A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021 IN BRIEF Inmate at county jail died of natural causes An investigation into an inmate who died at the Clat- sop County Jail in February found it was a natural death. Jay Christopher Jamieson, 38, was booked at the jail on the night of Feb. 25 and died on Feb. 26 at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. An autopsy conducted by the state medical examiner found Jamieson’s death was caused by a ruptured bowel. District Attorney Ron Brown said in a report that prior to being booked at the jail, Jamieson told deputies he was feeling sick from his heroin use. He reportedly declined numerous off ers to go to the hospital before and after he was booked. Brown said he continued to complain of symptoms consistent with heroin withdrawal at the jail. The jail nurse went to see Jamieson at his request that he needed something for his heroin withdrawal. The jail nurse con- ferred with a nurse practitioner at Columbia Memorial, who recommended a drug combination for his with- drawal symptoms. Jamieson’s condition worsened over the next several hours, and he was later found unconscious. Brown said the jail did a reasonable job of monitor- ing Jamieson before his death. Jail staff called an ambu- lance when they realized Jamieson was not simply suf- fering from heroin withdrawal. Jamieson was booked on charges of unlawful deliv- ery of heroin, unlawful delivery of a controlled sub- stance to a minor, child neglect in the fi rst degree and endangering the welfare of a minor after a search war- rant was served on his residence in Warrenton. Two people injured in crash on Highway 30 Two people were injured Friday in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 30 in Astoria. The driver of one of the vehicles was cited for reck- less driving and taken to a hospital with injuries, along with his passenger. House fi re displaces two in Seaside SEASIDE — A fi re on 11th Avenue early Sunday dis- placed two people, Seaside Fire and Rescue reported. When fi refi ghters arrived at about 3:30 a.m., the north side of the structure was involved, Lt. Genesee Dennis said. “Right as we arrived also we had a downed power line,” he said. “That hindered access.” Firefi ghters gained access through neighboring yards and “knocked down the fi re pretty quickly,” Dennis said. — The Astorian DEATHS April 9, 2021 TAMEZ, Katelynn In Brief Renee, of Warrenton, died in Portland. Ocean View Deaths Funeral & Cremation Ser- vice of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. April 7, 2021 WEBER, Wal- ter “Walt,” 81, of Longview, Washing- ton, formerly of Seaside and Chinook, Washing- ton, died at home. Green Hills Memorial Gar- dens in Kelso, Washing- ton, is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD DUII Saturday on U.S. High- On • Zoe the Marie Record Bryan, way 101 for DUII follow- 19, was arrested Sunday ing a crash. near the Astoria Police Department for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants. • David Lee Mills, 70, of Seaside, was arrested • Mark Clayton Gil- bertson, 31, of Ham- mond, was arrested Fri- day on Ninth Street and Marine Drive in Astoria for DUII. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m., (elec- tronic meeting). Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board, 5:15 p.m., workshop, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., (electronic meeting). WEDNESDAY Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District Board, 10 a.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (elec- tronic meeting). Warrenton-Hammond School District Board, 6 p.m., Warrenton High School Library, 1700 S. Main Ave. Clatsop Community College Board, 6:30 p.m., work session, (electronic meeting). Astoria School District Board, 7 p.m., (electronic meet- ing). THURSDAY Seaside Transportation Advisory Commission, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway. PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Westport man sentenced to prison for road rage death Stone receives more than six years By NICOLE BALES The Astorian A Westport man who killed another man following a road rage incident in Octo- ber 2018 was sentenced Fri- day to more than six years in prison. Jeff rey Craig Stone, 68, killed Curtis Michael Rus- sell, 22, of Longview, Wash- ington, after running him over with his Dodge truck and dragging his body for about a quarter-mile. Stone was charged with murder, manslaughter in the fi rst degree, two counts of attempted assault in the fi rst degree, failure to per- form duties of a driver, driv- ing under the infl uence of intoxicants, reckless driving and two counts of recklessly endangering another person. After numerous settle- ment conferences, Stone on Friday pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homi- cide, a downgrade from the murder charge. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of recklessly endangering another person and DUII. Stone, once the chief of the Westport Volunteer Fire Department, was convicted of fi rst-degree arson and fi rst-degree theft and sen- tenced to 17 months in prison after he set fi re to business records in 2004 after he was accused of embezzlement. On Halloween 2018, Rus- sell was driving west on U.S. Highway 30 near Westport when he came up behind Stone’s vehicle and noticed signs of drunken driving, District Attorney Ron Brown ‘TODAY, I GET PEACE. TODAY, I GET TO KNOW THAT FOR A MOMENT I GAVE IT ALL TO FIND JUSTICE FOR MY BEST FRIEND, TO SAVE MY BROTHERS FROM RELIVING A NIGHTMARE, AND FOR KNOWING THAT MY MOTHER-IN-LAW CAN HAVE JUST A MOMENT OF RELIEF.’ Natasha Russell | widow of Curtis Michael Russell said in court. ging him by his feet for about Russell, who had passen- a quarter-mile with his body gers in the vehicle, passed wedged under the pickup. Stone, and, as he did, Brown Russell died at the scene said it seemed to them that from blunt force trauma. Stone brushed Russell’s Stone drove home and vehicle. later returned to the scene Russell pulled over to and cooperated with police. exchange information, but, “This has been a very according to Brown, Stone diffi cult case,” Brown kept driving toward West- said. “We appreciate Judge port until turning right onto (Henry) Kantor’s time and Old Mill Town Road. his willingness to be Russell followed a settlement judge, Stone and then and we think that’s passed and blocked probably why we Stone’s pickup truck. ended up agreeing to Brown said Russell this.” and his passengers Russell’s widow, got out of the vehicle Natasha Rus- and Russell circled Jeff rey Craig sell, fi led a wrong- Stone the pickup with a bat ful death claim last and struck it several October against times, causing dents. Alston Pub and Grub in “So I believe the defen- Rainier, where Stone was dant could have backed up drinking prior to the inci- and left the scene,” Brown dent. The lawsuit, fi led in said. “But instead, backed Columbia County Circuit his vehicle and then drove, Court, seeks $2.6 million. according to one witness, Natasha Russell and towards Curtis, who had others in Russell’s family returned to being in front of described how that day for- the defendant’s vehicle.” ever changed their lives . He said Stone stopped “The day my husband quickly and backed up again. was dragged to his death, Stone hit Russell, knocking you took my entire future him under the truck and drag- from me,” Russell said. “But Taxes: Council told to make a decision by July Continued from Page A1 By the end of the fi s- cal year in June, the urban renewal district will have col- lected its maximum indebt- edness — what it can spend on projects — of around $9.1 million. It will have around $5.3 million on hand for future projects. City councilors could uni- laterally increase the maxi- mum indebtedness by up to $3 million. They could also terminate tax collections, giving back an estimated $803,000 next fi scal year to local jurisdictions that con- tribute. Astoria would get an additional $407,000, for example, while Clat- sop County would receive $76,455. Around $246,000 would go back to the S tate S chool F und. Craig Hoppes, the superintendent of the Asto- ria School District , said he is unsure of how that would ultimately impact the school district’s funding. Clatsop Community College would be in line for nearly $40,000. Elaine Howard, an urban renewal consultant, told city councilors at a recent work session they needed to decide by the beginning of the next fi scal year in July. The timeline could be even tighter, with local jurisdic- tions coming up with bud- gets for next year. A big question is whether the $5.3 million in the urban renewal district will be enough to fi nish sev- eral identifi ed but somewhat undefi ned projects. The city is working with the state Department of Transporta- tion to fund a lane reconfi g- uration and other streetscape improvements along Marine Drive as part of the Union- town Reborn master plan. The City Council recently agreed to use urban renewal money on a master plan of Edward Stratton/The Astorian The Astoria City Council is deciding whether to keep urban renewal funds for projects like the revitalization of the Chinook Building and area around the West Mooring Basin. the area around the Port’s West Mooring Basin, a prime location for a revitalized commercial district. Improv- ing the Port for the benefi t of the county could be a rea- son to increase indebtedness, City Councilor Roger Rocka said at the work session. “This is kind of hard to specify, because we don’t have the plan yet from the Port,” Rocka said. “But for me, I think the assumption is that we’re adequately funded to basically complete Union- town Reborn.” City Councilor Tom Brownson wondered whether the urban renewal district could go dormant, giving the tax money back until a specifi c project is identifi ed. Howard said she would have to check with legal counsel. But she cau- tioned against creating uncertainty by providing a local government with a new funding stream only to cut it off in the future. “Maybe they use it for Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 more than that, you took my son and step daughter’s chance to ever make a mem- ory with their dad. “Every single day, I wake up and I look at the gift that Curtis gave me as he tells me, ‘G ood morning, m ama.’ It reminds me every second he’ll never get with the best man this world could have ever given me. “The mental damage you have caused everyone I love is unforgivable,” she said. “There’s so much wrong in this life we live now, but for Curtis, I’m fi ghting every day for the good. “Today, I get peace. Today, I get to know that for a moment I gave it all to fi nd justice for my best friend, to save my brothers from reliv- ing a nightmare, and for knowing that my mother-in- law can have just a moment of relief.” Judge Cindee Matyas, who presided over the sen- tencing, said that although the criminal justice sys- tem can resolve the crimi- nal charges, the process can- not adequately respond to the loss. “You all appear to be extremely strong and deter- mined,” Matyas said. “And I just hope that the love you keep in your heart for Mr. Russell will be a source of strength to you. “I want to thank the par- ties for their eff ort in work- ing to resolve this case. The challenge with any trial is just the uncertainty of the outcome. And Mr. Stone, you’re taking responsibil- ity for these charges today does something to give some relief to the family members who have been waiting for years now.” WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 something that will need to be (funded) every year,” she said. “And then all of a sud- den, you come back in later and say, ‘Hey, guess what? We’re going to start taking money again.’ So it leaves them in a position of not knowing for sure what is happening with that money.” Howard brought up the idea of increasing maximum indebtedness but only col- lecting 30% or so of possi- ble revenue , sharing the rest with local jurisdictions while still slowly building up urban renewal funds. City Coun- cilor Joan Herman, Brown- son and Rocka supported the idea. Mayor Bruce Jones rec- ommended a special meet- ing to hear back from legal counsel about whether the urban renewal district can go dormant until a new project crystallizes . But without that answer, Jones said, he sup- ports terminating further tax collections to help local juris- dictions with pressing needs. City Councilor Tom Hilton also supported termination. “I just don’t like the idea of increasing maximum indebtedness for undefi ned future needs,” Jones said.