Boat spills 2 into Strait of Juan de Fuca
PORT ANGELES –Two men were treated for possible hypothermia and released from Olympic Medical Center after their boat capsized in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Thursday.
Their 19-foot aluminum fishing boat capsized at about 10:30 a.m. when several waves rose over the bow and filled the boat with water near the mouth of the Lyre River, said Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Jef Boyd.
The two men — Elwood E. Mellis, 71, of Grapeview, and David R. Selbig, 68, of Port Orchard — were picked up by friends who were in another boat nearby, he said.
Boyd said the men were both in the water for about 15 to 20 minutes.
PA luring suspect
PORT ANGELES — The arraignment of Donald A. Halkett, a Port Angeles man accused of attempting to lure boys from a birthday party at Lincoln Park on June 7, was delayed Thursday because his mental evaluation is not complete.
Halkett, 68, is now scheduled to be arraigned in Clallam County Superior Court at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
He is charged with luring, a Class C felony, and remains in custody at the Clallam County jail on 30,000 bail.
According to a police statement, parents of children at the birthday party said Halkett approached several children and attempted to entice them away from the party to see magic tricks.
Halkett denied the claims, police said, then said that he talked to three boys.
He said he asked them for a high five before a man asked him to leave, the police statement said.
Stolen cedar log
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — A 700-pound cedar log stolen from the annual Loggerodeo chain saw carving contest in Sedro-Woolley has organizers stumped.
Police Chief Doug Wood said it’s a mystery who took the 8-foot long log and why. He doesn’t have any witnesses or leads.
The log, worth about $500 intact, disappeared from a downtown parking lot Sunday night or Monday morning.
Contest organizer JB Bryson thinks whoever took it had experience with logs and likely cut it into three pieces for the getaway.
A local businessman said he’ll review surveillance tape of the area to try to nab the culprit.
Meanwhile, Bryson said he found two lower-quality replacement logs for the competition.
Feces in backpack
YAKIMA — A kindergarten teacher who sent a 5-year-old student home with a bag of feces tucked in his backpack has been formally reprimanded.
A West Valley School District official warned teacher Sue Graham in a letter that similar behavior in the future will result in disciplinary action, including termination.
The May letter was released Thursday in response to a public disclosure request from KIMA-TV.
The district had previously said “appropriate action” was taken against the longtime teacher.
The boy’s father had said his son arrived home in April with the plastic bag of feces and a sticky note that read, “This little turd was found on the floor in my room.”
The boy was moved out of Graham’s classroom after the incident.
Peninsula Daily News and The Associated Press
