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BREMERTON (Not New England)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 | Vol. 17, No. 49 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢
Witness says plane spun, lost parts as it fell toward water
Privatization of booze led to more shoplifting Chief Strachan says thieves have a preference for liquor, not beer, wine
National Transportation Safety Board is investigating Seabeck-area crash BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
SEABECK — The small red-and-white airplane that crashed south of Seabeck Jan. 26 in Hood Canal was spinning, may have had parts break off in flight and sank quickly, according to a man who said he witnessed the plane fall. Jon Marker, who lives on Thunder Ridge Way, said the plane spun downward at a sharp angle near Frenchman’s Cove (near Guillmot Cove). He was in his home when he heard the plane around 12:45 p.m. “I was eating lunch, getting ready for work. I heard a plane like it was climbing. It was the motor of a plane. Then I didn’t hear anything for a couple seconds,” Marker said. “Then I looked out and I saw a plane kind of whirl-
ing around,” he said, nearly straight down. “It looked like it was spinning. It looked like it was red and white. It went behind the tree line. I figured it probably hit the water.” Then, Marker saw a separate piece fall down afterward which looked like it could have been a wing or something similar. Marker couldn’t see the impact from his home so he called a neighbor, who lived closer and whom he thought may have owned a boat, to take a look. The neighbor couldn’t see anything in the water. “When it hit it must have sunk right away,” Marker said. He called again for rescuers to check out the crash and gave them directions to navigate the twisty, rural back roads
BY PETER O’CAIN POCAIN@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Peter O’Cain / staff photos
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, above, and a Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat, below, search the waters of Hood Canal for a plane that crashed near Frenchman’s Cove south of Seabeck on Jan. 26.
SEE PLANE CRASH, A13
Teen driver pleads guilty to vehicular homicide BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
The driver of a car that crashed Jan. 11 on SeabeckHolly Road NW, killing three teenage passengers, pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to three counts of vehicular homicide. According to court documents, Marcus Allen McKay, 17, of Bremerton, will remain in the juvenile court system and will not be charged an an
12 COMMUNIT Y DELIV ERED
adult. McKay gave a statement to law enforcement admitting he had been traveling 75 mph in a 45 mph zone. Roadway evidence and damage to the vehicle also suggested a highspeed collision occurred. McKay also admitted that he smoked marijuana around 2 a.m. that morning at a party. The documents state that on Jan. 11 around 3:16 a.m. McKay lost control of the 1996
Toyota Corolla he was driving on Seabeck Holly Road NW. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and overturned. His passengers, Olympic High School students Kassidy Miranda Clark, 16, Jenna M. Farley, 14, and Luther James Wiggins-Stoudermire, 18, died in the crash. At the time of the crash, McKay had an intermediate driver’s license which required that he have no passengers
under the age of 20, nor drive between the hours of 1-5 a.m. McKay had abrasions on the left side of his neck which indicate he was in the driver’s seat when the vehicle crashed. McKay was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide for driving without regard for the safety of others. The defense and prosecution agreed to a total of 45-108 SEE PLEADS, A13
LOUD & PROUD
December shoplifting incidents doubled last year from seven in 2013 to 15 in 2014. Bremerton Police attributed this to the privatization of alcohol in 2012. “The majority of our shoplifting calls from the last few months have been alcohol (specifically liquor, not beer or wine) from grocery stores in which the liquor is not well secured,” said Steve Strachan, Bremerton Police chief. “This did not happen before privatization.” In November 2014 there were 12 incidents, in October there were eight and in September there were 12. Strachan said much of the rise is due to the increased number of stores selling alcohol. “Most of our suspects are
taking it for personal use, and its mostly high-alcohol products and it’s perceived as a lowrisk crime,” Strachan said. State-run liquor stores were fewer in number and had better security, Strachan said. “The ubiquity of alcohol in so many more places, combined with less thoughtful security measures, means people, including juveniles, have much more access,” Strachan said. Some concern has been raised about organized retail crime (ORC), in which thieves resell what they steal. “I can tell you anecdotally we’re not getting reports of organized retail theft,” Strachan said. “One of the things we’re seeing is people walking in and walking out with alcohol.” Multiple grocery stores declined to comment for this story.
Bremerton schools struggle with capacity questions BY PETER O’CAIN
POCAIN@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
The Bremerton School Board met Jan. 22 for a study session to discuss capacity issues within the district. The Bremerton School District has been exploring ways to reduce class sizes– particularly at the elementary level–ever since the passing of Initiative 1351 in November. Superintendent Aaron Leavell presented the board with 16 ideas to solve capacity problems.
Of all the ideas presented, the only option that appeared to be ruled out was moving West Hills STEM Academy to Mountain View Middle School. “The new wing at (Mountain View) was built as a 6thgrade academy with the full intention of converting to a smaller elementary school shou ld t he need arise See full a g a i n ,” L e a v e l l story on the said. website It would
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