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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014
VOL. 19, NO. 28
Sheriff takes Election over after deputy jailed By Jessie Stensland Staff Reporter
A deputy with the Coupeville Marshal’s Office was arrested Friday in connection with a 2007 incident in which he allegedly handcuffed his former girlfriend on the side of a dark road during a fight, according to an Oak Harbor police report. Hodges Gowdey III, a well-known and longtime deputy marshal, appeared in Island County Superior Court Friday afternoon, shackled and dressed in an orange jail outfit. Judge Vickie Churchill found that probable cause existed to hold him in custody on suspicion of unlawful imprisonment and witness tampering. She set his bail at $30,000 at the request of Prosecutor Greg Banks. Gowdey later posted bail. As of Tuesday, no charges had been filed. Gowdey, 44, was placed on paid administrative leave from the marshal’s office. He was the last remaining deputy in the department, which is being taken over by the Island County Sheriff’s Office on March 1. As a result of the loss of Gowdey, Coupeville Marshal Lance Davenport asked the sheriff to immediately begin policing the community. Sheriff Mark Brown agreed. The allegations against Gowdey arose from a background investigation conducted by Undersheriff Kelly Mauck. Under state law, Gowdey was guaranteed a job with the sheriff’s office, pending the outcome of the background investigation, when it took over the marshal’s office. Gowdey submitted his letter of intent Jan. 30. Coincidentally, Mauck had conducted an internal investigation for the Coupeville marshal in 2007 after witnesses heard him and his girlfriend having a loud argument outside the marshal’s office — while he was on duty, according to the police report. So when Mauck started the background investigation this month, he looked into the old case and developed additional information. The investigation was then passed to Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police Department for a possible criminal case. The woman claimed that Gowdey went after her in his patrol car on the night of the fight. She said he called her on her cell
See DEPUTY page 2
Nathan Whalen photo
Island County deputy auditor Michele Reagan scans ballots the office received for a special election concerning two Coupeville School District levies. The ballots had to be either postmarked or received by the auditor’s office Tuesday.
Voters approving Coupeville levies By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Central Whidbey voters gave Coupeville schools two thumbs up Tuesday. Two levies proposed by the Coupeville School District appear to be passing with the approval rates over the 60 percent mark. “We’re very happy and thrilled that it passed,” said Superintendent Jim Shank, Tuesday night shortly after the initial results were released by the Island County Auditors Office. He added that he’s grateful for the support the community has given the school district. The first levy, which is a maintenance and operations levy, is passing with 63.39 percent voter approval. The operations levy will bring in $2.24 million a year for the next four years. It helps pay the salaries of additional teachers, para-educators, a school nurse, counseling, instructional materials and more. The levy will cost a home owner and estimated $1.14 per $1,000 assessed property val-
ue, according to the school district’s website. The technology levy is also passing according to information from the auditor’s office. According to the initial count, 62.58 percent of voters approved the technology levy. That levy will give the school district $300,000 a year for the next four years to help pay for technology upgrades. That levy will cost a homeowner an estimated 15 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, according to the school district’s website. Of the more than 7,000 ballots mailed out to voters late last month, the Island County Auditor’s Office received 3,278, with a cur-
rent turnout of 45.45 percent. Both measures had to pass with a 50 percent simple majority. Elections officials will continue to receive ballots from the mail-in election in the coming days. Those ballots have to be postmarked by Feb. 11 in order to be counted. The auditor’s office estimates it has an estimated 200 ballots left to be counted as of Tuesday evening. The auditors office is scheduled to release an updated count by the end of business day Thursday. The results aren’t official until the auditor certifies the election, which will take place Feb. 25.