Vol. 125, No. 30
News-Times Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2015
Musical starts Thursday A10
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Union votes ‘no confidence’ in police captain By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Photo by Debra Vaughn/Whidbey News-Times
A firefighter surveys the scene of a house fire that killed a resident and injured another Tuesday morning in the Dugualla Bay Heights neighborhood of North Whidbey.
Capt. Teri Gardner, the second in command at the Oak Harbor Police Department, married her longtime colleague, Sgt. Carl Seim, in a quiet ceremony last month. Ironically, it was a disciplinary action directed at Gardner because of the romance that allowed the two officers to rekindle their relationship, according to their attorney, Joan Mell of Fircrest. At the same time, the discipline issue has further
enmeshed the newlyweds in a long-simmering dispute between two factions in the department. The ongoing controversy led to a union no-confidence vote against Gardner, the sincec a n celled suspension of a third officer and GARDNER even the dismissal of a verdict in a child rape case in military SEE GARDNER, A5
Early morning fire claims life
Dehydration suspected cause of inmate’s death
Responders praised for quick response, alerting neighbors
Cause of death for a 25-year-old inmate at the Island County jail may be dehydration, according to Island County Coroner Robert Bishop. Corrections deputies reported finding Keaton Farris dead in his jail cell at 12:20 a.m., Wednesday, April 8. “At this time, there is nothing to indicate that this could be a homicide or
By DEBRA VAUGHN Staff reporter
One person was killed and another injured in a house fire early Tuesday morning in the Dugualla Bay Heights neighborhood on North Whidbey. The one-story house on East Bay Front Lane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived around 2 a.m., said Marv Koorn, chief of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue.
Only a charred skeleton of the home remained. Firefighters picked their way through the smoldering rubble as they waited for the coroner to arrive. Officials are waiting to release the name of the victim until the coroner confirms an identity. Firefighters from North Whidbey were on the scene within minutes of the 1:50 a.m. emergency call, but the house was too far gone to save, Koorn said. Another person staying at the house sustained minor burns. He was taken to Whidbey General Hospital and released. Firefighters quickly turned their attention to the homes on either side. Neighbors were sleeping in one of the next-door SEE FATAL FIRE, A5
suicide,” Bishop said this week. Initial laboratory testing indicates that Farris may have died from dehydration but that the determination of the cause and manner of death may not be completed for another four to six weeks, according to Bishop. Island County Sheriff SEE DEATH, A20
Jury finds chief nurse innocent of assaulting mental health patient By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Linda Gipson is not guilty of assaulting a patient at Whidbey General Hospital. That was the ruling Friday by jurors in Island County District Court who deliberated for about 90 minutes. The jury found that Gipson, chief nursing officer for Whidbey General Hospital, is innocent of fourth-degree assault. The case was unusual for the District Court because of the high-profile nature of the defen-
dant and complexity of the case, which involved numerous witnesses, including experts in the medical field. Page 3 Gipson, 63, was accused of assault for grabbing a mentalhealth patient by the chin while the woman was in four-point restraints in May 2014. The jury made a special find-
Whidbey General staffers wear purple wristbands in support of Linda Gipson.
ing that Gipson’s “use of force was lawful by a preponderance of evidence,” according to Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks. That, he explained, means she may be able to recoup her attorney’s fees and other costs through a state account set up to reimburse defendants found not guilty by reason of self-defense. Several nurses who were in the room testified against Gipson, saying that her actions were unnecessary and that Gipson acted inappropriately out of anger directed SEE GIPSON INNOCENT, A20
Photo by Janis Reid / Whidbey News-Times
The majority of a packed Whidbey General Hospital board meeting gives outgoing CEO Tom Tomasino a standing ovation Monday.