On 10/19/18 at approximately 12:53pm, Pacific County 911 received a call from an unknown male. The male caller made a bomb threat to the Pacific County Courthouse. The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate and is seeking help from the public in identifying the caller. Please listen to the 911 audio below. If you have any information, please call the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 360-875-2TIP (2847) or 360-642-2TIP (2847). 

National Correctional Officers and Employees Week was first proclaimed
on May 5, 1984, by President Ronald Reagan when he signed Proclamation 5187,
creating National Correctional Officers Week to recognize the men and women who
work in jails, prisons and community corrections across the county.
 
National Correctional Officers and Employees Week became the official
name of the first full week in May when in 1986 the U.S. Senate officially changed the
name.
 
National Correctional Officers and Employees Week has been designated
as the week of May 7-13, 2018, by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau
of Prisons.
 
National Correctional Officers and Employees Week honors the work of
correctional officers and correctional personnel for their service with honor, respect and
integrity.
 
National Correctional Officers and Employees Week raises awareness of
the duties, hazards and sacrifices made by correctional workers.
 
Sheriff Scott Johnson stated, “I am very grateful for the role that our corrections officers play in safeguarding the citizens of Pacific County by providing safe, secure and humane incarceration of those within their custody. Sheriff Johnson added, “I want to thank and recognize our employees in the jail for the services that they provide on a daily basis 24 hours a day and seven days a week”.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7th, 2018
 
Writer/Contact: Pat Matlock, Chief Criminal Deputy
Pacific County Sheriff’s Office
(360) 875-9398 or pmatlock@co.pacific.wa.us
 
 
 
 
PACIFIC COUNTY, WASHINGTON—MAY7th , 2018—Pacific County was selected as one of seven Stepping Up Innovator Counties in the United States for its expertise in collecting data and using it to improve systems of care for individuals with mental illness in the Pacific County Jail.
 
Millions of times each year, people who have mental illnesses are booked into jail across the country. The number of people who have mental illnesses in jail is three to six times higher than that of the general public, and housing people with mental health needs in county jails strains local budgets. However, many counties face challenges in counting how many people in their jail have a mental illness, making it difficult for county leaders to track progress and to develop a comprehensive plan to address the problem.
 
As an Innovator County, Pacific County’s efforts will be highlighted as part of a new push from Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails.  Pacific County will help other counties throughout the nation, improve their data collection efforts by participating in training sessions, taking part in presentations, and sharing information and their experiences through the Stepping Up website, among other activities. The seven initial Stepping up Innovator Counties are: Calaveras County, CA; Miami-Dade County, FL; Champaign County, IL; Douglas County, KS; Johnson County, KS, Franklin County, OH; and Pacific County, WA.
 
Sheriff Scott Johnson stated, “I am proud of the hard work put forth by core team members Chief Criminal Deputy Pat Matlock, Justice Mental Health Collaboration Program Coordinator Rosanne McPhail and Pacific County Health and Human Services Deputy Director Katie Lindstrom. The three teamed up over two years ago to launch an effort that’s beginning to transform Pacific County in profound ways. Stepping Up is a national effort to transform the way we deal with people with mental illness and substance use disorders in the justice system and specifically in our jail but its’ impacts are even more far-reaching
 
Stepping Up was launched in May 2015 by The Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. Since that time, more than 425 counties—including Pacific County—in 43 states, representing 40 percent of the U.S. population, have committed to the Stepping Up goal.
 
Pacific County joined Stepping Up in 2015 and has taken significant steps toward reducing the number of people who have mental illnesses in their jail, including establishing a jail based substance use treatment program, developing a mental health diversion program, and hiring a jail based case manager who coordinates service referrals and assists inmates with re-entry planning upon release.  

In addition to new programming, the initiative has also strengthened collaboration among local criminal justice and behavioral health providers.  According to Matlock, “Regular communication and joint planning has resulted in a more effective and efficient use of public resources when dealing with individuals with mental health disorders.  The work benefits both the individuals with mental illness by providing avenues to get appropriate help in lieu of incarceration, and also results in a more prudent use of our limited criminal justice resources, namely, the Pacific County Jail.  We’ve made great progress in just a short time, yet our work has just begun. The tremendous level of buy-in among partners and stakeholders encourages us greatly. And, it’s been both validating and sad to hear from people who are aware of this work and tell us how much it is needed”. Sheriff Johnson added, “We have heard too many stories of families, careers and lives shattered by mental illness and addiction. Sometimes it’s a co-worker, sometimes it’s a neighbor, sometimes it’s a family member. Families and communities everywhere have suffered far too long.  It’s up to us as citizens to step up and finally end the cycle of damage and begin to heal”.
 
 
 
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ABOUT THE STEPPING UP INITIATIVE
Stepping Up is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. The initiative—a collaboration between The Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation—asks communities to come together to develop an action plan that can be used to achieve a measurable impact in local criminal justice systems of all sizes across the country. For more information visit https://stepuptogether.org.
 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2018
 
Writer/Contact: Pat Matlock, Chief Criminal Deputy
Pacific County Sheriff’s Office
(360) 875-9398 or pmatlock@co.pacific.wa.us
 
 
 
Two Naselle Youth Camp Inmates Captured After Escaping a Work Crew Vehicle  
 
Raymond, WA. – This morning at approximately 8:56 am, the Pacific County Communications Center received a call from a Department of Natural Resources employee explaining that two of his inmate workers had escaped from the work crew vehicle as the vehicle stopped at the intersection of State Route 101 and Fowler Street. The inmate workers were residents of the Naselle Youth Camp.

