THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015
NORTH COAST
3A
Criminal case closed in Astoria crash turned fatal
Melissa Yowell
died Jan. 20 in
the hospital
By KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
Astoria Police recently
closed its criminal investigation
into a January crash that turned
fatal.
Police cited Robert Carroll,
43, Milwaukie, for failure to
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ter he failed to stop at a red light
and collided with a 2011 Kia
Soul, driven by Melissa Yowell
of Astoria.
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lumbia Memorial Hospital the
same day of the crash, Jan. 20.
Carroll faces no other
charges.
“He did cause a crash, but
there is no indication his activity
was reckless or criminal in caus-
ing her death,” Astoria Police
Chief Brad Johnston said.
Carroll, who was driving
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nally cited and released at the
scene of the crash, which was
the intersection of West Marine
Drive and Portway Street in
Astoria.
However, Johnston said, the
citation was voided shortly after
to avoid a theoretical legal bar-
rier.
Had Carroll pleaded
guilty to the traffic viola-
tion, no further prosecution
‘The result of the
autopsy is quite
incriminating, but not for
the person driving the car.’
— Joann Guiliani
Clatsop County medical examiner
Astoria Police decided to cite
Carroll for the original charge of
Melissa Yowell
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device. No other charges were
would have been possible.
added.
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Yowell, who was driving
Yowell passed away we moved home from a bridge game at
to dismiss that citation to pre- 4:26 p.m., attempted to turn left
serve all options in charging,” onto West Marine Drive, when
Johnston said.
she was struck by the Ford
Upon further investigation, )
Another whooping cough case in Ilwaco
By KATIE WILSON
EO Media Group
ILWACO, Wash. —
Health officials confirmed
another case of pertussis, or
whooping cough, at Ilwaco
High School in late March.
That brings the official
count to two cases, but there
were likely many people
who were ill or treated but
never tested for pertussis,
said Mary Goelz, Pacific
County’s director of public
health and human services.
“I believe there were oth-
er people who probably had
it,” Goelz said. With two
confirmed cases at the high
school, the illness was cer-
tainly in the community, she
added.
The second case at IHS
was confirmed about a week
after an IHS teacher was
found to have pertussis. The
teacher had been potentially
contagious between Feb. 19
and March 12.
The community was told
that if anyone had been at
the school on or between
those dates, they should
contact their healthcare
provider and tell them of
a possible exposure if they
began to experience the
onset of the illness: severe
coughing spells, runny
nose, fever.
With the first case, ex-
posure was possible up un-
til April 2. With the second
case, that date has been
pushed farther into April.
“We still have a couple
weeks to go before we’re
feeling good,” Goelz said.
The second person had
been immunized. However,
immunization doesn’t pre-
vent someone from getting
sick, but it can keep them
from getting as sick as they
otherwise might. Pertussis
can be especially deadly
for young children and ba-
bies, causing pneumonia,
seizures, brain damage
and even death. No record
of immunization could be
found for the high school
teacher.
Nearly a dozen high
school students had to miss
school after the first case of
whooping cough was con-
firmed. These were students
who either had not been im-
munized or had no record
of immunization. Many of
them were later able to sup-
ply a record of immuniza-
tion and returned to school,
Tobin said.
For the rest, they could
choose to undergo a round
of antibiotics and obtain a
doctor’s note saying they are
symptom free, which would
return them to school in a
handful of days, or they’d
have to wait out the full ex-
posure period at home.
IHS Principal Dave To-
bin said Wednesday that all
the students who were im-
pacted by the first pertussis
case now are back in school.
He added the new case has
not resulted in additional
students being temporarily
excluded from classes due
to lack of immunization re-
cords.
Yowell was treated at the
scene by Medix Ambulance
Service and the Astoria Fire De-
partment and transported with
general complaints of pain and
nausea to Columbia Memorial
Hospital.
“At the time they cleared the
crash, nobody believed it was a
serious injury crash, much less
a fatal,” Johnston said at the
time. “She had been up moving
around and was alert. Then we
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had passed away at the hospi-
tal.”
The Daily Astorian request-
ed that the state medical exam-
iner release the results of Yow-
ell’s autopsy. That request was
denied. The newspaper is ap-
pealing that decision to the state
attorney general.
County Medical Examiner
Joann Guiliani said she agrees
with the police investigation,
concluding that Carroll should
not be charged with any crime
related to Yowell’s death.
“The result of the autopsy is
quite incriminating, but not for
the person driving the car,” she
said.
Man dies after crash
in Tillamook County
Oregon State Police
troopers are continuing to
TILLAMOOK — A investigate the single ve-
\HDUROG /LQFROQ &LW\ hicle crash.
resident died after a sin-
Early information sug-
gle-vehicle crash on U.S. gests Kyte was not wear-
Highway 101 in Tilla- ing a seatbelt, according
mook County Wednesday to OSP. Heavy rain and
morning.
speed are also being in-
David Kyte was driv- vestigated as additional
ing a silver Pontiac Sun- contributing factors in
fire northbound on U.S. this crash.
