Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

True crime writer Ann Rule is holding a book-signing today in Tumwater, following the release of her story about the controversial 1998 death of Ronda Reynolds in Toledo.

"In the Still of the Night" by Ann Rule

“In the Still of the Night: The strange death of Ronda Reynolds and her mother’s unceasing quest for the truth” went on sale earlier this month.

Rule, a Seattle area author best known for her book about serial killer Ted Bundy, is accompanied on her book tour by Reynolds’ mother Barb Thompson.

The pair will be at Costco at 5500 Littlerock Road Southwest today from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.

On Friday, Rule will be signing books at Fred Meyer in Lynnwood and the next day, Costco in Tukwila.

For those who would like to hear a presentation by Rule on the research she conducted in writing about the case, an event is scheduled next month at Centralia College.

Rule will speak at the college the evening of Nov. 17. It’s free and open to the public.

Her appearance is set for 7 p.m. in Corbet Theater, although Rule says there is talk about moving the function to the college gymnasium because of an expected large turnout.

I’ve read the book. It’s interesting.

Locals will see the names of places and people they know, or know of, from members of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and coroner’s office to Reynolds’ husband, Toledo Elementary School Principal Ron Reynolds and his family.

As The Chronicle’s executive editor Michael Wagar wrote recently, however, the book is not so much a detailed journalistic account of the death and subsequent events but leans more toward an attempt at a suspenseful tale with heroes and villains.

Ronda Reynolds

“In the Still of the Night” opens in the Chehalis courtroom this past November and travels back more than a decade to the days in December 1998 when the former state trooper was found with a bullet in her head on the floor of a walk-in closet inside her home.

Was it suicide, or was it murder?

Rule’s narrative kept me reading several nights long past my bedtime.

A good portion of her tale was familiar to me, as I ‘m the news reporter who broke the story in early 2002 that the sheriff’s office had reopened a suicide case from three years earlier, and Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson had changed the death certificate from suicide to undetermined.

Some of it was too familiar. I was really surprised to read a passage I wrote in The Chronicle more than eight years ago reprinted in Rule’s book without attribution as to its source.

And while I confess, it’s kind of a thrill to see my own name in a hard-cover book by a best-selling author, my heart sank when Rule mischaracterized me in a brief, but powerfully embarrassing sentence.

Rule wrote that I believed Ronda Reynolds did not kill herself and that I was a loyal supporter of Barb Thompson.

That’s not true.

Had Rule asked me, I would have told her I haven’t formed an opinion one way or the other.

And I’ve never told anyone otherwise.

It’s true that when I’ve been asked what I think, suicide or homicide, I have replied: “There have been times when it seems Ronda Reynolds could not have killed herself, and there have been times when I’ve thought, ‘you know, she may have’.”

Perhaps Rule’s main source – Barb Thompson – characterized me as a supporter. I know she is grateful to me for my efforts over the years in covering a story that she wanted the public to know about. I share that desire to inform the public – that’s what news reporters do.

I’m a loyal supporter of being a journalist who takes the time and care to come up with the most accurate, balanced and thorough accounts I can muster, from all sides in question.

Moving on.

Rule’s book includes last November’s civil hearings in Lewis County Superior Court in which a panel of citizens concluded and recommended to a judge that Coroner Wilson’s final conclusion of suicide was wrong – as well as arbitrary and capricious – and should be changed.

And then the author offers previously unpublished details on how the sheriff’s office this year has investigated tips about new information on the case.

There are individuals who have been interviewed who say there were more people at the Toledo house that night than were included in the sheriff’s office reports early on, according to Rule.

Rule ends with speculation about a handful of potential “murderers”, including one of the individuals she gave a fictitious name to.

It’s 400 pages about a death that likely won’t be forgotten about for a very long time.

Thompson’s civil case is still making its way through the courts, as Coroner Wilson has appealed an order to change the death certificate.

•••

Read my story about the five days in court last November after which “Jury finds coroner erred in ruling former troopers death a suicide”

Barb Thompson put together a web site called “Justice for Ronda” where you can read her story about the case and see some excerpts from case reports and my very first news story on Jan. 10, 2002. She also added updates over the years to a site called “Real Crimes” which has a message board on it with reader comments.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The rain this weekend got me thinking about river levels.

Personally, I keep my eye on the Newaukum River, even though my neighbors tell me it’s never gotten so high as to cross the road where my house is.

A quick look this morning eased my mind, and reminded me I ought to share the web address to the National Weather Service’s river level observation and forecasts for Western Washington.

So I’ve added, under “Other useful web links” a new link called “River levels”

It has super good information. You can click on “Centralia-Mellon Street” for example and bring up a graph that shows you the Chehalis River at that spot has risen over the past two days to just over 51 feet and is expected to peak Tuesday afternoon at just under 54 feet.

