It’s time for our annual round-up of the stories that made headlines throughout the year. This week features our stories ranked one through 10 based on staff picks, website statistics and reader feedback.
1. Murder-suicide on Lopez
Two Minnesota men were found dead as a result of a murder-suicide on Fisherman’s Bay beach on Aug. 25. A suicide note was found, stating both of the deceased had visited Lopez Island years ago with their dog and loved the island.
After the bodies were identified as Aric Babbitt, 40, and his husband Matthew Deyo, 36, of Minnesota, news reports revealed an even darker story.
The couple was allegedly involved in the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old-boy in St. Paul, Minnesota. Two other victims that were underage eventually claimed that they were also abused by the couple.
According to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Babbitt was on paid leave from his teaching position at Lincoln Center Elementary in South St. Paul, Minn., and the school district was conducting its own an investigation into alleged sexual activity with a minor. The case is now considered closed.
2. Lopez Medical Center and Island Hospital part ways
Lopez Island Medical Clinic was notified on Sept. 15 that Island Hospital will discontinue their contract affiliation with the clinic in nine months. Hospital President Vince Oliver aid that they would commit to a transition plan to support the clinic until June 30, 2017. Stay tuned to the Islands Weekly for updates.
3. Ferries enact 30-min arrival rule
Shorter lines and easier operations were reasons the 30-minute rule was enacted at the Washington State Ferries last spring.
Now, riders have to be past the tollbooth, not just in line, 30-minutes ahead of departure. Of course, questions arose on how to factor for the extra time: How could you estimate line sizes? How would you know how many toll booths were open? Somehow, time seemed to be on islanders’ sides — ridership rose, said WSF Assistant Secretary Lynne Griffith.
Although rider capacity fluctuated thanks to reservation no-shows, according to staff, operations on the last Fourth of July were smoother than years’ prior.
4. Home invasion, 911 screw up, case closed
After hundreds of police hours and very few leads, the case involving an Orcas man whose home was allegedly invaded by a masked intruder has been labeled inactive.
Josh Mayson, a newly hired Orcas Power and Light Cooperative apprentice lineman, was staying in a vacation rental cabin when a masked, gloved assailant allegedly came into his home around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 9. He said the man held a gun to his head, threatened to kill him and his daughter and stated that he “had nothing left to live for” and was “not afraid to die.” Two days later, death threats were found written on the OPALCO headquarters building in Eastsound. All employees were immediately sent home and both Orcas Island and Friday Harbor offices were shut down for two days. Mayson resigned from OPALCO shortly after the incidents. A reward fund was set up and received $10,000 from OPALCO and $13,460 in private donations all of which was returned in October after the case was labeled inactive.
The alleged home invasion spawned changes within the sheriff’s office after deputies didn’t respond in a timely manner. At the time of the 911 call, the dispatcher was advised by a sergeant to not wake up the on-call deputy since the gunman had already left the scene. Officers didn’t talk to Mayson until several hours after the incident. At the time, Krebs said he was “livid” about the oversight and held a town hall meeting on Orcas to answer community questions. He explained that in the past when deputies are not patrolling (usually between the hours of 3 and 6 a.m.), a dispatcher will call a sergeant to determine whether or not a deputy should be paged. Now dispatchers no longer have to ask permission to send out a deputy.
5. Murder in Friday Harbor
San Juan Island resident Kevin Patrick Taylor, 53, was charged with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree-Domestic Violence and one count of Malicious Mischief in the First Degree–DV for allegedly bludgeoning his wife to death with the barrel of a rifle in their Friday Harbor home. His trial is set for July 10, 2017.
According to Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord, Taylor is being charged with two counts of murder in the second degree because that crime can’t be committed in two ways: intentionally without premeditation or during the course of another felony, which in this case is assault.
