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INSIDE
Cali Bagby
Read about the strange and wonderful world of island starfish on page 3.
Upcoming concerts
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Trashion-Fashion show
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SJ solid waste update
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The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 29 • July 17, 2012
String of Bakerview burglaries Funds go toward marine training
Islanders are concerned about safety after recent crime rash
By Colleen Smith Armstrong Sounder Editor/Publisher
By Cali Bagby
Weekly Editor/Reporter
A string of what locals call “suspiciously similar” burglaries in a Lopez neighborhood is leaving residents feeling not only violated, but angry. More than 30 concerned islanders showed up at the library last Tuesday to talk with San Juan County Sheriff Rob Nou about the outbreak of crime in the Bakerview neighborhood. “It’s scary stuff,” one woman whispered as they waited for Nou to arrive. Between October and May there have been five repeated burglaries at the same residences and several thefts reported in the area. It was evident at the meeting that most residents suspected one man was involved, but the police have yet to find evidence tying a single suspect to all of the break-ins. Daniel Glenn Roadruck, 48, of Lopez Island, was arrested in May for allegedly stealing meat and cash at Horse Drawn Farm on Lopez, after evidence was found tying him to the crime, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Roadruck is charged in San Juan County District Court with a gross misdemeanor and is out on conditional release, said
Lopez Center
Staff photo/ Cali Bagby
At a meeting with concerned citizens, Sheriff Rob Nou listens as one man describes a recent break-in at his Bakerview home on Lopez Island. Nou. His next court hearing is Oct. 10. The maximum sentence for a gross misdemeanor is 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. “With ties to the community and being a semilong-term resident he was released,” Nou said. “It’s [conditional release] not uncommon when it comes to a misdemeanor.” He added that the burglaries are part of an active investigation, and that the Sheriff’s Department has given Roadruck a “trespass notice” to leave the residence he has been living in, which is located in the Bakerview neighborhood. Roadruck has not been arrested or charged in connection with any other residential burglaries or crimes. Nou told islanders at the meeting that he doesn’t see
anything coincidental about a string of burglaries in a small neighborhood. “But knowing and being able to prove beyond a shadow of doubt in court is different,” he said. Citizens decided to hold the meeting in order to help “connect the dots” between these crimes. It was also a time for people to tell the sheriff how the recent thefts have affected the community. “We’ve lost a sense of security,” said Ellie Roser, a local residence. “Most of all we’ve lost a sense of innocence.” One man said he was worried that the thefts could escalate to more dangerous activity. “The door was smashed, it was a violent entry,” he said describing the scene at his home after a break-in.
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Saturday, July 28th, 3-9:30 pm
FEATURING ALL LOCAL MUSICIANS! STARFLOWER MENAGERIE, THE SUNS, CHICKEN BISCUIT, THE QUITTERS, FULL ON IDLE, TERRY WEAN & KURTIS DENGLER Admission by donation • More info at lopezcenter.org
Tues. & Fri. 9–3 Phone: 4748
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“Someone could be home during one of these thefts and it could have become violent.” Another resident said he has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years and never experienced a theft. A south end island resident told Nou he attended the meeting because he feared the burglaries may spread. Other members in the audience had less negative feelings toward the suspect in the Horse Drawn Farm burglary. One man described how Roadruck chopped his wood and was pleasant to chat with. Another woman said when her husband fell on the road it was Roadruck who helped him to his feet. “He was very nice,” she said about the encounter. Several Lopezians raised concern that the police are not conducting a proper investigation. “It seems there has been no effort whatsoever to find anything,” said a woman who claimed to be have been burglarized three times. Nou said the Sheriff’s Department is making an effort to find evidence to link the recent crimes together. Charles Silverman, deputy prosecutor, also presSee burglaries, page 8
In a tough economy, one of the best ways to find a job is to further your education. After receiving a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, the San Juan County Economic Development Council is hoping to help eight lucky islanders with marine training. “I am thrilled we received this funding because it will enable islanders to garner high wage jobs in San Juan County – which is no easy feat,” said EDC Director Victoria Compton. The EDC is slated to receive a portion of a $49,378 job training grant from the USDA. The money will go towards the “Tri-County Rural Business Education Network” that was created by San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom Counties to address the growing need for business and job-skills training. The total budget
Unemployment in San Juan County Average Annual Unemployment SJ County from WA State Employment Security Department
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
3.45% 3.74% 6.73% 7.33% 7.18%
for the project is $159,990. Of that, $14,788 will be used to train San Juan County residents in marine diesel technology and fiberglass manufacturing. Skagit County will be working on web-streamed educational offerings and Island County will offer supply chain management courses. During a typical year, it costs the EDC around $20,000 for educational See funds, page 5
Opposition rises against charter proposal By Steve Wehrly Journal Reporter
As surely as the tide flows in and out of Friday Harbor, opposition is gathering to the recommendations of the Charter Revision Commission. On July 10, an unenthusiastic San Juan County Council “received” -- but would not “accept” -- the report of the Charter Revision Commission, which proposes to scrap the six-member council and return control of the county to a three-member council, which would be responsible for executive functions by utilizing a “county manager” in place of the present county administrator. The changes recommended by the CRC were denounced by former freeholder Charlie Bodenstab,
who criticized both the process by which the commission conducted its review and its conclusions. Bodenstab suggested that two CRC members, both former freeholders, “had an agenda” to essentially repeal elements of the charter with which they disagreed and that the commission “blew the opportunity to fine-tune the charter,” as he and other freeholders had originally intended. In 2005, voters approved a home rule charter, crafted by the board of freeholders, which changed both the structure and the manner in which county government operates. At that time, voters endorsed both the “basic charter,” which separated the legislative and executive branches of county governSee charter, page 8