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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013 | Vol. 114, No. 8 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
STOP Loss Sheriff looks for solutions to staffing woes
County may dump curbside recycling By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Deputy Chris Garden with the Island County Sheriff’s Office gives a motorist a speed warning at Camp Casey on Central Whidbey. Sheriff Mark Brown is juggling critical staffing levels and is again seeking support for a law-and-justice tax. out to all commissioned deputies alerting them that they were no longer to respond to residential burglary Staffing woes within the Island County Sheriff’s alarms or wireless 911 area checks. But Brown and department officials fear this is just Office and subsequent fears of losing 24-hour coverage the beginning, that eventually the end result will be on Camano and Whidbey islands have helped breathe the loss of 24-hour coverage in Island County, first on new life into a proposal for a law-and-justice tax. Sheriff Mark Brown has been scratching his head Camano and then on Whidbey. “I’m certainly going to fight to keep that from happenover the past month wondering how to deal with a string of existing or pending officer vacancies; two have ing but I can’t guarantee it,” Brown said. “But to sit around and wait until that happens…” he already left, two others are looking at new jobs elseadded. where and up to three Although the more are on the verge county’s top cop has of retirement. “I’m at critical staffing levels been briefing the comBecause it takes and I need to move forward missioners on the nearly seven months situation over the past now.” for new recruits to hit month, sitting around the road in a squad car Mark Brown, is something he says from their date of hire, Island County Sheriff he simply can’t afford he will likely have to to do. fill the gap with overThis month, he time and, possibly, the rekindled discussions unpopular prospect of at the Law and Justice canceling vacation time. Council about the prospects of putting before voters Not only does that leave him with the headache of trying to scratch up funding for the extra overtime, but a new tax that would drum up additional funding for he’s still left with the day-to-day realities of sick staff or criminal justice needs. The council last year passed a resolution that recomother unexpected staffing problems, such as medical mended the commissioners move ahead with a 0.3 perleave due to injuries. The department has already implemented new poli- cent of sales tax — about 3 cents to a $10 purchase — but
By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
See law, A8
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‘Armed and dangerous’ suspect caught in city By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
An investigation by an Oak Harbor police officer led to the apprehension of a suspected robber from California and possibly prevented an armed robbery on Whidbey, police officers say. A detective from Fresno contacted Oak Harbor police last Tuesday and alerted officers that one of the suspects in a series of armed robberies may be in Oak Harbor. The Fresno police located the general whereabouts of the suspect, 21-year-old Sean E. Miller, by “pinging” his cell phone, according to Sgt. Detective Teri Gardner. Miller was wanted on a warrant and considered “armed and dangerous,” Gardner said. He and another man, who was arrested in California, were suspected of robbing a couple of 7-Eleven stores
and two other conveniences stores at gunpoint during a 24-hour period; Gardner said they may also be tied to other robberies. Police officers set up surveillance at locations they suspected Miller might be, based on the cell phone information. But the officers were unable to find him. Then Officer Jennifer Yzaguirre was contacted by a confidential informant who had called Crime Stoppers to inquire about Miller. Yzaguirre said she met up with the informant, who told her Miller would be at the 7-Eleven on the See Fresno, A2
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cies to manage the problem. On Jan. 16, a memo went
Curbside recycling on Whidbey Island may get scrapped before getting started. On Monday, the Island County commissioners agreed to revisit last month’s landmark decision to require Island Disposal, the county’s licensed garbage hauler, to roll out a curbside program for customers in Langley and rural parts of Whidbey Island sometime this year. After more than five years of study and discussion, the decision was made in late December,
during the last days of former Commissioner Angie Homola’s term. She and fellow Democrat, Commissioner Helen Price Johnson, approved the program in a 2-0 vote. Republican Commissioner Kelly Emerson abstained at the time, but apparently wasn’t done with the issue. She brought it up again Monday, saying the matter may have been settled by a former majority, but that she is still getting public comment from people who are against the program. “There is a lot of concern out