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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
143rd YEAR, No. 160 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016 ONE DOLLAR Sheriff: Ferry should have been in prison 17-time felon should not have been free on street to shoot Goodding By KYLE SPURR The Daily Astorian Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin says the man who shot and killed Seaside Police Sgt. Jason Goodding should have been in prison. The fact that Phillip Max Ferry, a 17-time felon, was free that night points to the failings of reduced prison sentences and legislation that keeps criminals out of prison, Bergin said. Bergin spoke Tuesday at a press con- ference held to release the ¿ndings of the shooting investigation. His comments echoed state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, who spoke at Goodding’s memorial service Friday. The state senator called out fellow lawmak- ers in the state Legislature who have been experimenting with justice reinvestment programs that keep some criminals out of prison. “The individual who shot our friend, our neighbor and our great police of¿cer in this community should have been in prison,” Bergin said. “He wasn’t and it’s unfortunate.” Ferry, 55, had an extensive criminal history that included 17 felony and 21 misdemeanor convictions since 1983. He has been in and out of the Clatsop County Jail 41 times. Ferry was high on methamphetamine, alcohol and marijuana when he shot Goodding. He was then shot and killed by another Seaside Police of¿cer. Almost every law enforcement agency in Clatsop County had dealt with Ferry at some point. Bergin said even he wrestled with Ferry. “We want people rehabilitated. But I’m sorry, a lot of people need to be incarcerated,” Bergin said. “They need to be held accountable.” Ferry, a felon who was not allowed to possess a ¿rearm, used a semi-automatic pistol to kill Goodding. Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian See SHERIFF, Page 7A Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin speaks during a press conference at the Judge Guy Boyington Building on Tuesday. ASTORIA SENIOR CENTER // TRANSFORMATION ‘Truly remarkable’ Respite center lacks locks Police, city decry lack of locked beds at respite center By DERRICK DePLEDGE The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — Tsunami preparedness was the focus of Seaside High School’s special assembly Tuesday morning that included a presentation by some of the school’s student leaders and a visit from U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici. “We know we can’t prevent an earth- quake and a tsunami, we can’t,” Bonamici said. “But we can work on resilience, which is how we prepare to get through those events and how we come back from them after they happen.” One way Seaside School District board, staff and students want to prepare is by mov- ing at least three of the district’s four schools to a higher location, where they will be out of A crisis respite center that is sup- posed to provide a life-saving safety net for the mentally ill is being criti- cized before it even opens because of a lack of locked beds. City leaders in Astoria and War- renton agree with law enforcement that potentially violent patients will walk away from the planned 16-bed center in Warrenton unless they are locked down. The crisis respite center is expected to help mental health patients who may not immediately need acute psychiatric care but do not belong at Columbia Memorial Hospital, Providence Seaside Hospi- tal or Clatsop County Jail. Without some locked beds, Asto- ria Police Chief Brad Johnston said, the problem may simply be trans- ferred from Astoria and Seaside to Warrenton, which has fewer police of¿cers to corral violent patients who might walk away. “That ability to restrain people who do not wish to be compliant, that are suffering from mental illnesses, is something that, Brad from a public Johnston safety perspective, I think, is essential to a business plan,” Johnston said. The police chief countered the notion that putting patients into a more therapeutic environment would “cause them to be compliant.” “I have a different view of human behavior,” he said, “especially those that are suffering from the severe mental illnesses.” The crisis respite center, which will be operated by Clatsop Behav- ioral Healthcare, is a collaboration between Clatsop County, Columbia See SEASIDE, Page 7A See RESPITE, Page 10A Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian From left: Larry Miller, director of the Senior Center, John Ryan, Mayor Arline LaMear, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Councilor Drew Herzig, and Yvonne McCann, take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Astoria Senior Center on Tuesday. Congresswoman working to reauthorize Older Americans Act, applauds center Lawmaker talks tsunami awareness in Seaside By KATHERINE LACAZE EO Media Group By ERICK BENGEL The Daily Astorian U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici held a town hall meeting a few years ago at the Astoria Senior Center, which back then was “just one big funky room,” she said. :ell, the senior center no longer ¿ts that description, she observed. The Oregon Democrat visited the newly revamped senior center Tuesday — three weeks after the facility reopened in its old Exchange Street location — for an open house and rib- bon-cutting ceremony that drew dignitaries and community members, who packed the reception area. “I can’t believe this transformation,” she said after touring the facility. “It is truly remarkable.” See CENTER, Page 7A Rep. Suzanne Bonamici speaks at the Se- nior Center on Tuesday. GXOOV ZLQ CODWVoS CODVK, LQ WLH Ior ¿rVW By GARY HENLEY The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — The Game of the Night in 4A boys basketball took place in Seaside Tuesday, where the No. 2-ranked Gulls hosted Astoria in a little Feb- ruary “March Madness” party. The intensity was up, the bleachers were packed and it was standing room only for the third Clatsop Clash of the season, with the No. 7-ranked Fishermen hoping for a victory and a Cowapa League title that would go with it. Chances are, there will be a fourth Clatsop Clash meet- ing somewhere down the line — possibly a tie-breaker next week at a neutral site (or the second week of March, in Hillsboro?), but until then, the bragging rights are back with the Gulls, who posted a 61-44 win over Astoria. Both teams are now 7-2 in league play, tied atop the Cowapa League with one game remaining. And this time, Seaside did not need double overtime — or even a single overtime. Actu- ally, the Gulls didn’t even need the fourth quarter, since they held a 47-37 lead after the third. “We were all pumped up,” said Seaside’s Hunter Thomp- son, who pumped in a game- high 20 points. “The last time (a 63-57 Astoria win Jan. 29), we could not hit our free throws at the end, and we just weren’t as ready to go that game. We should have hit those free throws and put the game away.” The Gulls made 10-of-11 free throws in Tuesday’s win, and used their defense to set the tone. “We wanted to go baseline to baseline defensively,” said Seaside coach Bill Wester- holm. “We feel like if we can get them in a full court game, it bene¿ts us.” Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian See CLASH, Page 10A Seaside’s Jackson Januik, No. 3, goes up for a shot in the first quarter of the Clatsop Clash in Seaside on Tuesday.