Clothing and physical descriptions of the male inmate escapees were provided to the responding law enforcement agencies. The Raymond Police Department requested mutual aid assistance and coordinated the search effort.  Several officers responded to the area to set up containment in order to search for the escapees. Officers also notified residents in the area as they searched.

At about 9:39 am, a residence in the 500 block of Barnhart Street reported that she saw the two escapees take off their Youth Camp issued red shirts and flee. The caller provided a direction of travel that the escapees took. Shortly after, Deputy Jesse Eastham spotted the escapees and chased them on foot into a dense and brushy area near Barnhart Street. At about 9:45 am, the two escapees were tracked down by Deputy Eastham and apprehended. The two escapees were transported to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office and turned over to the Naselle Youth Camp authorities.

“The swift capture of the two escapees was a direct result of the mutual aid provided by the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, the South Bend Police Department and the Washington State Patrol”.” I am very thankful for the quick response of the agencies that assisted as well as the keen eyes of our citizens that aided in this capture,” stated Raymond Police Chief Chuck Spoor.

Sincer M. Nerton was taken into custody in Coos County Oregon. Both suspects in home invasion robbery now in custody.

Naselle, WA. – On December 4th, Pacific County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of possible sexual offense that had occurred at a residence located in the 200 block of Upper Naselle road. Upon arriving at the residence, deputies spoke with the reporting party, an adult female. She explained to deputies that a man had knocked on the door to her residence and identified himself by name. She told the deputies that she recognized the man from previous contacts. The man asked if he could use an electrical outlet to charge his cellular phone and she allowed him into her residence.

Once inside, the man plugged in his phone to charge and then asked to use her bathroom. The reporting party advised deputies that the man was in her bathroom for about a half of an hour and then he came out and sat on a chair in her living room. The reporting party stated that she was sitting on a couch next to the chair speaking with the man while he was looking at his phone. The reporting party stated that the man then suddenly exposed his penis from his pants and began to masturbate in front of her. The reporting party then told the man to leave her residence and she immediately called 911. After the man left the residence, the reporting party checked her bathroom and found that a bottle of lotion had been accessed and some of the lotion was on the floor. The reporting party stated that the man appeared to have been on foot with no vehicle.

The responding deputies checked the area extensively for the man as the reporting party had provided a detailed description and name of the suspect. The suspect was identified as Andrew A. Doan age 42, of the Naselle area.  As deputies continued to investigate the incident and the possible whereabouts of Doan, they learned that Doan had also attempted to contact and gain entry to at least three other homes in the same neighborhood prior to this incident. Deputies learned that Doan contacted another residence in the 200 block of Upper Naselle road and asked to use the phone. The adult female at that residence allowed Doan to use her phone outside on the front porch and didn’t allow him into the residence. Doan had told that person that his vehicle was broke down nearby.

Deputies learned that Doan then went to yet another residence in the 200 block of Upper Naselle road and opened the back door of that residence and started to enter. The home owner, an adult female, was alerted to the incident by her dog barking. She saw that Doan had opened her door and had his head and one leg inside the threshold of the door looking around. The home owner confronted Doan who identified himself to her as “Drew”. She stated that Doan told her that his vehicle was broken down nearby and he requested to use her phone and to charge his cellular phone. She told him that she couldn’t help him. She shut her door and assumed that Doan had left. She explained that she was getting her belongings together as she was getting ready to leave the residence. She stated that she turned and entered her kitchen to find that Doan had entered her residence without permission through another door. She then backed Doan out of her residence and told him again to leave.

Deputies also learned that Doan went to another residence in the 200 block of Upper Naselle road, presumably before he contacted the other residences. They contacted that residence and learned from the female reporting party that Doan had come to her front door requesting that she give him a ride to the location of his broken down vehicle. This reporting party stated that she knew who Doan was from previous contacts but told him that she couldn’t help him. She didn’t allow Doan into her residence.
Deputies continued to investigate the incidents and followed leads in an attempt to locate Doan. On December 7th, a deputy who was off duty received a tip from a concerned citizen who had heard about the investigation. That tip led the deputy to a residence located in the 600 block of state route 101 in the Chinook area. The deputy, with assistance from officers with the Long Beach Police Department was able to place Doan under arrest.

Doan was transported to the Pacific County Jail and is being held on charges of Residential Burglary with Sexual Motivation and Criminal Trespassing in the First Degree.
 
 

On August 23rd, the Pacific County Sheriff's Office welcomed back Deputy Nick Zimmerman to our patrol division after graduating from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission's Basic Law Enforcement Academy. Deputy Zimmerman completed over 720 hours of very challenging law enforcement training to become certified as a peace officer in our state. Deputy Zimmerman is currently paired with a field training officer and is excited to be protecting and serving the citizens of Pacific County.

(Pictured left to right: Sheriff Scott Johnson, Deputy Zimmerman and Undersheriff Ron Clark)

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.