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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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All proceeds go to Salvage Chief Foundation.
Dinner tickets available at Post 12 - Public Invited!
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