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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2016)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 Former Philomath coach arraigned on hazing charges By NATHAN BRUTELL Corvallis Gazette-Times A 22-year-old former assis- tant Philomath High School football coach was arraigned Tuesday in Clatsop County Circuit Court in connection with what prosecutors have termed “aggravated hazing” incidents in July at Camp Rilea. Cooper Kikuta, who was a volunteer assistant coach and also a former Philomath High School football player, was arraigned on a charge of sec- ond-degree criminal mistreat- ment, a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison. The charge stems from a hazing incident that allegedly took place between July 9 and 13 during an off-season condi- tioning camp attended by 35 Philomath players and several coaches at Camp Rilea. Circuit Court Judge Cindee Matyas entered a not guilty plea on Kikuta’s behalf and set an early resolution conference for December. Following the hearing, Kikuta was booked into Clat- sop County Jail and granted conditional release. As part of his release agreement, Kikuta is not to have contact with students at Philomath High School and is not to be on the premises of the school. David Goldthorpe, senior deputy district attorney for Clatsop County, stood in for Benton County District Attor- ney John Haroldson. Harold- son is serving as special prose- cutor in the case. On behalf of Haroldson, Goldthorpe said prosecutors had no objection to Kikuta being granted conditional release. Goldthorpe noted that Kikuta had no criminal history. Defense attorney Josh Hunking represented Kikuta during the hearing. “I am impressed with the wisdom and discretion that John Haroldson has shown in this case,” Hunking said in an emailed statement follow- ing the hearing. “I am coni- dent that he will work with us toward a fair and swift reso- lution to this case so that this chapter of Philomath history can close and the community can begin to heal.” Six juveniles have been cited in connection with the case, and all have admit- ted to the allegations against them. The Philomath School Board canceled the school’s varsity football season in the wake of the criminal inves- tigation into the hazing inci- dents. The school district has launched its own inter- nal investigation into the inci- dents. While that investigation continues, the coaches of the team remain on administrative leave. Horrendous sex-abuse case ends with conviction AP Photo/Ted S. Warren Colton Harris-Moore, right, also known as the “Barefoot Bandit,” stands with his attorney, John Henry Browne, in Island County Superior Court in 2011 in Coupeville, Wash. ‘Barefoot Bandit’ released from prison Harris-Moore will work for lawyer Associated Press Former Ocean Park man faces possibility of life in prison By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group SOUTH BEND, Wash. — A former Ocean Park man who sexually abused a child has been found guilty of 18 sepa- rate felony charges. When John Keone Lopaka Aylward, 46, is sentenced on Oct. 7, he faces the possibil- ity of life in prison, according to Paciic County Prosecutor Mark McClain. The Paciic County Sheriff’s Ofice arrested Aylward in Jan- uary after discovering an exten- sive collection of pornographic images of children in his home. The investigation began when a child in Aylward’s family told her school counselor that Ayl- ward had punched her. She also told the counselor that she believed Aylward was sexu- ally assaulting an elementa- ry-school-age family member. The counselor contacted police and child welfare authorities. child and possession of child Through his investigation, pornography. Deputy Sean Eastham learned Aylward decided to waive that Aylward had been show- his right to a jury trial, electing ing sexually explicit images to instead to have Superior Court the younger child. While exe- Judge Michael Sullivan decide cuting a search warrant on the case. the home, deputies discov- Sullivan listened to two days ered a memory card hidden in of testimony in September from a hutch in the fami- the victim, forensic ly’s living room that experts, police and contained numer- others, and reviewed ous pornographic the video evidence, images of children, before returning including record- guilty verdicts on six ings of Aylward hav- counts of irst-degree ing intercourse with rape of a child, six the girl. Deputies counts of irst-degree also found irearms, incest, three counts which Aylward, a of sexual exploitation Pacific County convicted felon, was of a minor, dealing in Prosecutor not allowed to pos- depictions of minors Mark McClain sess. Aylward denied engaged in sexu- abusing the child ally explicit conduct, at irst, but eventually con- and one count each of dealing fessed to Eastham, and blamed in child pornography, possess- the abuse “on his meth use ing child pornography, and sec- and being tempted by Satan,” ond-degree unlawful possession according to a probable cause of a irearm. statement. McClain said securing tes- Aylward, who allegedly timony and documentation ran an illegal, unlicensed tat- from experts can be challeng- too business out of his home, ing in a rural community, but is was charged with irst-degree extremely important for prose- incest, irst-degree rape of a cuting child-abuse cases. child, sexual exploitation of a “These are awful, gut-wrenching trials, not only because of the subject mat- ter, but also because children do not often tell their story clearly. That is why the inter- views and investigation make or break these cases,” McClain said. Currently, there is no local facility to perform the required physical examinations and forensic interviews. In this case, McClain said, he was able to arrange for the victim to undergo both examinations in Lewis County on the same day. However, in the past, local kids have often had to travel to Grays Harbor for the interview, and then make a second trip to Olympia for the examination. “This was very dificult for these kids, especially for those living on the peninsula,” McClain said. However, he noted that the situation is improving, saying the prosecutor’s ofice has been working with the local nonproit crime and abuse vic- tims advocacy group Crisis Sup- port Network to establish a local Children’s Advocacy Center. McClain said the Paciic County Department of Health recently became involved in the effort, and the Advocacy Center is close to becoming a reality. SEATTLE — The man who became known as the “Barefoot Bandit” during a teenage crime spree in sto- len cars, boats and planes has been transferred from prison to a work-release facility. KOMO-TV reported that the Washington Department of Correc- tions conirmed Colton Harris-Moore’s transfer Wednesday from prison to Reynolds Work Release in Seattle. He’s expected to work for his lawyer, John Henry Browne, and will be required to check in and out of the work-release facility. Harris-Moore, 25, was sentenced in 2012 to seven years in prison in a deal that consolidated most of the charges against him. His spree began after he escaped from a Renton juve- nile halfway house in 2008. One of the charges, inter- state transportation of a sto- len vessel, alleges he stole a 34-foot boat from Ilwaco in 2010 and sailed it across the Columbia River. He was ultimately cap- tured after crash-landing a plane that he stole in Indiana and lew to the Bahamas. 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