Lewis County Sirens.com

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The publisher of a magazine written for jail inmates has filed a lawsuit against the Lewis County Jail saying its rejection of his publication amounts to a violation of the First Amendment.

The quarterly periodical is free.

Crime, Justice and America says it attempted to arrange delivery to the lock-up facility in Chehalis and were refused, according to its filing in federal court.

Jail Chief Kevin Hanson in his formal answer filed last week denies that his policies unconstitutionally restrict the magazine’s attempt to deliver to inmates or that his jail refused to permit the magazine into the jail.

The suit is filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

It names as defendants Hanson, Sheriff Steve Mansfield who has ultimate decision-making authority over the jail and 20 unnamed employees of the jail.

The magazine describes its target audience as inmates awaiting trial, aiming to educate and inform them about a sometimes confusing criminal justice system.

Crime, Justice and America is distributed free of charge and without a subscription or prior request so jail inmates can receive the information quickly, when they need it, according to information in the magazine’s court filing.

The defendants’ blanket ban on unsolicited publications is exaggerated, not related to a any legitimate penological interest and leaves the magazine with no viable means to communicate with its intended audience, the filed complaint states.

The publisher, Ray Hrdlicka, says it is distributed in numerous counties in Washington, Oregon, California and two other states, according to the filing.

The California-based company says it offered two methods of distribution, either a weekly delivery to be placed in small stacks in common areas or individually addressed to specific inmates but not more than 10 percent of them.

In a document filed last week on behalf of Lewis County Jail Sgt. Julie Frase, Frase states she was the person who the magazine contacted in phone calls in January and February of last year and that they offered no such thing.

Frase wrote they told her they wished to send one copy for every single inmate and they expected the jail to ensure they were individually received.

Jail Chief Hanson says they will accept the magazine, but only in limited quantities and if addressed to specific named inmates.

The inquiry came over a year ago and the jail wasn’t interested, but didn’t violate any law, according to Hanson.

“We reviewed it and due to the volume – they wanted one for every inmate – we said no thanks, we’ll pass,” Hanson said today.

The jail allows reading material inside, as long as it doesn’t jeopardize the safety and security of the facility, Hanson said. And based on the copies of the magazine he’s seen, its content wouldn’t be prohibited, he said.

The plaintiffs specifically allege violations of their rights under the First and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution and under Article I, Section 5 of the Washington State Constitution.

They are asking the court for an order to stop violating their rights and damages, partly related to lost advertising, in an amount to be proven at trial.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A former Winlock-area resident taken into custody following a wild weekend police pursuit has pleaded not guilty to rendering criminal assistance and other offenses related to the aftermath of an Olympia homicide.

Trey Nicholas Jones, 20, was the passenger in a 1999 Kia Sephia that led as many as a dozen patrol vehicles through south Lewis County, as fireworks, full pop cans, duffel bags and a suitcase were tossed from the stolen car, according to authorities.

After the vehicle wrecked on Interstate 5 near Kelso, Jones allegedly admitted that he planned to help the driver – Dwight M. Bradsbery – leave the state following a homicide days earlier in an Olympia apartment, according to charging documents in the case.

He also stated he was injecting methamphetamine during the pursuit, prosecutors allege.

Jones, whose current residence is described by police as “transient”, is being held on $50,000 bail in the Thurston County Jail.

Bradsbery, also 20, is being held on charges of second-degree murder and other related offenses. His bail is set at $250,000. Police say he lives in Olympia.

The pair were arrested March 11 after the wreck.

Detectives from Olympia had been checking around Lewis County since they learned of the homicide the Friday before, according to Olympia police.

One witness lives in Lewis County, the pair had contacts in Centralia and Chehalis, and Jones’ parents live in south Lewis County, according to Olympia Police Department Lt. Jim Costa.

They had gotten information Bradsbery was in the Winlock area earlier that day and asked police there to help find them. Jones grew up in the Winlock area, according to Winlock Police Chief Terry Williams.

According to charging documents, the two were among several individuals at an apartment on Lilly Road in Olympia on the evening of March 8.

The woman who lives in the apartment contacted police early the following day and told of fleeing her home after she saw Bradsbery assault the victim from behind, charging papers state.

The woman, Ajalene Wilson, said she then contacted several other “associates” who had been inside moments before the murder, according to prosecutors.

When Jones was interviewed, he reportedly told police he went inside because he was going to lock the door and keep people out, but instead he supervised the attempted cleanup of the crime scene.

He said he watched, provided direction to others and “masterminded” the cleanup because he was the smartest one, according to prosecutors.

The man police found dead when they went to the apartment is identified as 29-year-old Nathaniel Ollis, an active duty soldier at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He is from Maine and died from multiple stab and slash wounds, according to the Thurston County Coroner.

Charging documents in the case don’t indicate a motive.

Both Bradsbery and Jones reportedly admitted stealing the car from a female friend in Olympia.

Jones is charged with first-degree rendering criminal assistance and tampering with evidence.

Both men are charged with car theft, attempting to elude and related crimes.

They are scheduled to appear next in Thurston County Superior Court on April 9.

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Read “Read about police chase through Lewis County …” from Sunday March 11, 2012 at 6:48 p.m., here

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – Centralia City Council member Bill Bates didn’t show up at court today as expected, but his lawyer came in his place, asking for a different judge and prosecutor in his client’s cat shooting case.

"Susie"

Bates, 60, is charged with killing his neighbor’s pet with a pellet gun. Bates, who is also pastor of a downtown church, has said it was an accident, he was only trying to run it out of his yard.

Centralia attorney Peter Abbarno asked a judge in Centralia Municipal Court this morning to move the case to Lewis County District Court.

“It would be a conflict, almost like prosecuting your own boss,” Abbarno said after the brief hearing. “So I think everyone in the court felt uncomfortable with that.”

The city council is responsible for hiring the city’s judge and prosecuting attorney, Abbarno said.

A substitute judge, Paul Strophy, approved the request.

Bates had been scheduled to make his plea this morning.

The Pannette family called police in late February, after Bates came knocking on their door on Ham Hill Road and confessed what he’d done. He offered to buy them a new cat.

He was subsequently charged – after a review by the city’s prosecutor – with unlawful use of an air gun and killing a pet.

Both are gross misdemeanors, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine.

The incident has sparked outrage among both those who feel it was justified because the animal was on Bates’ property being a nuisance and those believe one shouldn’t use lethal force on other people’s pets.

Dusty Pannette and her family were devastated by the loss of “Susie” who had safely roamed for all 10 years of his life on Ham Hill. They were particularly stunned as Bates had not complained to them their cat was bothering him.

Centralia has no leash law for cats.

The case will be moved to Lewis County District Court, in Chehalis and Bates will appear before a judge there on April 4, according to Abbarno.

The attorney emphasized to news reporters he thought it was an unfortunate accident.

“He didn’t try to hide this, he has no criminal history, it’s not in his nature,” Abbarno said.

Bates is serving his fourth year on the city council and is minister at Destiny Christian Center, an Assemblies of God Church, on North Tower Avenue.

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For background, read:

• “Minister, city council member shoots neighbor cat dead with pellet gun” from Thursday March 1, 2012, here

• “Centralia city council member charged for killing neighbor cat” from Tuesday March 6, 2012, here