Crime & Courts

Judge protects some evidence in North Mason school suit

A judge has ruled video recordings of a bus ride and a police interview of a kindergartner allegedly abused on the bus by another student are confidential and exempt from public disclosure.

Mason County Superior Court Judge Monty Cobb granted a protective order Aug. 6 in the suit filed by parents of a 5-year-old kindergartner against North Mason School District after video footage showed the child being “sexually and physically abused” by a fifth grade student during a bus ride home, according to the complaint filed April 1 in Mason County Superior Court.

State law allows certain sex offense investigation material to be exempt from public records.

“Based on a description of the video by Mason County, the video footage purportedly captures the 5th grader abusing [child] physically and sexually abusing [child] for thirty-six minutes,” according to a motion for protective order filed by the child’s parents.

“The Mason County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation and took possession of the video recordings. This investigation and subsequent report … describes that [child] is seen crying, shaking her head no repeatedly, pushing the 5th grade boy away, and can be heard sobbing and yelling during the video and audio recording. Mason County also obtained a copy of the forensic interview of [child],” the motion states.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office has the video and forensic interview with the child.

The county asked parties in the suit to obtain an order compelling production of the video and having the materials be subjected to a protective order “given the nature of the video,” according to the motion.

A status conference in the case is set for Oct. 10.

Third time’s a felony for alleged drunken driver

Shelton police arrested an alleged drunken driver on Olympic Highway North who has two previous DUI convictions and was driving without a required interlock device, according to court documents.

Shelton Police Officer Mullins got a call Aug. 6 for a “reckless vehicle” that almost caused a collision, Mullins wrote in a probable cause document.

The vehicle, driven by Shelton resident Rafael Mendoza Matias, 25, was parked at an appliance store when Mullins approached. Mendoza Matias put the car in reverse and then stopped, Mullins wrote.

“I observed Mendoza Matias had bloodshot and watery eyes with dilated pupils. I observed an open container of Modelo beer in the center console of the vehicle,” according to the probable cause document.

“I could smell the odor of alcohol intoxicants emitting from his breath as he spoke,” Mullins wrote.

When the officer ran a records check on Mendoza Matias, he found two other DUI convictions in 2019 and 2021, and a “third disposition in 2023, making this arrest a felony,” the probable cause documents states.

The state Department of Licensing check also showed Mendoza Matias’ license was suspended and an ignition interlock was required, which Mendoza Matias did not have, according to Mullins.

Judge Monty Cobb set Mendoza Matias’ bail at $2,500.

Missing chainsaw leads to alleged assault

A Mason County man shot at two people he suspected of stealing his chainsaw while they were parked in a vehicle on West Skokomish Valley Road on July 30, police say.

Isacc Hernandez and Melissa Lonski told dispatchers they were “pulled over on the side of the road when Alek Sisson, 25, came out of nowhere and started shooting,” according to a probable cause document.

Hernandez said he ducked and immediately put his truck in gear and “took off,” the document states.

Hernandez and Lonski pulled into a dark driveway and waited until they saw Sisson drive by eastbound toward U.S. Highway 101, according to the document.

“According to Isacc, this incident was the result of an argument he and Alek had over a month ago over a chainsaw. Isacc said he bought a saw from somebody and Alek later told him it was his saw that had been stolen from him. Isaac told him at that time that Alek needed to take the issue up with the person who sold the saw to him. Since then, Isacc said he tried unsuccessfully to reach out to Alek about the saw. He did, however, hear rumors that Alek was threatening to kill him,” MCSO Deputy Philpott wrote in the probable cause document.

Lonski told deputies she heard at least three shots. She said she knew about the feud between Hernandez and Sisson, but didn’t take Sisson’s threats seriously “because it seemed excessive to kill somebody over a chainsaw,” according to the document.

Deputies arrested Sisson for first-degree assault.

Charges are pending and Sisson posted $10,000 bail Aug. 6.

Man accused of not registering as sex offender

Police arrested Glenn Allen Miller, 47, a transient who previously lived at Community Lifeline in downtown Shelton, for failing to register as a sex offender the past two years Aug. 1 in Brewer Park, according to court documents.

Miller was convicted of first-degree aggravated sexual assault in Texas in 2000, according to a probable cause document.

He was convicted for failure to register as a sex offender in Mason County in 2022 and then registered his address at Community Lifeline.

Since then, Miller has claimed he is homeless in the Shelton area and told the Pierce County Jail he was living in Pierce County as a transient, the probable cause document states.

State law requires homeless sex offenders to register every week at the county sheriff’s office.

“Miller has failed to register as a sex offender and/or comply with his registration requirements (with any agency) in approximately 2 years,” MCSO Deputy Deroche wrote in the probable cause document.

Miller is being held without bail at the Mason County Jail on charges of felony failure to register as a sex offender.

Tarot reading during blind date ends with woman stabbed

A Vancouver, Washington, woman suffered stab wounds when her Shelton blind date “turned dark” during a tarot reading.

The woman met Sarah “Luna” Carmon, 44, on the Facebook Dating app, according to a Mason County Sheriff’s Office probable cause document.

The women had been messaging on the app for a few months when they agreed to a date Aug. 10 at the Totten Shores residence where Carmon, who lives in Everett, was housesitting, the document states.

The two were “drinking heavily” when Carmon offered to give the alleged victim a tarot reading, according to the document.

“Luna pulled out her tarot cards and began laying out a line of cards,” and then the “situation turned dark,” MCSO Cpl. Anderson wrote in the probable cause document.

Carmon spoke about the victim’s deceased mother and “Luna then began stabbing [victim] in the left side of her body. [Victim] advised she was stabbed three times in the kitchen area of the residence through multiple layers of clothing,” according to Anderson.

Carmon immediately apologized and the victim “told her it was fine/OK and that she just needed to treat her injuries,” the document states.

Officers later viewed the victim’s text messages at the time of the stabbing and she messaged her friend asking for help.

“I observed messages to be various misspelled and sporadic message[s] stating ‘Call 911,’ ‘Help,’ ‘Please help me,’ and ‘She stabbed me,’ ’’ Anderson wrote.

The victim told police she couldn’t remember what happened next, and woke up at dawn in bed lying next to Luna without a shirt on, according to the probable cause document.

The victim immediately left and sought treatment at Mason General Hospital, the document states.

Hospital officials called police.

Officers arrested Carmon on Aug. 11 at the home where she was watching dogs for the homeowners, who were vacationing in Europe.

She is charged with second-degree assault and was released on personal recognizance.

Her arraignment is Aug. 26 before Judge Daniel Goodell in Mason County Superior Court.

■ Compiled by June Williams