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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2016)
September 9, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A Smith gets life sentence In tragedy, a father inds inspiration from daughters By Kyle Spurr EO Media Group Gregory Smith is inspired every day by his two daughters. He focuses on their joyful zest for life and adventure, rather than their role as vic- tims in a tragic crime com- mitted by his ex-wife, Jessica Smith. His ex-wife was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for drowning their toddler, Isa- bella Smith, and slashing their teenager, Alana Smith, in a Cannon Beach resort in July 2014. “I realize I have no guar- antees of my words reaching you, much less changing the tragedy of the past couple years,” Gregory Smith told his ex-wife at the sentencing hearing in Clatsop County Circuit Court. Jessica Smith, 42, who could have faced the death penalty, will serve a minimum of 40 years in prison, according to a plea agreement reached during settlement talks. BETH NAKAMURA/THE OREGONIAN A video of the victim, Isabella, is played for the court while Jessica Smith turns away, never looking at the screen. Jes- sica Smith was sentenced hursday to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years for aggravated murder and a con- secutive 10 years for attempted aggravated murder. Her ex-husband, Gregory Smith, spoke at the sentencing in Clatsop County Circuit Court. heir surviving daughter, Alana Smith, 15, was also present. The Vancouver, Washing- ton, woman entered Alford pleas last week to aggravated murder and attempted aggra- vated murder. An Alford plea is a guilty plea from a defen- dant who proclaims their in- nocence, but admits the pros- ecution has enough evidence to prove they are guilty. A trial next summer was canceled after Smith pleaded to her crimes. “Our life stories diverge from this point forward, and I’m looking forward to joy and peace,” Gregory Smith said. Gregory Smith was joined in the courtroom Thursday by Alana Smith. Before speak- ing, he played a video mon- tage of 2-year-old Isabella Smith. The montage included pictures and short videos of Isabella playing on the beach and sitting with a coloring book. “I think of Isabella every day, and when the image of her sweet face hits me I’m in- spired,” Gregory Smith said. Jessica Smith did not speak at her sentencing. While being led out of the courtroom, she nodded to the judge and qui- etly left. Earlier this month, Judge Cindee Matyas allowed a vid- eo confession to be played at trial. In the recording, Smith admits to drowning her 2-year-old daughter. “The in- tention was to drown her and end her misery,” she said. Isabella Smith died of asphyxiation by drowning, according to the state medi- cal examiner. A high level of over-the-counter antihista- mine sedatives were found in the toddler’s system. Judge Julie E. Frantz, who presided over the settlement conference and sentencing, told Smith the horriic crimes seemed inconsistent with her past as a loving friend, sibling and caregiver. “You will spend the rest of your life with the knowledge that the inconceivable has occurred and you are respon- sible for unimaginable trage- dy,” Frantz said. Multiple agencies help in serious rollover EO Media Group A log truck that rolled over after a crash on Highway 26 Thursday, Aug. 18, caused serious injuries and closed the highway for several hours. Hamlet Fire was called to assist Elsie-Vinemaple ire with the incident in front of Baker’s General Store. Units from Banks and Seaside ire departments were called in to assist as well. The investigation found that a loaded log truck, oper- ated by John Thomas Budge, 55, of Vernonia, was traveling westbound on Highway 26, just passing the Elderberry Inn Restaurant, when it struck the rear of a 2003 Ford F550 tow truck, operated by Fred Baltin Miller, 72, of Seaside. The log truck traveled off the roadway, struck an em- bankment, overturned and lost the load of logs across the roadway. At the time of the crash, several Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division Troopers had just arrived at the Elderberry Inn Restaurant for a scheduled meeting and quickly took control of the scene, supplying irst aid to the injured operator of the log truck. The troopers utilized their patrol vehicles to stabi- lize the truck and trailer until ire personnel arrived, as well as assisted Hamlet Fire & Rescue in extricating Budge, who was trapped. Budge was transported to Oregon Health & Science University by Life Flight Coastal Advantage 503.436.1777 • Coastal Advantage.com with serious injuries. Miller, sustained minor injuries and went to a local hospital. The investigation continues. Highway 26 was closed for 4.5 hours for the investi- gation. “When we arrived, there were logs on the highway, on the shoulder — a little of everywhere,” Seaside Fire Chief Joey Daniels said. “We helped picking stuff up, helped with trafic control af- ter they shut down the high- way.” OREGON STATE POLICE Charles M. Kakuska, 22, of Cannon Beach, died ater a car crash Monday night on Highway 26. Cannon Beach man dies ater crash on Highway 26 was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed. Cannon Beach Police later stopped the vehicle and found Kakuska in crit- ical condition. Oregon State Police re- sponded to the crash with Elsie-Vine Maple Fire De- partment and the Oregon Department of Transporta- tion. The state police are seek- ing additional witnesses or people with information. Police believe motorists may have witnessed Ka- kuska’s driving behavior or stopped at the scene of the crash. Anyone with informa- tion is asked to contact OSP Trooper Greg Schuerger at 503-861-0781. EO Media Group A 22-year-old Cannon Beach man died Monday night after crashing his car into a ditch off U.S. High- way 26, about 23 miles east of Seaside. Charles M. Kakuska was driving a 1990 Honda Ac- cord westbound at about 9 p.m. when he drifted off the highway and crashed into the ditch. He was taken by ambulance to Providence Seaside Hospital where he later died of his injuries. After the crash and when Kakuska learned law en- forcement was on the way, Oregon State Police said, he was given a ride from the scene by a driver in another vehicle. 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