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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 84 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Oak Harbor rocked by murder Police apprehend suspect in Bellingham
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Chris Baker’s home in Rolling Hills was filled with both tears and laughter Monday night. Family and friends sat round the dining table and shared memories of Baker’s grandson, Adam Garcia. The 21-year-old Oak Harbor man was killed in a shooting early Saturday morning in the city. Garcia was a loyal son and friend. A peacemaker and protector. A trickster. His mother, Bettie Sifuentes, said her son’s true character was most evident when he was with his beloved daughter, 5-year-old Sophia. “You could just see the love on his face when he looks at her,” she said. “It was so genuine.” A team of law enforcement officials took the shooting suspect, Christopher Malaga, into custody in Bellingham at 12:47 p.m. Tuesday. He’s being held in Island County jail on a $1-million arrest warrant. Chief Ed Green with the Oak Harbor Police Department said officers responded to a 9-1-1 call of a shooting at the intersection of Southwest Fairhaven Drive and Southwest Castilian Drive at 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Garcia had been shot in the face
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Shooting victim Adam Garcia is shown holding his daughter, Sophia. and died at the scene after officers arrived. Witnesses helped police
identify the shooter as Malaga; they said he shot Garcia during
a confrontation, according to Green. The chief said the Western Washington University Police, the Bellingham Police Department, the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force, the State Patrol, the Whatcom County Sheriff and the U.S. Marshals Office helped with the apprehension of the suspect. While the criminal case moves forward, Garcia’s many family and friends are focusing on their memories of the young man. On Friday, a football jersey will be presented to Sifuentes just before the 5 p.m. start of the Coupeville homecoming game. In high school, Garcia was No. 33 on the team. The family moved from Yakima to Whidbey Island in 2000, Sifuentes said. Garcia, who was known in his family as “Bato,” attended Coupeville schools and played a lot of sports; he particularly loved football. He was a running back and middle linebacker. Jay Silver, former football coach for Coupeville, remembered Garcia as a hard worker and positive presence on the team. “He was always very respectful and, many times, spoke to me about his baby girl,” he said. SEE MURDER, A10
Missing orca calf worries scientists By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record South Whidbey’s orca community is mourning what appears to be the loss of a new calf. The Center for Whale Research confirmed that seven-week-old baby L120, the third known offspring of the 23-year old Southern Resident orca L86, was not with his or her mother when L pod was photographed recently in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. “L86 was seen and photographed on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, all without L120,” said Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research in a recent news release. Southern Resident orcas, which travel between California and Alaska, are a distinct population segment of a sub-species composed of J, K and L pods, totaling 80 individuals. They’re unique in that they don’t interbreed with other orcas of the world. Langley-based Orca SEE ORCA, A7
Langley officials search for solutions to ongoing city pub noise problems November meeting set to discuss noise remedies By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Langley’s city leaders are looking for answers to the persistent problem of noise complaints about Mo’s Pub and Eatery. Over the next few months, the city will look at ways to resolve neighbor complaints which Mayor Fred McCarthy categorized as “chronic problems we are hearing at Mo’s.” Fall and winter months are ideal, said McCarthy, because the pub will be less busy,
allowing for a reprieve for both parties. The mayor has asked city department heads, city council members, the pub’s owners and the pub’s neighbors for possible solutions. He will compile those and hold a meeting in November to begin discussions as to how complaints over late-night noise can be reduced. Those suggestions should be compiled for public review by the city council’s Nov. 3 meeting. “The whole theme of this is let’s be as thorough as possible, as public as possible,” McCarthy said. Almost since Mo’s Pub opened in 2011, complaints over noise from inside and outside the establishment on Second Street were
lobbed. In previous city meetings about the issue, tensions ran high between neighbors and pub supporters. One of the issues is that Mo’s Pub remains one of the few evening establishments in Langley. The other concern is that it is located next to single-family residences. Councilwoman Robin Black stated the city’s position as one of wanting to support a successful business while keeping residents happy. None of the pub’s neighbors were at the meeting, but owners Maureen Cooke and Bob Trenchard sat through the discussion, even throwing in their ideas in the interim. Trenchard, who is undergoing cancer
treatment, said that the neighbors have his cell phone number and have been encouraged to call him if any issues arise at the pub. His preference is to be contacted first, rather than being called by Langley Police Chief Dave Marks. “I’m tired of seeing him,” said Trenchard, motioning to Marks across the council chambers, adding that it was a waste of the chief’s time and city money. Reiterating previous requests, Trenchard said the city should establish a baseline decibel level. Jeff Arango, the city’s planning director who recently turned in his SEE PUB, A7