Commissioner's investigation strikes nerve

"Towne Road supporter" puts county on notice

This coming Tuesday’s Clallam County Commissioners’ meeting could take a lively turn during public comment. A CCwatchdog subscriber has sent the following letter to Commissioners Ozias, Johnson, and French as well as Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols and Sheriff Brian King.

Towne Road does not appear on this week’s agenda; however, you may wish to attend in person or via zoom.

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

10:00am

Board of Clallam County Commissioners meeting

Port Angeles Courthouse, Room 160

Commissioner Ozias.

Attached is the email chain from a Public Records Request that reveals your clandestine use of Clallam County resources to launch a "criminal investigation" of me as a "Towne Road follower" based on spurious, outrageous, and highly inaccurate claims from your single landowner supporter in your efforts to derail Towne Road.  As has become a pattern with your actions around what should have been a straightforward project completion, you did not use your power within the County in a transparent manner.  Instead, you used the resources of the elected officials above, and others within the criminal justice system not copied here, to look into "Towne Road followers" for no other reason than we support the commitments made by Clallam County that you have attempted to derail multiple times.  You failed to inform those being investigated that you and others were taking such actions.

For the record, I am a "Towne Road follower."  There, I have admitted that I have been a Towne Road user for many years, and I have maintained support for the Towne Road project launched in 2015 which included Towne Road remaining open.  I continue to support Towne Road remaining open.  You and the other commissioners have commented multiple times that you appreciate taxpayer involvement in the Clallam County administration process during the multiple public appropriate meetings weekly.  Were these comments only meant for the identification of the "Towne Road followers" for your clandestine investigation?  It is apparent that the promised movement to create transparent governing from the Clallam County Courthouse, that all Clallam County Taxpayers seek, has not begun.

I am not sure I agree with the accusations you are pursuing against me and all "Towne Road followers".

1. "stealing locks from the gates"

2. "Sheriff tracking on a variety of issues"

3. "online personal attacks"

4. "in person vandalism"

5. "stalking and trespassing"

6. "destruction of property"

7. "gates to the levee have been further vandalized"

8. "meeting I hosted at the Dungeness Schoolhouse"

9. "one of the metal posts to the gate on Sequim-Dungeness Way was apparently hand dug up"

10. "shout obscenities at our young children on our driveway"

After these unfounded, unsubstantiated, unreasonable, and untrue accusations against me you, Commissioner Ozias, emailed Sheriff King advising him . . . "The latest… thank you for your attention to this matter which continues to escalate."  It is fair to me to point out that in order for anything to escalate (criminal activity not excluded) it would have to have occurred.  I assure you, the absolute lack of evidence to support any of these accusations should prove to an investigator like Sheriff King, they never occurred.

Let me address the specific allegations against me personally,

1. It is absolutely impossible for me to steal locks from the gates that I have never, ever, even once, been within twenty feet (or more) from them.

2. This is my favorite because it suggests I am being tracked on a variety of issues for which I have no knowledge.  Bring it Commissioner Ozias.

3. I believe Sheriff King found none of these from anyone during his "scouring" of postings, and I support his findings.

4. I am not sure how one would accomplish vandalism other than "in person," but I do know I have never committed vandalism anywhere, anytime, in-person or otherwise.

5. This would be very difficult for me as I have never been closer to any of the landowner's property ever then when I used to drive by the wooden sign off of the old Towne Road location on my often-daily trips and when I would admire the beautiful old barn from Sequim-Dungeness Way and notice the “Mark Ozias for Commissioner” sign in the field.  The only time I have physically been within arm’s length of the landowner is in the Commissioners' meeting room in Port Angeles, period.

6. Other than items on my own property, intentionally or unintentionally, I have never destroyed any property.

7. I have NEVER been on the levee from either end as it has a sign telling me I am not allowed, and I am the individual who does not cross an empty crossing with no cars in sight unless I have the green walk sign, so I have never been anywhere near the gates at any point on the levee and never been on the levee.

8. Ahhh, the meeting I hosted at the Dungeness School House at capacity without a single elected county official in attendance even though they were all invited.  [Commissioner Ozias, you could have got the names of over 100 "Towne Road followers" at that event and had your clandestine internal legal and law enforcement investigation begin that much sooner].  I paid for the rent, I brought the sweets, the coffee, and the tea, I manned the door (as Bob gave me specific instructions how to manage the event did not feel comfortable having the schoolhouse door unlocked in the dark, even at 5:00 pm).  I opened the door for each arrival and greeted them all.  No nefarious individuals. No shovels, no other untold items other than smiling faces of neighbors and new individuals from other areas of Clallam County that went upstairs and talked among themselves for a couple of hours.  They left individually while we followed all of Bob's admonitions about the status of the kitchen, the stacking of the chairs.  My wife and I then went home to dinner with our son without stopping for any lock stealing or gate vandalism.

9. Since I have not been near the gates or on the levee ever, it would be impossible for me to have the opportunity to dig up the gate.  Also, it should be noted that if I were digging up a cemented post anywhere, I would most likely still be there digging.

10. This is offensive.  Since I have never been on the landowner's driveway, this would be impossible beyond my inability to do what I have been accused of to any child or most adults.  This is childishly absurd.

Commissioner Ozias, I will be in the audience at the Working Session on Monday and during the BoCC meeting on Tuesday this week and will be speaking during the public comment period.  I only advise you of this so you can inform your clandestine investigation team that I will be on the premises and would be delighted to volunteer for an interrogation in the basement or wherever the secret interrogations occur when performed at the Clallam County Courthouse.

Thomas Ash