But not to worry, since flood stage there is 65 feet.

It’s a great resource. You can of course see the same information about the Cowlitz River, the Skookumchuck River and more.

Right now, the only river showing near flood stage is the Skokomish northwest of here.

Another of my favorite places to check when mother nature starts getting squirrelly is the National Weather Service’s forecast office in Seattle.

Similarly is a map of Western Washington with colored areas for such things as winter storm warnings and flood advisories. Just click on your town and you can see a detailed seven-day forecast.

Today? Chehalis, rain. Morton, rain.

But also, in the east end, you’ll see a “winter storm warning” and see that very early this morning, the weather people posted an urgent message about the central and north Cascades seeing the first significant snowfall of the season.

So under “Other useful web links” on the right-hand column of Lewis County Sirens I’ve added “Weather forecasts”

Enjoy.

By the way, if my news stories have captivated you to the point you’ve never looked at the right-hand sidebar on this web site, take a looksie.

You can link to places to check who’s in the Lewis County Jail, the Thurston County Jail and even look up basic information about Superior Court cases.

You can jump to read local newspapers that surround Lewis County, plus a couple more.

If you have an idea about a web link you think would be useful, shoot me an email – sharyn.decker@lewiscountysirens.com

One more thing: my postings get stored under four basic categories; Top story of the day, Sharyn’s Sirens roundup, News briefs and Columns and commentary.

I rarely write anything like a column, but do publish occasional guest columns and commentary. If you have something to say that seems worthwhile and interesting for readers, let me know.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Hi readers. It’s me, news reporter Sharyn Decker.

I have to apologize you haven’t gotten a whole lot of news the last several days. I’ve been sicker than a dog for the past week.

I’m going to tell you about a couple of things before I go take another nap.

Some of you might know that Lewis County Sirens has a group page on Facebook.

It’s pretty darn cool. As I understand it, if you “friend” the page – join the group – then whenever I post a news item, my headline and an excerpt will pop up on your Facebook home page news feed.

For those who belong to Facebook and keep it open throughout the day, that means you don’t have to keep checking in at Lewis County Sirens to see if there are new news stories.

Just type “Lewis County Sirens” in the search box on your Facebook page and after you get to the Lewis County Sirens Facebook page, then click “join” near the top.

If you don’t already belong to Facebook, well, you have to join first.

Also, there is this relatively new local web site called Lewis-County.org

I believe it was started mostly as a chat forum by former Lewis County Buzz and Lewis County Goes2Find chatters.

It has other stuff, like games I guess. But, at the bottom of its home page is a news feed where headlines with links pop up for Lewis County Sirens. I was really flattered when I discovered Lewis-County.org added an RSS feed from my news site to their web site.

So it’s the same idea as Facebook; if you happen to have their site open throughout the day, you will learn automatically when I have posted a new story.

On their forum page, under “main” and “news” you will see “Local News RSS“. That’s where they all discuss local news stories.

I don’t think you have to join to take advantage of these features on their site, although I suspect they’d like it if you did.

Neither of those web sites cost anything to use.

That’s it for now.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Ronda Reynolds’ mother is accompanying true crime writer Ann Rule on a book signing tour as the hardcover edition of Rule’s take on the 1998 death of the former trooper in Toledo is released.

"In the Still of the Night" by Ann Rule

The two women will be in San Antonio, Texas tomorrow and then on Saturday at a book signing in Spokane, Barb Thompson’s hometown.

“In the Still of the Night” opens in the Chehalis courtroom this past November and travels back more than a decade to the days before Christmas in 1998 when Reynolds was found with a bullet in her head on the floor of a walk-in closet inside her home.

I wish I could write a review, but I haven’t read the book yet.

Thompson has read it and says Rule told her daughter’s story very, very well.

“I would rate it as one of the best she has written – not because it is about my daughter but it is a very heartfelt, very compelling story and she told it so eloquently,” Thompson said in a note to me late last month.

She also wrote that Rule told more about her than she would have preferred, but said it was a small price to pay to get the story out there.

Ronda Reynolds

Thompson said she expects Rule will have a book signing at Centralia College “at some point” and perhaps another local bookstore, but no dates had yet been set.

In the meantime, it looks like it can be ordered online now, from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, from Amazon.com and others.

The curious can read parts of it online on both those web sites including the lengthy “foreword” and what looks like the entire first chapter.

I am very much looking forward to reading it as I’ve followed the case since I began working at The Chronicle almost a decade ago. It’s a story I’m very proud of.

Not long after I was hired to cover crime at the newspaper, executive editor Michael Wagar – who was fairly new there at the time – told me, there’s something I want you to look at.

This woman, he said and I’m paraphrasing, said her daughter was killed and it was labeled a suicide and she couldn’t get the newspaper’s previous editor to write about it.

