Everett Daily Herald, March 06, 2015

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Review slams Gipson An investigation at Denney Juvenile Justice Center finds widespread sexually and racially inappropriate behavior. By Noah Haglund Herald Writer

EVERETT — A sprawling workplace investigation at Snohomish County’s Denney Juvenile Justice Center has documented sexually charged

workplace behavior that could have serious repercussions for Everett City Councilman Ron Gipson, both as a public employee and a public figure. Investigators concluded that Gipson, 57, dated at least one mother of a Denney juvenile

detainee, creating a conflict of interest. Gipson says that conclusion is “absolutely not true.” Gipson and other Denney employees were also found to have made sexually suggestive and racially inappropriate comments in violation of workplace rules. Similar forms of sexual harassment go back at least a decade at the juvenile justice center.

It’s Gipson’s name, however, that appears most consistently in 792 pages of reports obtained by The Daily Herald through state public records laws. “As I’ve always said, we didn’t do this stuff,” Gipson said. “Innocent people have been hurt.” Gipson, who brought binders full of documents to an interview See GIPSON, Page A2

28½ years for killing wife Prosecutors say Alan Smith was unhappy about divorce proceedings

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EVERETT — A former Boeing engineer was sentenced Thursday to 28½ years in prison for killing his estranged wife in 2013. Susann Smith, 37, was found face down in the bathtub in her Bothell home. The mother of two was repeatedly beaten and stabbed before she was dragged into the bathroom and drowned. “It’s hard for me to imagine

a more vicious, cowardly and selfish act,” Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson said. “It’s almost beyond comprehension that a man would do that to the mother of his children.” Alan Smith was convicted last month of first-degree murder. Prosecutors alleged that Smith, 39, went off the rails because his divorce wasn’t going the way he wanted. He had racked up a large debt and feared that his wife would take their children to

VOL. 115, NO. 24 © 2015 THE DAILY HERALD CO.

INSIDE

Business . . . . A11 Classified . . . . B1

Comics . . . . . . D4 Crossword . . . D4

her native Germany. Evidence at trial showed that the killer carefully tried to cover his tracks. Bothell detectives never found the murder weapons. They suspect that Smith tossed them in a dumpster on his way to work. “It is clear from the evidence that it was premeditated. There were no reasons for it. It didn’t solve anything,” Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese said. Smith was arrested four

Long in the tooth Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the TV: The cast for the third installment of Syfy’s “Sharknado” franchise will feature billionaire Mark Cuban and conservative columnist Ann Coulter as the president and vice president as the sharkinfested twister visits WashDear Abby . . . D5 Horoscope . . . B6

By Jerry Cornfield Herald Writer

See SMITH, Page A7

See SLIDE, Page A7

ington, D.C. (Page D6). Need proof beyond Cuban and Coulter that “Sharknado” is so over? How about the final scene where a motorcycle-riding shark jumps a pool full of Fonzies? One-bedroom, one bath, wall-to-wall sound: A retired Mountlake Terrace bus driver and his wife have

Lottery . . . . . . A2 Obituaries . . . A9

Making data more widely available and mobilization of emergency resources are among ideas from a panel that examined the disaster.

months after the killing. A man he met at church reported that Smith confessed to the murder. Smith had sought the man’s advice on how to handle his then-girlfriend, a mentally ill woman. She later committed suicide. In the months leading up to his arrest Smith’s bizarre behavior, including ramblings on social media sites and sex with his then-girlfriend outside the

IAN TERRY / THE HERALD

Herald Writer

Work on bills moves ahead

OLYMPIA — State lawmakers are working to enact the key recommendations dealing with mudslides made by the commission that studied what happened at Oso last year. Bills progressing through the House and Senate would make more data available to the public about slide-prone areas and ensure emergency resources are mobilized statewide if another calamitous slide occurs. Also, discussions are under way on how much money to allot in the next state budget to hire geologists, pay for LiDAR mapping of areas with significant geologic hazards and to establish a clearinghouse where anyone can go to get that information. These are the most critical actions the Joint SR 530 Landslide Commission recommended in its final report issued in December. “That’s heartening to see,” Kathy Lombardo, the commission’s executive director, said of the legislative action to date. “Let’s keep up the pressure to make sure it all gets done and gets funded.” Gov. Jay Inslee and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick created the commission to review the disaster and the emergency response to the muslide and to identify ways to improve public safety. The 12-member panel delivered the findings and recommendations in December. Lovick said he’s been monitoring lawmakers’ progress. “They’re doing great work,” he said. “I would give then an A-plus. They understand the importance of this.” One of the panel’s top recommendations was to rewrite the state law on mobilization of firefighting resources in emergencies. It was not a new idea;

Alan Smith, convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Susann Smith, speaks with his attorneys during a sentencing hearing Thursday at the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett.

By Diana Hefley

OSO MUDSLIDE

Opinion . . . . A13 Short Takes . . D6

made an offer on a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that features a 3,200-pipe church organ (Page A6). Upon notice of the pending offer, the Grand Rapids City Council passed an emergency zoning ordinance that bans the playing of the organ solo from Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida.” Sports . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . A12

Will you take a 2005 Ranger in trade? Ford is building a GT coupe that it will sell next year for $400,000. (Page A11). Yes, it has cupholders, but, no, Dad says, you’re not eating or drinking anything when you’re in it. And don’t even think about asking for the keys.

—Jon Bauer, Herald staff

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