The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • 5

Ji A5 The Bellingham Herald Tuesday March 13f 1990 Exxon trial: Doubt cast on sobriety test skeleton found as bizarre murder case ends ANCHORAGE Alaska (AP) Was Joseph Hazelwood drunk or sober when the Exxon Valdez ran aground? A defense witness said a toxicologist for the prosecution probably tell because are too to the back of the head When questioned about her disappearance by family and friends Owens told family members his wife was going to school in Canada and told neighbors gone to Kansas to visit rela- SEATTLE The skeleton of an elderly Seattle man who was investigated for murdering his wife last September and leaving her body under a compost pile at their borne has been found on Mount Si near North Bend Joe Frisino of the King County medical office identified the man as Joe Lynn Owens 70 An autopsy was planned Tuesday to determine the cause of death Owens disappeared last Sept 7 the day after Seattle police questioned him about the disappearance of his 78-year-bid wife Gladys Police Maj Jackson Beard said investigators were called to the scene on the old Mount Si trail after two local residents hiking in the area Sunday discovered what appeared to be a human back bone Police cordoned off the area overnight and combed the area Monday morning Clothing and more banes were found along with hearing aid and might disagree with that to said Walker if Captain Hazelwood was on the bridge during those maneuvers this accident have But when defense attorney Michael Chalos asked whether he felt absence from the bridge contributed to the disaster in any way the witness responded at The former captain told jurors the only regulation he knows or requiring a captain to be on the bridge is during passage through the Panama CanaL Child-molester says he did it to get treatment SPOKANE (AP) A man who pleaded guilty to abducting a 5-year-old girl and molesting a pair of 7-yearolds was Monday to nearly 11 years in prison Clifton Jackson 35 told Judge Marcus Kelly of Spokane County Superior Court that he kidnapped and molested the 5-year-dld so he would be arrested and enrolled in sexual offender treatment He was sentenced Monday sentenced to 10 years and 10 months for first-degree kidnapping and 61 months for each of two first-degree child molestation counts The sen-tences are to be served concurrently Thomas Burr an alcohol and drug testing consultant from Minneapolis noted Monday that Hazdwooa underwent only one blood test 10 hours after the grounding and it is not known whether he drank after the grounding Burr called by the defense criticized conclusions reached by Richard Prouty an Oklahoma toxicologist who testified Hazelwood probably was drunk when his tanker rammed a jagged reef in the worst oil spiilL Prouty used a method known as which seeks to determine a drunkenness at an earlier hour through backward calculations based on blood tests But Burr said never heard of anyone counting backwards 10 hours with only me blood test very dubious when it's based on a single chemical he said my opinion not a valid thing to do forensically especially not for 1 of time such a long period JOSEPH HAZELWOOD Accused in oil spill tain said the departure to his quarters was not unusual and did not cause the disaster Walker said if he had things to do below and had an able third mate he hesitate to leave either walked several thousand miles in Captain the experienced seaman said Ultimately Walker blamed third mate Gregory Cousins for the wreck He suggested it was job to see that orders were followed by the helmsman who failed to carry out the ordered 10-degree right rudder turn anybody above the age of 5 could have carried that toe witness said If there were problems Walker said the third mate had a telephone to call Hazelwood in his cabin he had to say was came to the and this whole thing would have been he testified Hazelwood 43 of Huntington NY was the only crew member of the Exxon Valdez charged in the wreck which spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil He is accused of criminal mischief reckless endangerment operating a vessel while intoxicated and negligent discharge of oil If convicted he could receive up to 7 years 3 months in prison and $61000 in fines it true that if Captain Hazelwood was an the bridge where he was supposed to be this have Assistant District Attorney Mary Anne Henry asked during cross-examination He was questioned Sept 6 chi the tip of a neighbor who noticed his conflicting accounts Detectives then learned Owens had told his nephew that Gladys Owens had overdosed on pills and he had buried her on family property near Mount SL Owens was gone however when detectives returned to question him Sept 7 Police got a search warrant and found Gladys body Sept 14 under the compost pile They then were told by King County Police that Owens was last seen Sept 7 in a North Bend masonry yard where he bought a shovel and returned a few hours later very sweaty Owens handed his keys to the man who described the shovel purchase and told the man he could use the truck Owens then walked toward Mount Si Seattle homicide Sgt Joe Ritter said Monday A police search with tracking dogs at the time failed to find anything in the woods where Owens waslast seen