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PENINSULA DAILY NEWS April 6, 2016 | 75¢
Port Townsend-Jefferson County’s Daily Newspaper
Pistol threat alleged in PT
Gardening under gray skies
Police: Actions were murder try BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Melissa Finney of uptown Port Townsend tends to her plants despite overcast skies Tuesday. The weather is expected to warm up this week with a forecast in the 60s for Thursday and Friday. For a complete forecast, see Page B10.
Autopsy: Native carver died of blunt force trauma to head Examination rules that death in PA was a homicide BY PAUL GOTTLIEB
ner, said Tuesday. “The certifying physician will add his name to that document.” Employees of the building that contained an apartment where David was staying at 1111 E. Columbia St. found the Nuu-chah-nulth carver’s body at about 12:45 p.m. March 28, authorities said.
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PORT ANGELES — Acclaimed Native American carver and instructor George Cecil David of Neah Bay died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to the preliminary results of an autopsy that ruled his death a homicide. “That’s the finding of the physician thus far,” Mark Nichols, Clallam County prosecuting attorney and ex officio coro-
‘Murder suspect’ “We still have a murder suspect on the loose,” Detective Sgt. Tyler Peninger said Tuesday afternoon. Services for David are at noon Friday at Neah Bay Assembly of God, 220 Third St. Burial will follow at the Neah Bay Cemetery.
Police served a search warrant March 29 on the apartment where David, 65, was staying. They removed for further examination a couch, a portion of carpeting, blood swabs, DNA samples David and clothing, according to the warrant. David, a Port Alberni, B.C., native, arrived in Port Angeles on March 25 while on his way to a memorial service on Vancouver Island, his nephew Wade Greene of Neah Bay said Tuesday. TURN
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PORT TOWNSEND — A 70-year-old Port Townsend man remained in the Jefferson County jail Tuesday on $750,000 bond after allegedly threatening a 38-year-old woman with a gun Monday evening. James D. Richards is scheduled to be arraigned on one count of first-degree attempted murder Friday. He made his first appearance in court Tuesday when Superior Court Judge Keith Harper set the bond. If tried and found guilty, Richards would face up to life in prison and/or a $50,000 fine.
9-1-1 call A Port Townsend woman called 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers at 7:06 p.m. Monday saying Richards had a gun and was trying to get into her apartment, according to the probable-cause statement written by Detective Jason Greenspane of the Port Townsend Police Department. Police did not identify the woman. She would not allow officers into her apartment until she saw them through the peephole and removed items she had placed against the door as a barricade, the statement said.
‘Crying,’ ‘hysterical’ The woman “was crying and hysterical . . . and it was difficult to calm her down enough to get what transpired from her,” Greenspane said. She told police she was walking to her apartment and heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Richards holding a handgun and pointing it at her as if he were ready to fire. It was “clear from the tone of the conversation that [she] was terrified that Richards was going to shoot and kill her,” Greenspane said in his statement.
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Port Townsend deer count chalks up 230 60 took part in 30-minute census BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT TOWNSEND — Volunteers counted 230 deer within the Port Townsend city limits during a half-hour census of the population. About 60 people participated in the count that began at 7 a.m. Saturday, with 13 areas designated and divided for each group. “People had a blast, a really good time,” said organizer Sue Long. “We wanted to have a diverse group who ended up getting to know their neighbors and connecting with people they hadn’t
met before.” With years of uncertainty about the size of the city’s deer population, which is perceived as unusually large, Long began the project to satisfy public curiosity. She does not expect the data to be used in any substantiative way, saying it means “absolutely nothing,” but could be valuable if there were health concerns. The census did not cover the entire city. The area was west of a line between Sheridan Street at the south and Gise Street in North Beach. Each group walked about a
mile and a half to cover all sides of their assigned areas. Volunteers were to note each deer, recording size, direction and gender when detectable. Upon comparing the maps, some deer were determined to have been counted twice and the total was adjusted, Long said.
Fort Worden Fort Worden State Park, with 37 deer, was the area with the largest count, Long said. Other areas determined to have a high number of deer were usually places where people feed CHARLIE BERMANT/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS them regularly or where salt licks Three of the estimated 230 deer living in Port Townsend are located, she said.
take a rest Tuesday afternoon. About 60 volunteers
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DEER/A6 helped conduct a deer census Saturday.
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