DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2018
145TH YEAR, NO. 215
ONE DOLLAR
Former Seaside
custodian sentenced
to prison for abuse
levels,” she said. “You were
the adult that was trusted in
our school system.”
A former Seaside Heights
She then detailed the
Elementary School custo- “unfortunate attention” the
dian pleaded guilty Friday case has generated, causing
and was sentenced to 25 years concerned looks and awk-
in prison for molesting a girl ward conversations with oth-
under 8 years old on several ers who live in Seaside.
“This event has reached
occasions.
out way past our
Keith Davis, 46,
immediate
fam-
was arrested in Jan-
uary. He was charged
ily,” she said. “It’s
affected our fam-
with 25 alleged sex
ily. It’s affected our
crimes against the
school. It’s affected
girl. He pleaded
our relationships. It’s
guilty to three counts
definitely affected
of first-degree sod-
omy and agreed to
our self-confidence.
Keith
It has caused anxiety
serve three concur-
Davis
rent sentences of 25
and sleepless nights.”
years as part of a plea deal
But she added she was
with the Clatsop County Dis- proud of her daughter and
trict Attorney’s Office.
thankful for friends and
Seaside police said after family.
“I am proud of my chil-
the former custodian’s arrest
that they do not believe he dren for rising above so many
was using his position with things that they should not
the school to gain access to have experienced in their
childhood,” she said. “We
the victim.
The girl’s parents reported will survive. We will grieve
the incidents to police after and move on. We have no
the girl came forward, Deputy secrets. We choose love, and
District Attorney Dawn Buz- we deserve the best.”
zard said. In a recorded phone
Davis apologized for what
call before the arrest that was he called a “huge mistake.”
“All I hope is the best
monitored by police, Davis
admitted to committing the for all of you, and that the
strength that I know all of you
crimes.
Buzzard said she was per- have will help you heal,” he
sonally moved by the victim said.
After issuing the sentence,
and the family.
“Even now I know that Circuit Court Judge Cin-
she is stronger than most of us dee Matyas discussed how
could be, and she is my hero,” unusual it is for a sex abuse
perpetrator to take responsi-
Buzzard said.
The girl’s mother read bility this quickly and how
an impact statement at the often victims decline to come
sentencing hearing. She forward about their ordeals.
“It’s not just you that you
began by addressing Davis
and his “well-executed” affect in your decisions to go
forward here and talk about
manipulation.
“What you have done is what happened,” Matyas said.
inexcusable. What you have “You help all of us, you know,
done is damaging on so many stand up.”
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Students with the Clatsop Community College historic preservation and restoration program examine
the Doughboy Monument.
Doughboy Monument
gets a needed facelift
Uniontown landmark was
damaged by crash last summer
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
W
hen a large pickup truck plowed into the
Doughboy Monument last summer, it wasn’t
the first time the World War I memorial on
Marine Drive had tangled with a vehicle, but it was
among the worst accidents emergency responders had
seen at the Uniontown landmark.
Portions of the city-owned monument were left bro-
ken and scarred. The crash snapped light poles, damaged
planter boxes and cracked the concrete on curving walls.
The accident also temporarily derailed plans that were
already in motion at the time to restore features of the
monument.
The Astoria Parks and Recreation Department, which
manages the site, reported earlier this spring that the city
is still on track to have repair work — covered by insur-
ance — and the bulk of the restoration — funded by a
variety of grants — completed in time for the 100th anni-
versary of the end of World War I on Nov. 11.
On Saturday, students with Clatsop Community Col-
lege’s historic preservation and restoration program cir-
cled the memorial with clipboards in hand, assessing what
needs to be done. Lucien Swerdloff, the program’s coor-
dinator, and others are leading workshops at the site. It has
turned the memorial into a very unique kind of classroom.
“It is kind of ideal because it’s small. It’s manageable, but
there’s a lot of things going on with it,” Swerdloff said.
“A lot of the time when we do the workshops we have
it all figured out and we just come and kind of do it,”
he added. “So the students don’t get that whole ‘before’
stuff: How do you figure out what needs to be done? What
materials do you need? How much is it going to cost?”
See DOUGHBOY, Page 7A
Hong Kong cart mixes
Asian influence with a
few Hispanic staples
New food cart
downtown
By EDWARD
STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Students and staff with Clatsop Community College make a list of things to repair at the memorial.
Abbie and Dan Rhoads
once lived across the Pacific
Ocean from one another.
Now the couple, who oper-
ate food carts in the court-
yard of the Astoria Station at
13th and Duane streets, work
within shouting distance.
After relocating last year
to open The Hot Box Bar-
becue cart outside Reach
Break Brewing, the two
have opened a second, Hong
Kong Taco Cart, offering an
Asian infusion on a Hispanic
staple.
Abbie, a native of Hong
Kong, said the cart provides
her the opportunity to pres-
ent the rich tapestry of dif-
ferent cultures and foods she
was introduced to during her
first 20 years in the interna-
tional hub.
“The Hot Box is limited,
because it’s barbecue,” she
said.
Hong Kong offers tacos,
burritos and rice bowl vari-
ants of Asian dishes such as
bulgogi, pho and tikka mas-
ala. The Peking duck tacos
come on a steamed bao buns.
For dessert, the cart offers
See CART, Page 7A
Radio personality finds a home in Astoria
Hurd overcame
challenges to
come to the
North Coast
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
W
hen Brandon Hurd
moved to Astoria last
year, he would drive by local
radio station KRKZ almost
every day on his way to work,
wondering how he could get
behind the mic.
“I just kept looking in and
thinking, ‘Man, I really want
to do that,’” he said.
So one day Hurd walked in
and asked for a job with a Pres-
ident Barack Obama impres-
sion. It worked. The aspiring
filmmaker and comedian has
become the voice of comedy
and fun facts local listeners
hear during Saturday and Sun-
day broadcasts.
The way Hurd secured his
role as a North Coast radio
personality is about as uncon-
ventional as the journey that
brought him to Astoria in the
first place.
Born in Charlotte, North
Carolina, Hurd remembers
developing a love of movies
as a toddler. Growing up, his
family moved in and out of
homelessness. Watching mov-
ies like “Toy Story,” “Aladdin”
and “Jurassic Park” became
an escape from an unstable
reality.
“When we were in North
Carolina, I was too young to
go to school and (my mom)
was too poor for day care. So
naturally I was put in front of
Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian
See HURD, Page 7A
Brandon Hurd is an aspiring filmmaker and comedian.