San Juan County dispatch received a call from someone in a Friday Harbor residence at 1 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3. It is unknown who made the phone call. A deputy arrived on scene 20 minutes later, and saw a Jeep with its flashers and alarm going off. When the car alarm stopped, he heard music coming from inside the residence. He walked to the deck, where the sliding door was open, and saw Julie Taylor deceased on the floor, with blood pooled around her head. According to the detective’s report, she had severe trauma to her head, and a broken rifle was lying nearby. The barrel was covered in blood. Her husband was sitting in a recliner and allegedly said to the deputy, “I got her.” After he was placed under arrest, and more emergency personnel arrived on scene, Taylor allegedly told an officer, “She was going to divorce me. I couldn’t let that happen.” The detective also wrote that he said his wife had poisoned him. He was transported to Peace Island Medical Center to be evaluated by emergency room staff. Taylor was medically cleared and booked into the San Juan County Jail. The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team processed the scene.
According to Gaylord, the Taylors had been married for 25 years.
6. Ferry food vendor controversy
It seemed more like a food war that a food fight when the Washington State Ferries dropped a local food vendor for one based out of Connecticut, last summer. Olympic Cascade Services, out of Bremerton, would no longer sell items on the ferry and Cheesecake Cafe, owned by an islander, would no longer operate at the Anacortes terminal. About 12,000 signatures were gathered to retract the vendor switch at an August Washington State Ferries’ meeting, in hopes to keep money in-state. Washington State Ferries said they have to legally reopen food vendor bids every decade. This time, the company Centerplate was their top choice, but although their headquarters are out of state, local food would be sold and local employees hired. In the end, the turnover was made.
7. Navy releases draft environmental impact statement
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is considering adding 35 Growler aircraft to its based.
The draft environmental impact statement, which is required for proposed federal agency actions, about the possible increase in EA-18G Growler activity at NAS Whidbey Island was released on Nov. 10.
Following the release of the document, the Navy held five open houses for citizens to comment on the study. More than 150 Lopezians flocked to the Lopez Center on Dec. 7 to let the Navy know how they felt about the increase in Growler traffic. Citizens interested in having their opinions heard have until Jan. 25, 2017 to comment on the EIS.
8. Hummel Lake Drowning
Salvador Gallegos of Lopez Island was canoeing on Hummel Lake on May 11 when the boat capsized and he went under. Gallegos, who was not wearing a life preserver, surfaced a few times then was not seen again. Rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
The San Juan County Dive team was unable to perform recovery alone, and brought in the Whatcom County K-9 unit to assist, neither were able to locate Gallegos. On May 16, the Whatcom County Dive team used a remotely operated underwater vehicle to recover him.
9. Lopez water worries
Customers contacted the Fisherman Bay Water Association with concerns of groundwater contamination at the old Lopez Village Market from leaking fuel tanks which has still not been resolved since the tanks were almost seven years ago.
In response, a letter from the association released Feb. 1 stated their wells are being tested for benzene, a known carcinogen, and have tested negative.
Steve Cade, water quality manager of the association, said that public water systems are routinely checked for herbicides, pesticides, bacteria, lead, copper, radium and benzene.
The building was the home of Lopez Village Market for years, before becoming Island Body and Fitness and is now Paper, Scissors on the Rock in the heart of Lopez Village.
The owners of the property began the process of removing the tanks in 2010 and signed up for Department of Ecology’s Voluntary Clean-Up Program in 2011, leaving the program in 2012 without finishing the cleanup, with some areas containing 633 times above the maximum approved amount of benzene and 43 times above the allowable level of total petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil, according to documents from the Department of Ecology.
10. Harris-Moore’s eventful 2016
Colton Harris-Moore had a busy year. In April, the convicted burglar and plane thief known as “the barefoot bandit,” called several news organizations in Washington state, pleading for help to cryogenically freeze his terminally-ill mother, Pam Kohler. Kohler lost her battle with lung cancer in mid-May. Moore’s attorney John Henry Browne told CNN in August, that his client would be employed with his firm part-time.
Currently, Harris-Moore is living in a halfway house, trying to raise money for pilot lessons. He started a GoFundMe account in mid-December, attempting to raise money for flight school, however, federal probation officers made him terminate the fundraising because he still owes $125,000 in victim restitution.