Highway 101 at about
OSP was assisted at
6 a.m. when the vehicle the scene by the Oregon
struck a guardrail and Department of Transpor-
rolled over on the road- tation, Nestucca Fire De-
ZD\ QHDU PLOHSRVW partment, Tillamook Po-
in Tillamook County, lice Department and the
according to the Oregon Tillamook County Medi-
State Police.
cal Examiners Office.
By The Daily Astorian
National Park Service launches new educational website
By The Daily Astorian
The National Park Ser-
vice and the National Park
Foundation launched a new
educational website, www.
FindYourPark.com.
The
website is a public aware-
ness and education cam-
paign celebrating the centen-
nial anniversary of the NPS
next year.
The online campaign
highlights historical, ur-
ban, and cultural parks, as
well as the National Park
Service programs that pro-
tect, preserve and share na-
ture, culture, and history in
communities nationwide,
Master Gardeners offer
free soil testing Saturday
WARRENTON — Clat-
sop County Master Garden-
ers are conducting a free
Ph Test Soil Clinic from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at
Home Depot in Warrenton.
Bring one cup of garden soil
placed into a clean glass jar
with lid, or double bagged
in a ziplock plastic bag, for
analysis. Allow one hour for
the test.
Directions for obtaining
a proper soil sample can be
found at http://tinyurl.com/
chksoil
For information, call the
Oregon State University Ex-
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W A NTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A
Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500
according to the NPS.
“Find Your Park” is also the
theme for this year’s National
Park Week, April 18 to 26.
Entrance fees will be
waived April 18 and 19,
the opening weekend of
National Park Week, at all
National Park Service sites,
including Lewis and Clark
National Historical Park.
LCNHP Superintendent
Scott Tucker said there are
endless ways to “Find Your
Park.” Locally, the public
can visit Fort Clatsop, hike
a trail, come to a lecture, be-
come a Junior Ranger, kayak
or canoe on the Lewis and
Clark River, visit Middle
Village or the Salt Works or
have a picnic at Netul Land-
ing, Tucker said.
One opportunity at this
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Northwest Foraging present-
ed by lifetime Northwest for-
ager Dr. Douglas Deur at 1
p.m. Sunday, April 19 in the
Netul River Room of the Fort
Clatsop visitor center.
Deur, A research professor
at Portland State University
and specialist in American
Indian plant traditions, will
share some of his insights
and experiences, including
what to look for, when and
where to look, and how to
gather in a responsible way.
C elebra te w ith G ra ce
the
Joy of Easter
Easter Sunday
April 5th 8 am & 10 am
Grace Episcopal Church SINCE
1886
1545 FRANKLIN AVE., ASTORIA • 503-325-4691
F IRST L UTHERAN C HURCH
H O L Y W EEK SC H ED U L E
M aun dy T hursday
7pm at First Lutheran
G ood F riday
7pm at First Lutheran
E aster B reakfast
9:00am to 10:30am
E aster E gg H un t
9:15am (2yrs - 6th Grade)
Friday A pril 3
rd
CO A ST G U A R D BEA N SO U P
5
$ .0 0
4 pm ‘til gone
Sunday A pril 5th
EA STER
SU N D AY
H A M D IN N ER
12(noon) - 2PM
R egular Bingo at 3PM
ASTORIA Clatsop Post 12 & Unit 12
AMERICAN LEGION 1132 Exchange Street • 325-5771
B arbie is retiring
B
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T I R I
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MARCH
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Ba rb ie Jen kin s ha s
b een a n o p ticia n fo r
the p a s t 20 yea rs
here in As to ria . S he
s ta rted her ca reer
w ith Dr. K u m p u la in 1994,
co n tin u ed o n a s it b eca m e No rth
Co a s t Vis io n Cen ter, a n d s in ce
2011 ha s b een vita l in help in g
Co a s ta l E ye Ca re b eco m e the
thrivin g clin ic it is to d a y! As the
p ra ctice cha n ged ha n d s s evera l
tim es o ver the yea rs Ba rb ie ha s
rem a in ed the co n s ta n t fo rce.
S he ha s b een d ed ica ted to
her p a tien ts fo r a ll this tim e w ith
her co m p a s s io n a te w a ys a n d
s tea d fa s t s ervice.
Barbie will be greatly missed.
C om e help us celebrate!
Coastal Eye Care 553 18th St., Astoria!
E aster
F estiv al
W orship
8am and
11am
725 33rd St., Astoria • 503-325-6252
www.astoriafirstlutheran.com
C A LVA R Y E P ISC O PA L C H U R C H
503 N . H ollad ay, S easid e • 503-738-5773
Holy Week Services
Good Friday:
Stations of the cross at 3:00
Saturday: Easter Vigil at 5:00
Sunday: Easter Eucharist at 9:30