I began going through the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports – at least one binder Thompson had gotten through a public disclosure request – and saw an incredibly interesting story there to be told.

Apparently the prevailing thinking had been, “we don’t write about suicides.” Well sure, I thought, the fact that an individual has committed suicide in and of itself is not necessarily newsworthy.

But at that time, in mid-2001, the sheriff’s office had reopened the case, asking outsiders to review it, and had gotten the Lewis County coroner to change the death certificate from suicide to undetermined. Of course it was newsworthy, whether or not it was currently being examined by a team of specialists at the state Attorney General’s Office.

But here’s what followed. Then-Sheriff John McCroskey, maybe the most charming and most popular elected official in the county, put some amount of pressure on my editor not to report and write the story. At least, McCroskey asked, just wait and write what happens after the Attorney General’s Office decides what they think about it.

We didn’t wait.

We published the story in early 2002 and continued to cover it over the years as Thompson eventually got the courts to allow an unprecedented judicial review of a corners decision.

My news reporting relationship with McCroskey’s office never did get very comfortable or easy. But an important story got told.

I’m thrilled that Rule, probably best known for her book “The Stranger Beside Me” about serial killer Ted Bundy, chose to write about the case. Even more people now will get some insight into the back story of the way that law enforcement and a coroner, at least in one community, at one time, worked together.

Speaking of which, most of you know that after almost 30 years, elected Lewis County Coroner Terry Wilson will retire from that position.

Even though a judge, after last November’s judicial review ordered Wilson to change the death certificate and remove the “suicide” label, it’s doubtful Wilson will do so before the end of his term. He’s appealed the order.

However, there are two men running in November to be the next Lewis County coroner.

Warren McLeod and Micheal Hurley said publicly last week at a candidates forum in Adna what they plan to do about the Reynolds’ case if they are elected.

Both said they will change the manner of death to undetermined.

•••

Read my story about the five days in court last November after which “Jury finds coroner erred in ruling former troopers death a suicide” here

Barb Thompson put together a web site called “Justice for Ronda” where you can read her story about the case and see some excerpts from case reports and my very first news story on Jan. 10, 2002. She also added updates over the years to a site called “Real Crimes” which has a message board on it with reader comments.

If you are a subscriber to The (Centralia)  Chronicle, you can read stories beginning in mid-2002 on the case by searching their archives.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

I wish I could tell you more about Karen Kristine Sudderth.

She’s the woman who was sentenced this week in connection with taking her young son out of the country – years ago – allegedly hiding him from his father.

During about 30 minutes of proceedings on Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court, I learned the gist of the case, but not enough to write a news story.

I didn’t cover her trial in June, which ended in a hung jury. And I didn’t read through her court file.

But I’ll offer a small snapshot of what I did learn listening to lengthy, detailed and even passionate discourse from attorneys, and brief but telling comments from the defendant and Judge Nelson Hunt:

Disobey a court order at your own peril, and if you want to address the judge, take the opportunity when it’s offered to you.

The prosecutor and the defense attorney put together a plea agreement in exchange for not attempting a second trial.

Sudderth pleaded guilty Wednesday to a gross misdemeanor to avoid the possibility of a felony conviction. Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher and Tacoma attorney Bryan Hershman asked the judge for a 30-day sentence and for his blessing it could be fulfilled with house arrest.

It was a so-called Alford plea, meaning she didn’t actually admit guilt.

Local attorney Paul Dugaw addressed the court on behalf of Sudderth’s former husband. He called the deprivation of a father’s right to see his child grow into an adult a travesty. Her actions were egregious, he said.

“Ms. Sudderth made a calculated decision to flaunt the orders of the court,” Dugaw said.

An order for her arrest warrant was filed in January 1997. She was brought to court last October.

After Dugaw sat down, Judge Hunt was blunt.

She will be locked up for three months (specifically 88 days), no electronic home monitoring, and “jail starts now,” the judge pronounced.

“I have a very similar view as he has expressed,” Hunt said, referring to the father’s lawyer. “We can’t have people saying, I’m going to flaunt the law, thumb my nose at the court for 15 years, and then come back and get 30 days in jail.”

Hunt noted he didn’t give Sudderth the maximum sentence, and if I understood him correctly, that had to do with choosing an amount of time less than what she would have gotten if she were convicted of the higher charge.

Her attorney Hershman asked Hunt: She has pets in her apartment, may we start that in two days?

Hunt: No we may not.

Sudderth – who had previously answered each of the judge’s inquiries to her with “Yes, your honor”,  except for when he asked her before sentencing if there was anything she would like to say – stood up.

She waited.

I have to paraphrase here, but just a a little bit.

Sudderth: Your honor?

Hunt: What?

Sudderth: May I address the court?

Hunt: No.

She remains standing.

Hunt: You had your opportunity. There’s nothing you can say. The corrections officers are here for you now.

“Just sit down.”