Owens was charged in absentia with first-degree to walk straight levels of JO 100 percent of people are visibly and noticeably Burr said He faced cross-examination today Witnesses have said Hazelwood was steady on his feet and except for 1 nr on his breath showed no signs intoxication after a day ashore in Valdez There is a conflict in testimony on how much he drank while in town Earlier Monday another defense expert witness Smras Walker testified under cross-examination that the grounding of the massive tanker would not have occurred if Hazelwood had stayed on the bridge But Walker a former tanker cap Owens had been sought by Seatr tie police for the shooting death of his wife Her body was found under a false floor below a compost pile at the West Seattle home after police acted chi a tip from Gladys nephew in Kansas She had died of a gunshot wound are too many unknown Burr said the method is controversial in the scientific community Taking calculations to their extreme Burr said they could have shown that Hazelwood had a JO blood alcohol reading when he boarded the ship making him unable Cookies meant to be shared Sea lions ride to California after dining on steelhead trout The Colophon Cafe to Long Beach on the Washington coast rat 29 of those swam back to sea lions can be killed He said the question would be placed on the federal register and opened to public Safeguards exist for California sea environment they spawn and live for two years as young fish in these streams in an urban area they tell us we are treating our environment reasonably he said At Village Books in Old Fairhaven their Puget Sound bounty said Bob Byrne spokesman for the state wildlife department lions would be trucked to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma and 10 at a time would be driven to San Miguel in the faHfanifa Oumnfl ManH If relocation work Alabaster sure what can be done running out of he said tried just about everything imaginable bad tasting fish sound seal bombs trying to catch them put up a State workers have been firing rub-bertipped arrows at the animals and Alabaster said that seems to drive them away for a short time Byrne said NOAA will start working through the federal government this spring to determine whether the SEATTLE (AP) The living must seem pretty easy for sea lions at the Ballard ship locks Not ontyhave they had free admission to an aBryonncan-eat feast of steelhead trout this winter but now state and federal officials are saving the mammals thousands of miles of swimming by trucking them to summer spawning grounds near Santa Barbara Calif For five years Washington wildlife officials have struggled to scare the sea lions away and save a distinct run of migratory fish Lake Washington steelhead a seagoing rainbow trout The effort has cost more than $400000 but failed to stop the gorg- mal Protection Act Byrne said time may be running out for the Lake Washington steelhead He said the yearly run has numbered as many as 3900 in the past ten years but last year workers counted only 696 fish By sending the sea lions back home Byrne said wildlife is hoping 900 fish will survive to spawn this year He said the fish are important not only for recreation but to monitor Officials from wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are hoping the animals return from California with the time being so near to their yearly migration south Workers started trapping the animals Monday as they climbed onto large flat buoys floating (Hi the locks Byrne said Hal Alabaster said THE CRINKLE COTTON SHIRTS ARE HEREI QUICK AND EASY TO KNIT AND FUN TO WEAR1 PERFECT FOR SPRING! FREE INSTRUCTION WITH PURCHASE OF A KIT NEW COTTONS ARRIVING DAILY OlscoTenrPark SuanTodd 734-5530 10-5t30 Mon-Sat Copter crashes near dome of St Helens crater ter might have caused blowing snow that obscured the vision looking at a curved white walL It can be very difficult to judge SEATTLE A pilot and two geological workers walked away unharmed from the wreckage of their helicopter near the lava dome of Mount St Helens and was extensively damaged Steve Brantley a spokesman for the USGS in Vancouver said stormy weather had sealed off the crater for the past week He said the scientists hoped to take advantage of clear weather to land and repair Aviation of Scappoose Ore said he landed the three men at Cougar BEFORE The volcano in Southwest Washington erupted May 19 1990 leaving at least 57 people dead and missing Cage said the volcanic crater can be a dangerous place to fly other places got trees and brush to neb) tell you what the wind is doing In there you he said of the air currents the snow in there was real smooth Tom Murray a geophysicist and Bruce Furukawa an electronics technician The pilot was Dale Evans who flew the rented copter from Bluebird Helicopters of Cougar They were rescued by another helicopter about an hour after the Monday accident The two UJS Geological Survey employees were being Clown into the crater about 11 a an to repair same USGS seismic testing equipment The four-passenger Bell 206 Jetranger helicopter landed in snow Brantley said they were to land at Garden a flat spot in the crater about 100 feet north of the dome in the crater of the 964-foot I got in they were hiking away from the crash site to what they