Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 24 July 2017

On 07/21/17 at approximately 11:05 PM Okanogan County Dispatch received a call of a shooting victim that had been admitted to Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster. 

The shooting had occurred in Bridgeport so Douglas County Deputies were dispatched to the scene. 

The victim was an adult male who suffered from a single gunshot wound.  The incident occurred in the vicinity of the 800 Blk. of Fairview in Bridgeport, WA.  The victim was flown to Confluence Hospital and is reported to be stable. 

The case is under investigation and no additional details are being released at this time. 

Anyone with information on this shooting is asked to call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or RiverCom dispatch immediately.

Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 03 July 2017

UPDATE: The pilots were found deceased at the scene of the crash.  They were identified as 48 year old Eric Sarchet of Everett, WA and 70 year old Bonnie Wallace of Central Point, OR.  Next of kin have been notified.  The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

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On 07/01/17 at 1930 hours the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an overdue aircraft which had left the Chelan airport at 0630 hrs.  It was thought the aircraft, with two occupants on board, was heading towards north Douglas County or Okanogan County.  

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deployed it’s helicopter to search for the aircraft with no success.  CCSO renewed its search on 07/02/17 using coordinates from one of the occupants last cell phone signals.  At approximately 1030 hrs. CCSO located the wreckage on Windsor Hill about one mile downstream from Wells Dam in Douglas County. 

At the time of this report, Douglas County deputies are attempting to reach the wreckage, but the terrain is extremely treacherous.  The aircraft is a Northwing ultra-light tandem (two seat) model with a 80 hp engine (northwing.com). 

The Douglas and Chelan County Sheriff’s Offices are working closely to get to the scene to determine the fate of the pilots.  The names of the pilots are not being disclosed at this time.

Written by Buckner Homestead Heritage Foundation

Published: 02 July 2017

The Trees are Loaded!

After a long and snowy winter, the Orchard has burst forth in an incredible bloom and a heavy set of fruit!

Warm apple pies, an abundance of applesauce, amazing cider, and the tantalizing taste of the historic Common Delicious, Rome Beauties, and Winesaps will be greatly limited if we don't do our work now.

Thinning

To ensure an abundant and quality crop, apples must be thinned in June and July.  This labor-intensive work involves removing an excess of apples, breaking up clusters, spacing, and eliminating already damaged young apples.  (See Field Notes below)  The Buckner Orchard is naturally organic and sprays are not used for this purpose as with commercial orchards elsewhere.

Your Help

With an overabundant set and our June work party limited by weather and other factors, it is important to get out there now, while the apples remain small.  Those trees within the two fenced areas are in need of thinning; those not fenced will be stripped of all apples, as they are each year, so as to prevent bear damage to the historic trees.

• Experienced Thinners - If you have thinned at the Orchard previously, you know what to do, and can do so at your convenience.  Remember to leave the stems!
• Novice Thinners - Laurie will be returning to the Orchard on July 1.  Check in with her as to the how and where.

Your help is needed if we are to enjoy the "fruits of our labor" in the fall!

FIELD NOTES

Benefits - There are a number of benefits to thinning apples.

1. Once you thin the apples, the remaining fruit have more space to grow, so you get bigger apples.  And, with smaller apples, the core is a larger proportion of the apple.
2. More space leads to more air circulation and sunlight, which in turn leads to better fruit flavor and color.
3. A common reason for fruit rot on the tree is because the fruits are touching each other closely. The decay occurs where they touch, because the skin couldn't breathe. Thinning reduces the chances of this occurring.
4. Less chance of damage to the tree due to overburdened, broken limbs.
5. Since the tree can now support the smaller number of fruits, it is not overburdened with supplying nutrition to the fruits.
6. An over-production of apples one year can negatively impact the production of fruit the following year in some varieties.

How to Thin - Clicking on the Common Delicious photo below, you can view a very good, short video on how to thin.  Though the video does focus on a specific variety of apple, the principles are the same.

Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 27 June 2017

On 06/26/17 at approximately 2:52 PM Douglas County Firefighters responded to a fire burning approximately six miles north of Hwy. 28 on Palisades Road. 

Responders found that approximately five fires were started from lightning strikes.  Terrain made them difficult if not impossible to access. 

Douglas County Deputies and auxiliary members served Level I evacuation notices to about 25 homes.  The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office mobile command post remains staffed and on scene.  

The fire has been burning between MP 4 and MP 8 on Palisades Rd.   The size of the fire has not been speculated on as of yet.

There have not been any reports of injury or property damage up to this point.  Wind has made fighting the fires difficult.

Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 17 June 2017

Valley residents of Douglas County have been the victims of a string of burglaries during the past week. 

On 06/02/17 a resident in the 100 Blk. of 20th St. NE found someone had forced their way in through a back door.  The burglars stole liquor, collectable swords and knives, an i-phone, and two i-pads.  They also vandalized the inside of the house causing thousands of dollars in damage.    

A second nearby residence was also broken into.  Three guns, ammunition, and an i-pad were stolen. 

On 06/09/17 a third burglary occurred in the 2000 Blk. of Ashland where the intruders stole a rifle from an unsecured garage.  

A fourth burglary occurred from an unsecured garage in the 100 Blk. of Wilshire.  The burglars stole medication, carbon fiber motorcycle gloves, and an i-phone charger. 

