News-Times Whidbey
INSIDE: Help needed for bird count. A10
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 99 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
Langley mayor charged, may lose position By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
The mayor of Langley is charged with a crime that may spell the end of his career in politics. Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks filed one count of “false report by a public officer” against Mayor Larry Kwarsick in Island County Superior Court Thursday. Kwarsick allegedly broke the law when he was serving as director of community planning in Langley last year. He’s accused of backdating a document to make it appear that it was written by a predecessor. The Notice of Decision improperly eliminated permit requirements on his stepdaughter’s home construction project, according to court documents.
Kwarsick is accused of knowingly making “a false or misleading statement in any official report or statement,” under the definition of the charge. If convicted, Kwarsick would have to forfeit his office and would be permanently disqualified from holding office in the state, according to court documents. The charge is a gross misdemeanor and punishable with up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Kwarsick, 65, is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Monday. Banks said he expects the case will be resolved at that time, though he wouldn’t disclose the terms of a potential settlement. Kwarsick is well-known throughout Whidbey See MAYOR, A4
Officials respond to OLF petition, meeting planned By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
An online petition to stop military exercises at the U.S. Navy’s airfield in Central Whidbey will not succeed, but it may lead to improvements in communication, according to Congressman Rick Larsen. The petition began Dec. 1 and now has more than 1,000 signatures.
Organizers plan to send it to Congress and President Barack Obama, but the Second District Democrat said this week that their efforts will not result in the closure of Outlying Field. “OLF is not going away,” Larsen said. A long-time member of the U.S. House of Representative’s Armed See OLF, A8
Jessie Stensland / Whidbey News-Times
Island County Sheriff Mark Brown, left, talks with Fred Goodman of the USDA Wildlife Services and Island County Animal Control Officer Carol Barnes about how to catch two aggressive dogs that have been roaming a neighborhood off West Beach Road.
Aggressive dogs close Ebey park By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island was closed this week after a pair of aggressive dogs attacked two hikers Tuesday. Beginning on Thursday, the temperamental canines started ranging outside the park to neighborhoods just north near Libbey Beach Park. Park rangers, Island County Animal Control Officer Carol Barnes, a specialist from the USDA Wildlife Services and even Sheriff Mark Brown have been out patrolling the area and warning residents. Barnes said the potentially dangerous dogs have been going up to the doors
of homes and scratching at them. She said several residents are scared to go out. Park Ranger Brett Bayne said the Central Whidbey park will remain closed until the dogs have been removed. The Kettles Trail near Coupeville is also closed. Bayne said he’s seen the dogs a few times and they’ve been very aggressive toward him. He said he resorted to pepper-spraying them when they wouldn’t let him get out of his vehicle. The rangers found a pile of dog food near where the dogs have been seen. “It’s apparent these dogs have been abandoned,” Barnes said. “It’s very sad.” Lauryn Wilson, a native Oak Harbor resident, came
home from college at Central Washington University and decided to bring a friend, Brad Durham, to Fort Ebey State Park for a hike Tuesday afternoon. They were on a trail when the two dogs, both without collars, ran up to them. She said they looked like mixedbreed dogs; the larger male appeared to be a St. Bernard and German shepherd mix, while the smaller female looked like a pitbull mix. Wilson said the dogs kept growling and charging at them. They tried to walk away, but the dogs continued being aggressive. She said she thought they might be trying to get help for an injured owner or puppies. “The dogs, I thought, were
acting so strangely,” she said. Wilson said she started following the dogs, which seemed to make them happy. But when Durham followed behind, the dogs became angry and started attacking him. They both bit him on the hands and legs. The larger dog drew blood. “It seemed like they have a problem with men,” she said. “Maybe they were beaten by a man.” Since the dogs seemed threatened by Durham, See dogs, A8
Classic Rock Comes Alive! Monday, December 31 at 8 pm
Buffet Dinner • No-Host Bar • Party Favors • Countdown to Midnight WNT-ST
Casino opens at 9 am daily. Must be 21 or older with valid ID.
WA: 800-745-3000 • On I-5 at Exit 236 theskagit.com |
Owned by Upper Skagit Indian Tribe