I was intrigued by the front page story in The Chronicle about the trial of a guy named Two Dogs Fasaga (mostly the Two Dogs part), the apparent gruesomeness of the crime he was charged with and the alleged characters involved.
I was also a bit shocked that it could happen here. But times have sadly changed and I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
Someone, allegedly Two Dogs, shot and killed the victim, dismembered him and had other people dispose of the body.
While the story didn’t say, I wondered who these others who were involved might be. And are they loose around here?
Like a lot of other folks, based on comments on The Chronicle’s Facebook page, I was somewhat surprised at the not guilty outcome. In fact, some of the comments were pretty harsh for folks who hadn’t heard all the evidence or may not understand some of the crazy restrictions and rules on cops and courts these days.
However, I’ve known the judge, Andrew Toynbee, for years as a fine man, and very thoughtful, too. His quote that, “Beyond a reasonable doubt is the most stringent standard and most difficult to meet in a court of law” is telling. And we should thank God we live in a country where that is the case, because it’s not in some.
That means, from time to time, we may be shocked or disappointed by a decision made in court.
When Judge Toynbee was a county attorney, I didn’t always agree with decisions he made for us.
But I never thought his decisions were arbitrary or reckless. I found them well-reasoned even if I didn’t like them.
So despite the outcome of this bench decision, I still give him the benefit of the doubt and believe him when he says he just didn’t believe the witness when she testified.
I spent 28 years, sometimes arguing with attorneys to take action on cases, not understanding why they were reluctant to at least give it a shot. There is and always will be a natural tension between courts prosecutors and defense attorneys who are in adversarial roles.
I guess it is supposed to be that way. But that means sometimes the decisions won’t be very satisfying or feel much like justice. It doesn’t mean corruption or some other nefarious reason is to blame.
One of the things I noticed after reading the story, which Judge Toynbee mentioned in his decision, was the failure to call another witness, D.J. Lancaster, to the stand. I asked the reporter who was there if she knew why and she told me he refused to cooperate with the prosecutor or cops.
That’s too bad, but at the same time this looks like a lot of less than fine upstanding citizens were involved making both the investigation, and the prosecution, more difficult.
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As a former (I sometimes say recovering) elected official, I was quite surprised when I read Publisher Chad Taylor’s column last week. I was surprised to see what changes were being made at our senior centers. No prayers? No politics? But they can address LGBTQ+ issues if they want to?
Makes me wonder how they came up with that.
I read that and thought to myself, this might be trouble, especially with seniors like me.
Turns out, I was right, and last Tuesday’s edition of The Chronicle reported there was a protest by seniors who were upset. I have not read the full article in Senior Dynamics, but based on the Lewis County Seniors Board president’s comments Tuesday, she felt the opinion piece didn’t report the whole story.
I don’t know if that’s the case or not.
But I’m white, heterosexual, married to a woman Christian who tries to treat everybody with respect who doesn’t start a conversation about being offended by some perceived slight.
So when I read that political discussions or prayers are off limits, but other far more divisive topics like the LBGTQ+ agenda are allowed, I can only speculate why that might be. And it just might be politics.
It seems to me we should be able to sit around the tables and talk about whatever we want to and be respectful whether we disagree or not. Or sit quietly while someone gives thanks without suffering too much or raising a fuss.
Sadly, respect, like common sense, is hard to find. Raising a fuss, however, is in plentiful supply.
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John McCroskey was Lewis County sheriff from 1995 to 2005. He lives outside Chehalis and can be contacted at musingsonthemiddlefork@gmail.com.