A fifth burglary occurred on 06/14/17 at Lisa Bee’s fruit stand at the 13000 Blk. of Hwy. 2.  Three cash registers, $1,250 in cash, a Mac laptop computer, and an i-phone 6S were stolen.  There was substantial vandalism inside the business.  A neighbor who lived west of the business said he had seen a suspicious vehicle in the area.  It was a dark or flat black wagon with a very loud exhaust. 

A sixth incident occurred on 06/09/17 at the Grant Missionary Church at the 100 Blk. of S. Kentucky.  A contractor working inside the church saw a grey Z71 pickup backed up to a storage building.  There were two white males near the truck.  When they saw they were being observed they ran to the pickup and fled. 

This spike in burglaries is not usual in Douglas County.  I encourage everyone to be security conscious.  Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.  Try to provide detailed descriptions of suspicious persons or vehicle’s. 

If anyone had information about any of these or other crimes, call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 884-0941 or, after hours, RiverCom dispatch at 663-9911.

Written by Herb Sargo

Published: 14 June 2017

Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 05 June 2017

C#17D-02718:  On 05/26/17 at approximately 8:00 PM Douglas County Deputies heard what they believed was a gunshot in the area of 11th St. and Columbia Ave. in Bridgeport.  They quickly responded to the scene and spotted several people running away from the area.  One person was identified as a possible witness.  He said he observed a male fire a gun into the air.  The person gave a description of subject.  Deputies searched the area and detained one person for a short time.  There was not enough information to link that person to the incident at that time and he was released.  The were no injuries or property damage.  The investigation is continuing. 

C#17D-02754:  On 05/28/17 at 7:00 PM Douglas County Deputies responded to an assault complaint at a business located in the 1100 Blk. of Columbia St. in Bridgeport, WA.  The victim said she was paying for some food when another person in the store started and argument with her.  The antagonist shoved the victim and hit her hard on the side of the head.  The victim’s right ear was red and swollen.  The suspect then left the store.  An eye witness gave the same account of the incident.  The suspect, was positively identified by the victim and the witness.  The Deputy located that suspect,  23 year old Iris Marroquin of Bridgeport, a short distance away.  Marroquin denied any involvement or even being in the store.  She was arrested for Assault 4th degree and transported to the Okanogan County Jail without incident. 

C#17D-02772:  On 05/29/17 at 5:45 PM the Douglas County Deputy received a report from Seattle Air Traffic Control of an incident involving a drone.  The reporting party stated that they were tracking a plane flying at 10,500 feet in the area between Rimrock Meadows and Waterville.  The pilot reported a drone, described as 4 feet long and black, had come so close to his aircraft that he had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.  There was no  information of who was operating the drone when the incident occurred.  There were no injuries or property damage. 

The deputies were extremely busy during Memorial Day weekend and the following week.

Very Respectfully,

Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Written by Jessie Simmons, Executive Director, Historic Downtown Chelan Association

Published: 02 June 2017

The Historic Downtown Chelan Association is excited to announce the kick off to our final fundraising efforts for the Woodin Avenue Landing. The Woodin Avenue Landing is a park that will be located between Campbell’s Resort and the Old Bridge leading down to the public dock in downtown Chelan. Because this area has never been inviting, many locals do not even realize it is public space. Chelan has a limited number of public lake access points, and creating the Woodin Avenue Landing will allow us to take advantage of one that already exists. Downtown Chelan is the heart of our community, and beautifying this space will help create a stronger, more cohesive community.

There is currently $107,000 committed to help make this happen, but some of the committed funding is contingent upon completing the project in 2017. The HDCA must raise $30,000 by August 1st in order to break ground on September 5th and finish the park in 2017. HDCA is a non-profit and all contributions are recognized by the IRS as tax-deductible. All donors will be recognized on a donor plaque located within the park. If you’d like to leave a legacy with a donation to the Woodin Avenue Landing, please call or email HDCA at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 682-4322.

HDCA would like to thank the City of Chelan and Lake Chelan Rotary for their partnership on this project.

Woodin Avenue Landing is the first phase in a multiple phase project called the Gateway Park Project. Any additional money raised during this fundraising campaign will be rolled into the second phase of the Gateway Park Project, which is the area in between B.C. MacDonald’s and Campbell’s Resort Park Room. For more information on Woodin Avenue Landing and HDCA’s other projects, please go to historicchelan.org.

Written by Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal

Published: 28 May 2017

On 05/26/17 at approximately 3:00 AM Douglas County Deputies responded to a vehicle prowl which had just occurred in the 500 Blk of 18th Street in Bridgeport, WA.  The complainant reported that at approximately 2:30 AM his wife awakened him to say she could see someone inside his pickup.  The complainant put his clothes on and went out to confront the subject.  The complainant recognized the person and tried to grab him.  The subject a male resisted and ran.  He got into a vehicle and started to drive away.  The complainant jumped in through an open window and attempted to turn off the vehicle and pull out the keys.  He lost his grip and fell out of the vehicle after a short distance.  He was not injured.  The suspect made off with a stereo subwoofer worth about $800.00.  The identified suspect is still at large and the investigation is continuing. 

While I greatly admire this man’s courage and willingness to draw a line in the sand against criminals, it would have been much safer for him to call 9-1-1 right away.  Mere things are not worth one’s life. 

This weekend we will have extra marine patrols on the river at the north and south end of Douglas County.  I encourage all boaters to make sure you have all required equipment on board and that your vessel is in good working order.  The legal standard for Boating Under the Influence is the same as that for DUI (.08% BAC).   As a matter of public safety, we don’t give warnings for BUI.  Enjoy the holiday, but don’t take chances with your safety and the safety of others.