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News / Clark County News

Morning Press: 2014, Humane Society, Woodland, IVF, porn

The Columbian

Published: December 28, 2014, 4:00pm

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On this last Monday of 2014, catch up on some weekend stories.

Forecasters predict the year will go out like a lion. Details are online here.

Look back at the top stories of 2014

News can happen in a couple of heartbeats. Other stories take years to play out.

Our story of the year links 19th century governance and 21st century politics.

While its impact has yet to be felt, the Clark County charter topped The Columbian’s annual survey.

Newsroom staff members were asked to pick 10 stories from a list of 25 candidates, then select their No. 1 story. Thirty-five ballots were submitted; the charter was on 29 ballots, and it was the top pick on 10 ballots, resulting in 59 points.

Coverage of oil and coal shipments was on 30 ballots, and drew seven No. 1 votes for 51 points.

The Columbia River Crossing — the top story in 2013 and 2012 — made what should be its final appearance for a while at No. 5.

What was No. 1? The Clark County charter

Ratified in 1889, the state constitution spells out how county governments operate.

A 1948 constitutional amendment gave counties the option of changing that template, but voters in Clark County never saw fit to mess with anything until this year, when in November they approved a significant revamping of government by passing a home rule charter written by 15 elected freeholders.

Former charter attempts failed in 1982, 1987 and 2002.

The November ballot measure passed with 53 percent.

Read the complete story here.

Life is looking up at Humane Society shelter

Fewer strays come into the Humane Society for Southwest Washington these days, while more of its available pets get adopted.

The shelter’s shrinking animal intake reflects a regional decline in stray cats that’s attributed to low-cost spay-and-neuter programs in the metro area. Years ago, the shelter received 2,000 to 3,000 kittens during the summer, said Lisa Feder, vice president of shelter operations. Now it’s fewer than 1,000.

In general, more people are aware that cats need to be fixed, she said.

Also, fewer pet owners are surrendering their cats to the shelter. Dog intake, however, increased slightly this year due to the shelter’s transfer program. Most of the dogs come from shelters with high euthanasia rates, locally or in California.

“We’re seeing about the same number of stray dogs,” Feder said.

Today, 88 percent of the animals that come into the Humane Society leave the shelter alive. That figure counts lost animals reclaimed by their owners, or animals transferred to rescue groups or other shelters. Those that are euthanized have severe issues, either medical or behavioral.

“We aren’t the same organization that we were even a few years ago,” said shelter president Stacey Graham. “It’s a great time to be part of animal welfare, I think.”

Now, they’re taking in animals they wouldn’t have previously, such as cats with feline immunodeficiency virus, a cat version of HIV.

Just eight years ago, the majority of animals that came into the shelter were euthanized. That’s before the shelter moved from its former spot in west Vancouver to its current location on Northeast 192nd Avenue in east Vancouver.

The newer facility came with its own bells and whistles, such as improved ventilation, additional kennel space and room for community events.

“It’s much more healthy for the animals,” Feder said.

Read the complete story here.

Woodland police chief worked way up from school hallways

WOODLAND — Police Chief Phil Crochet seemed to be a different man 29 years ago. With a pierced ear and permed hair grown past his shoulders, he strolled into high school every day just looking to score some drugs. Methamphetamines, cocaine, LSD, marijuana — in 1985, he bought it all.

That year, Crochet enrolled at Waco High School, in Texas, as the school’s first undercover narcotics agent posing as a student. After a brief training period, the Waco Police Department threw the young-looking Crochet into his first law enforcement job, living out a real-life “21 Jump Street” scenario.

“There really wasn’t a lot about how to be undercover, how to keep your cover and how to stay safe,” said Crochet, now 49. “So, I was kind of just flying by the seat of my pants most of the time.”

It’s an experience few police can say they’ve had.

“It was almost surreal being in school again,” he said. “But I was constantly reminded that I’ve got a job to do, and we really made some cases on some bad guys.”

Crochet was only 20 years old at the time, and the Waco school district had just consolidated three high schools into one, a convenient opportunity to blend in as an unfamiliar face on a campus with a serious drug problem.

This month, Crochet moved his longtime law enforcement career from Texas to the Northwest for his first chance to lead a police department. Over the decades, Crochet’s career has placed him in a range of roles, from working in a street response unit and patrol assignments targeting organized crime to doing training and community outreach.

And yes, you may have seen him on TV.

Just last month, he appeared on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” in a segment highlighting a training program with the Austin Police Department that teaches officers how to peacefully approach aggressive dogs instead of shooting them.

Read the complete story here.

Couple’s pursuit of parenthood leads to extraordinary efforts

Kevin and Mindy O’Neil had their first pregnancy all planned out.

They were both 26 years old and had been married for a few years. They were healthy and active and ate healthful foods. Mindy was working as a teacher; Kevin, a Portland firefighter.

The Washougal couple planned the pregnancy so that Mindy would have the baby once school was released for the summer.

“And that just kind of never happened,” Mindy said.

Instead, the O’Neils learned creating a family would require a third person — a fertility doctor.

In the four years since deciding to start a family, the O’Neils have experienced two rounds of in vitro fertilization that resulted in the birth of their son, Killian, and three miscarriages. They’ve drained their savings account, twice, and recently held a fundraiser to cover the cost of their third round of IVF.

They have no guarantee they’ll conceive again, but they plan to do whatever they can to give Killian a sibling.

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“This isn’t the road we saw ourselves going down,” said Mindy, 30. “But at some point, you have to accept it and keep trucking.”

“Sometimes sperm and eggs just don’t match,” said Kevin, 29. “It’s like a square peg in a round hole.”

The O’Neils decided in May 2012 to use the money they had saved to tour Italy to try in vitro fertilization. IVF is the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a petri dish and then transferring the embryo to the uterus.

The process came with a $20,000 price tag, but it was successful on the first try. Killian O’Neil was born in March 2013.

Read the complete story here.

Substitute teacher, Boy Scout leader accused of having child porn

A Boy Scouts leader who works as a substitute teacher for Evergreen Public Schools is accused of possessing child pornography.

Darrel James Dwight, 52, of Vancouver appeared in Clark County Superior Court Friday on suspicion of 10 counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also faces federal charges for ordering child pornography from a Canadian company and having it shipped to the United States, according to court papers.

Judge Robert Lewis held Dwight in the Clark County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Jeff Staples to defend him. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Jan. 8.

Vancouver police Officer Tom Topaum wrote that much of the content involved boys between the ages of 8 and 12, Topaum wrote.

He indicated that Dwight has served as a director for Stephenson Children Care Association Inc. and currently works for Evergreen Public Schools as a substitute teacher for grades K-8. Dwight indicated in a supervised release form that he has worked for the school district for five years. However, Topaum stated that Dwight has worked full time for the school district for 10 years. Officials with Evergreen Public Schools were unavailable Friday to confirm his length of employment because offices were closed for the holiday.

Dwight also serves as treasurer for Boy Scouts Troop 316, which meets in Hazel Dell.

Read the complete story here.

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