FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2017
 
Writer/Contact: Pat Matlock, Chief Criminal Deputy
Pacific County Sheriff’s Office
(360) 875-9398 or pmatlock@co.pacific.wa.us
 
 
 
Ocean Park Man Arrested For Possession of Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
 
 
                                  
Ocean Park, WA. – In late December of 2016, the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding an online child pornography sharing investigation that appeared to involve an IP address registered to an Ocean Park residence. The FBI investigation revealed several images and videos depicting adult males having sexual intercourse with young females. Subsequently, the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the FBI, opened an investigation regarding the information received.
 
On January 11th, 2017 a detective with the Sheriff’s Office received a search warrant for the residence at which the IP address was registered located in the 29000 block of R. Street in Ocean Park. The warrant was served upon the residence with the assistance of the FBI. During the service of the warrant, three occupants of the residence were interviewed. As a result of the interviews and information gathered at the scene, a suspect was developed. A computer was seized as evidence by the FBI for further forensic analysis.
 
On June 13th, 2017 the FBI provided the Sheriff’s Office with evidence located on the suspect’s computer that had been seized initially. The evidence extracted from the suspect’s computer consisted of a CD/DVD containing several images depicting adult males who appeared to be engaging in intercourse with female minors. The CD also contained hundreds of other images that were classified as child pornography.
 
A Sheriff’s Office detective and a special agent with the FBI contacted the suspect, identified as Joshua S. Brown, age 19 at his residence.  After a short interview, Brown was placed under arrest and transported to the Pacific County Jail for booking.
 
 
 

The Pacific County Sheriff's Office would like to again remind beach visitors that the ocean, while beautiful to view, is not a safe place to swim. The tides, currents, undertow, sneaker waves and water temperature are all dangerous hazards. Summer is upon us and the ocean seems very inviting. Please don't put yourself in a hazardous situation.

Rip currents are the most hazardous beach condition a swimmer can face. Not only on beaches, but anywhere there are breaking waves. S...everal people drown in rip currents every year.

The real danger with rip currents is not that you're getting pulled away from shore, but how you react. Most swimmers will panic and try to swim against the current. They will tire quickly and soon go under. Please read the warning signs on the beach access roads carefully and refrain from swimming in the ocean. Even the strongest and most trained swimmers could face these dangers. Listed below is a link for more information regarding potentially hazardous ocean conditions.

http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/overview.shtml

North Cove, WA. – On June 11th at approximately 6:53 pm, the Pacific County Communications Center received a 911 call regarding a swimmer in distress in the ocean off of Washaway Beach. The caller advised that the area of the incident was near Willows Lane. A deputy was in the area of the reported incident and arrived just minutes later. The United States Coast Guard was also notified and they deployed a rescue vessel and a helicopter. Washington State Parks Officers also responded to the scene.
 
Upon arriving, the deputy visually observed the distressed swimmer in the ocean approximately 150 yards away. The deputy spoke with friends of the swimmer in distress and they advised that they had all went for a swim in the ocean. They advised the deputy that they struggled to get back to shore but their friend in distress was too far out and was unable to make it back, possibly due to rip currents. The friends told the deputy that they had tried to help him but were unsuccessful. The deputy maintained a visual observation of the distressed swimmer for approximately 20 minutes before witnessing the swimmer go out of sight under the water.
 
The Coast Guard vessel and helicopter arrived at approximately 7:40 pm and began to search for the swimmer. The deputy was in radio contact with the helicopter and was advised that the helicopter crew had a visual on the swimmer and he appeared to be unresponsive and under water. The rescue vessel attempted to recover the swimmer but was unsuccessful due to the ocean tide and currents as they swept the swimmer further beneath the ocean.  The recovery search of the victim continued till 9:52 pm. Due to lighting conditions, the recovery search was discontinued.
 
The distressed swimmer, identified as Connor K. Le, age 20, is presumed as having drowned. Le was in the area with his friends at a vacation cabin for the weekend near the location of the incident. Le’s body has not yet been recovered. Mr. Le’s family has been notified of the incident.

The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a High Wind Warning, which will be in effect from 8:00 a.m. Friday morning, until 5:00 p.m. Friday evening, on the Washington coast, and 8:00 p.m. in the Willapa Hills. South winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts to 70 mph are forecast for the coast. The Willapa Hills may see winds of 30-40 mph with gusts to 60 mph. Winds will increase Friday morning into the afternoon. The winds may be strong enough to damage trees and cause power interruptions.
 