felt would be a better landing place because of the blowing said John Cage Jr the pilot who rescued the three He speculated the helicop- fouling up your depth perception San Francisco tourism is on shaky ground earthquake is a very good excuse for said John Marks president of the San Francisco Convention and Bureau there are many other factors that are causing the momentary in tourism Many tourist-oriented cities across the country are experiencing similar sluggishness he said The Bureau is spending more an national advertising this year than ever before Its budget is $1 million up $400000 Marks sakL believe that time is our greatest ally and the more time that expires after Oct 17 the less likely the impact of the quake is going to affect the decision of the said Marks Helping to influence those decisions are discount room rates The SAN FRANCISCO (AP) This is the city that says it knows how the one where tourists love to leave their hearts But while most of the physical damage from the Oct" 17 earthquake has been repaired community leaders are not sure how to fix the damage done to San reputation for warm if eccentric hospitality From cable cars to Chinatown Wharf hotels to theaters and museums commercial and cultural businesshas been reported way down since the quake That may be changing thanks to time and fading memories promotions ad campaigns and a realization by the business community that it must also deal with skyrocketing air fares recession fears and increasing competition Mark Hopkins for example is offering $205 rooms for $99 At The Ramada at Wharf rooms are $59 rather than the standard $120 While San Francisco hotel occupancy rates stood at about 70 percent last year the break-even point for the average hotel they dropped by as much as 10 percent the first two months of 1990 decide which is the greatest problem concern about the economy or about another said Oscar VaMdi general manager of the Ramada Adding to the problem of earth-quake-queasy tourists the city saw a 7 percent growth in hotel rooms last year and 1400 more rooms are scheduled to come on the market around the end of the year Near the wharf Kathy Paver spokeswoman for the Pier 39 complex of boutiques and restaurants said business is comparable to that of the same time last year Hundreds of hungry and lovesick sea lions frolicking the bay feasting on handouts have generated even bigger crowds she said AFTER Brother of slain prisons chief says suspect will be But at The Cannery spokesman Chris Martin said business is off as much as 20 percent at some shops and restaurants think going to be back to normal until the double-deck freeways that are out of commission are back 'he said cific about when that would happen to say it be he added Penn in charge of the investigation also declined to say whether he believes the 14-month-old case Was wnng tn an wiH just proceeding he said Much of the investigation has centered around Frank Gable a Coos County Jail inmate who is serving a one-year sentence for assaulting his wife Gable was arrested in Coos County Sept 15 and received a yearlong sentence for the assault charge According to jail records Gable with credit for good behavior is due to be released April 12 Gable said last month that he has been questioned and has taken polygraph tests in connection with the Francke i The California Transportation Department said the quake-damaged Embarcadero Freeway which took an average of 90000 cars daily from the San Frandsco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the Financial District Chinatown and tiie wharf could be PORTLAND Ore (AP) A brother of slain Oregon corrections chief Michael Francke says the person be expects to be indicted for the killing will be familiar to those who have been following the case think it would be a surprise to Kevin Francke said Monday in an interview with Portland radio station KXL an individual been fairly Asked about a motive for the slaying Kevin Francke said believe the word will come out in the Francke 42 was stabbed to death Jan 17 1999 outside the corrections headquarters No arrests have been made in the case Meanwhile The Oregonian newspaper in Portland reported in its Tuesday editions that some witnesses have been subpoenaed to appear before a Marion County grand jury investigating slaying Dale Penn Marion County dirtrict attorney said Monday that the grand jury would reconvene sometime this month but he refused to be more spe Okay so itS not quite that fast But itfs definitely that easy Especially right now since our home equity loans are available with no set-up fees no points and no dosing costs Call us today at 1-800-238-4433 to find out how our home equity loans can help you come out a winner 5fete fully stocked with one building material every home remodeler needs: money of the problem is people just know how to get around the Martin said Even the romantic cable car is in a slump Municipal Railway spokesman George Newkirk said average daily ridership before October was 11000 to 13000 Today 9000 to 10000 take the $2 rides on the rolling landmarks he said LLSIBAIMK But Gable said he has no involvement in the case and has an alibi for his whereabouts on the evening Francke was killed JSSSk iiiiH OffiMbaHkefOiiSXGeodiMGamttr Member EMC Mm wMmdm im.