatly, but was hopeful that things could be wiggled around enough to help both departments. However, Homola said she worried about the long-term
Oak Harbor city officials will propose a $600,000 contract with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community next week for work to be performed by spiritual leaders, monitors and handlers at the archaeological site on Pit Road. The contract will go before the City Council for consideration during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Mayor Scott Dudley, who will not be at the meeting because he’ll be in Canada donating a kidney, called the contract amount “significant” but said it was a necessary and unavoidable expense. “It is what it is,” Dudley said. “There is no way around it.” He did argue that hiring tribal members may actually save the city money as the labor they perform would otherwise have to be done by professionals hired by the city’s contracted archeological firm. Archaeological efforts on Pit Road began May 1, just one day after the state Department of
See Banks, A4
See Pit road, A4
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks wheels in a cart loaded with documents from a murder case to the commissioners’ work session. Banks is asking for additional funding for staff to help address a large workload. request but offered no promises. Commissioner Angie Homola said she aware of the prosecutor’s workload problems and that they have been compounded by public records requests. She said later that she believed the office was not suffering from a spike, that the flow is “steady,” but that the office is laboring under one records request that is particu-
Alleged Oak Harbor child molester was always close to kids By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Detectives investigating a former church youth ministry leader accused of child molestation have found that he’s been in close contact with children through a number of entities in Oak Harbor over the years. Ronald Asplund, a 57-year-old Oak Harbor resident, was accused of molesting and raping two teenage boys. He met one of the boys through Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, where he had been the middle school ministry coordinator until a couple of months ago. But Asplund’s activities with children went beyond the church. He
volunteered as a mentor through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County. He worked with children through the Navy’s former SAFE program, which offered before and after-school daycare at Oak Harbor elementary schools. In addition, Asplund worked as a substitute teacher at Oak Harbor schools for a limited time in 2000 and 2005. His wife was the special education teacher. Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police Department said detectives have received calls about Asplund from Chelan, King and Whatcom counties, where Asplund has “connections.” She said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is assisting with the investigation
into Asplund’s involvement with the Navy program. Gardner confirmed that Asplund had volunteered for several years with Big Brothers Big Ronald Asplund Sisters, a mentoring program that matches children with adult mentors. “We are attempting to locate the people he was matched with, Gardner said. Peggy Dyer, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County, said she’s aware of the
investigation of the former volunteer and the organization is working proactively with law enforcement. “We are alarmed and deeply saddened by reports of any child being harmed or exploited in any way and are taking this report very seriously,” she said in a written statement. According to the statement, Big Brothers Big Sisters is a recognized leader in child safety and has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind. “We remain committed to improving children’s odds for succeeding in school and breaking negative cycles and believe that safety and security are the foundation of the service we provide. The integrity of our program is extremely important and to achieve the highest quality
standards possible, we work to constantly review and strengthen our screening and background check systems as new best practices in the industry emerge,” according to the statement. Oak Harbor School Superintendent Rick Schulte said Asplund worked as a substitute teacher for five days in 2000 and six days in 2005. See Asplund, A4