Precautionary/Preparedness Actions:
 
A high wind warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Headland areas and beaches are vulnerable to very strong wind gusts that may pose a safety hazard for individuals.  Extreme caution should be taken anyone using the beaches. Never turn your back to the ocean. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. Trees may fall across roadways with little warning.
 
Please visit the NWS website at http://www.weather.gov/portland for the most up to date weather information. This page brings up all advisories, watches, and warnings for the Southwest Washington area.
 

South Bend, Washington – The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency (PCEMA) is offering a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training course in Raymond. Training is scheduled as follows:
 
Thursday, May 4, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, May 5, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 6, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 7, 2017 - 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The course will be held at the Grays Harbor College Riverview Center 600 Washington Avenue in Raymond. Pre-registration is required and is limited to 24 participants.
​
The CERT program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors, and your neighborhood in an emergency situation. CERT members receive 29 hours of initial training provided free of charge. The course is taught with classroom instruction for the first three days and practical exercises during the last day. Participants under the age of 18 must have parent/guardian permission to attend.
 
To register or for more information, contact Jeffrey Davis at (360) 875-9300 extension 2548 or email AmeriCorps@co.pacific.wa.us.  

​South Bend, Washington –  On April 12, 2017 the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency and the Washington Emergency Management Division will be conducting an Earthquake and Tsunami Roadshow. The presentations include earthquake and tsunami risk, actions you can take to be prepared (including tsunami evacuation planning), and information about whole community notifications. Interpretation services will be available for residents who speak Spanish.
 
Presenters will include, Dr. Brian Atwater from the USGS, Ted Buehner, from the National Weather Service, Tim Walsh, Assistant State Geologist, Washington DNR, Corina Forson, Chief Hazard Geologist, Washington DNR, and Maximilian Dixon, Earthquake/Tsunami Program Manager, WA EMD.
 
There will be two opportunities to attend the roadshow. The first will be in Ilwaco, at the Ilwaco Community Center, 158 1st Ave North (US 101), Ilwaco, WA 98624. That event will begin at 1:30 p.m. and last until 3:30 p.m. The second event will be held at Peninsula Senior Center, 21603 Pacific Way, Ocean Park, WA 98640 from 6pm-8:30pm. This should be a fun and interactive event. We encourage everyone to attend! For additional information please contact AmeriCorps Service Member Jeffrey Davis at AmeriCorps@co.pacific.wa.us or at (360)642 or 875-9300 extension 2548.
 

Why was a boom to capture oil never placed around the vessel?
The current in the area where the Hero sank moves quite fast, and reverses flow as the tide changes. Diesel is very thin and difficult to recover with a boom. In this instance, the boom would have interfered with navigation, would have needed constant monitoring, and still would have been ineffective as the oil would have gone under, over, and through the boom.
 
Why does it appear nothing is being done?
This could not be further from the truth. The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency notified the State Emergency Operations Officer about the sinking as soon as it happened. The State Emergency Operations Officer notified all appropriate agencies including the United States Coast Guard and the Washington State Department of Ecology and Department of Natural Resources. Since that time, PCEMA, DOE, and the USCG have been visiting the scene daily. The United States Coast Guard opened their Oil Pollution fund and hired a contractor, Global Diving and Salvage, to mitigate the pollution. Crews successfully removed all accessible petroleum product from the vessel earlier this week, but significant hazards and the inability to safely position divers to access tanks that are underwater has hindered a full accounting of the hazardous material. A full accounting will not be possible until the salvage and recovery operations begin. The Department of Natural Resources is currently evaluating removal options and working to identify possible funding for the operation.
 
Activity at the scene is driven by tidal conditions. In addition to the oil recovery operations an investigation is taking place to determine ownership of the boat and to determine what enforcement actions are appropriate.
 
Why hasn’t the ship been refloated or removed?
The ship is too damaged to refloat. The costs for removal of the ship are anticipated to approach $1 million. The authority having jurisdiction in terms of removing the ship is the Department of Natural Resources. They do not have the money in their budget to cover this $1 million expense. The DOE, USCG and DNR are working to develop a plan both to remove the vessel and to fund the removal of the vessel. A funding request has been submitted to the Washington State Legislature
 
 
How long will the sheen continue?
The number 1 priority surrounding all work being done around the ship is personnel safety. One tank cannot be safely accessed, however, evidence indicates there is minimal to no oil in the tank. There is still a steady rainbow sheen coming off of the vessel and a palpable odor of diesel in the air. Testing done yesterday confirms that the product causing the sheen is indeed diesel. DOE and the USCG believe that there is only residual diesel left on the vessel. However, they also indicated that the vessel will continue to sheen as long as it remains in the water. They do believe that over the next several days the sheening will reduce significantly.