News-Times Whidbey
INSIDE: Fun with a green thumb Bridge A4
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2015 | Vol. 125, No. 11 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Ideas growing for use of felled Garry oak tree By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Photo by Jessie Stensland/Whidbey News-Times
Former attorney Doug Saar tries to hold back tears as he apologizes for stealing from his clients. He received a 17-month sentence.
Prison time for disgraced attorney By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Doug Saar, a formerly prominent Oak Harbor attorney, was shackled and dressed in orange jail garb as he stood in front of a packed courtroom and a TV camera Friday morning in Island County Superior Court. He sat through nearly two and a half hours of emotionally charged speeches and arguments over how much time he deserves behind bars for stealing more than $200,000 from two clients, including money that was supposed to go to Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation. Saar, formerly a partner with the Law Offices of Skinner and Saar, finally got the chance to speak before he was sentenced. He apologized to his victims, to his colleagues at his former law firm and to his family. “I stand here humbled, your honor,” he said tearfully. “I have appeared in this courtroom hundreds of times as a lawyer, wearing a suit. I brought my kids to this courtroom so they could see what I did,
so they could see what lawyers did. Now I stand here with an orange jail suit.” Skagit County Judge Susan Cook filled in for the Island County judges who recused themselves from the sentencing hearing. She didn’t offer Saar much mercy but went along with the prosecutor’s sentencing recommendation and sent him to prison for a year and five months. Saar will have to pay restitution in an amount that will be decided at a later date. Cook contradicted the defense sentencing memorandum, which she said attempted to characterize Saar’s crimes as excessive billing during a time when he was under financial stress. She emphasized that Saar did “a great deal more” than over-bill. “I do think there was a certain sense of entitlement on the part of Mr. Saar here,” she said, “thinking that his lifestyle justified taking the property of others to support it.” Saar was sentenced under a unique plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree theft in one case
and agreed to a three-month jail sentence, which he began serving last month. In the other case, he pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in the first degree and one count of money laundering. Both sides argued the sentence for those charges at the hearing Friday. Saar previously pleaded guilty to firstdegree theft for stealing $100,000 from a client in a San Juan County case. He was sentenced to electronic home monitoring and community service. Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks argued that Saar deserves the 15-month prison sentence. He emphasized that Saar had plenty of opportunities to “fess up” but instead continued to steal in an effort to hide his previous thefts. He said Saar stole 32 different times and even took cash from a dead woman’s purse. “He just took it,” Banks said. “And he took it over and over and over again.” Banks said Saar’s entire motive was to keep up a lifestyle that was beyond his means. He said tax returns show that Saar made more than $200,000 a year and SEE SAAR, A13
Giant acorns. Furniture. Paneling. A ring-count display. An ad hoc committee charged with making recommendations about what to do with the wood from the post office Garry oak tree presented a long list of ideas at an Oak Harbor City Council workshop last month. The council is scheduled to consider the proposals at a meeting in March. It could be a lively discussion. Councilwoman Tara Hizon said she wanted to make sure the council had time to hash out the recommendations. “I have, predictably, a number of opinions about the options that you put forth,” she said. Last March, city crews cut down the landmark, 330-year-old Garry oak tree that stood next to the post office. City officials claimed the tree was a safety concern, but the felling angered many residents who felt the decisions shouldn’t have been made in secret. Afterward, the city put together a committee to come SEE OAK, A20
Republican board pushes economics for futures funds By JANIS REID Staff reporter
The two Republican county commissioners want the economic potential of a property to be considered when approving or denying a Conservation Futures application. While the policy shift would be subtle if approved, it would be the first time the board will diverge from a set of largely environmental criteria. “What I’m saying is I’m not comfortable with the criteria as it is,” said Commissioner Jill Johnson, a Republican, at a Wednesday work session. “I’ve inherited this criteria. … I feel like if we’re going to continue to award funding, that criteria needs to reflect the values of the board.” The purpose of the state program is to provide “a useful tool for counties to preserve lands of public interSEE FUNDS, A13
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