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	Washington State Briefs The Associated Press, carried in KGW April 19, 2006 http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8H2R8P02.html Seven sailors charged with assaulting and hazing a crewmate face the possibility of a dishonorable discharge and up to a year in the brig. More likely, however, if the victim suffered no serious injury, they will face dishonorable discharge and a few months of confinement, according to an attorney who has represented defendants in a number of high-profile military cases. The Navy referred charges against the seven sailors to a special courts-martial, which limits penalties for all offenses to no more than 12 months of confinement, said Virginia-based lawyer Charles Gittins, a Naval Academy graduate and former Marine Corps aviator. Five sailors were charged Friday with hazing and assaulting a crew member on the fast-attack submarine Columbus during more than 14 months at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard beginning in January 2005. A sixth sailor, a chief petty officer, is accused of failing to stop the abuse. A seventh is charged with pointed a loaded gun once at another crew member and lying about it to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service office. The victim reported in March to Naval Base Kitsap security that, among other things, one or more of the five poured rubbing alcohol on his clothes and set fire to them, hit him in the head with a wrench and pointed a loaded gun at him more than once. SHELTON, Wash. — Mason County has its first permanent emergency shelter, which will house as many as 32 people on nights when temperatures fall below freezing. County residents donated more than $17,000 so St. David's Episcopal Church in Shelton could buy and install a fire alarm system. The county previously permitted an emergency shelter at the church under special conditions because there was no fire alarm system, as required by the city building code. During the winter of 2004, a city permit required a fire monitor to stay overnight when the church's parish hall was used as a homeless shelter. This past winter, the county did not have an emergency shelter because of a miscommunication between the city and the church. At one point officials discussed the idea of busing homeless people to Thurston County. St. David's also recently added a year-round community meals service on Saturday and Sunday nights when the local soup kitchen doesn't operate. YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A former youth pastor who used his church computer to try and arrange for sex with a fictitious 12-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. As part of his plea deal, James Cannel will be sentenced to no more than five years, 11 months in federal prison. Cannel entered his plea in U.S. District Court. Cannel, 45, was originally charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in May. The indictment included charges that Cannel received and distributed child pornography and received and distributed obscenity. He was arrested in February 2005. The third count sought the forfeiture of a camera, computers and compact discs sized from Selah Covenant Church when Cannel was arrested by Seattle police. Cannel worked at the church for about four months but resigned shortly after his arrest. Officers said he used a church computer to try to arrange sex with a detective posing as a 12-year-old boy. Cannel then fled the area and was arrested July 19 in San Mateo, Calif. According to the plea agreement, Cannel told investigators he had between five and 10 pornographic images on his church computer and would trade them over the Internet. Searches of his home turned up another 100 to 150 similar images on compact discs. As part of the plea, Cannel must register as a sex offender and avoid unsupervised contact with children. He's scheduled to be sentenced July 6. SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Spokane man convicted of drug dealing has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, federal authorities said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Lonny R. Suko sentenced 32-year old Raul S. Zavala, who was convicted in January of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and use of a cellular telephone to facilitate a felony. Because Zavala had two prior felony drug convictions, federal law calls for a mandatory minimum life sentence without possibility of parole for the third conviction, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice said Tuesday. Zavala's lawyer, Frank Cikutovich, was out of town Tuesday and unable to comment on whether the sentence will be appealed, his office said. Zavala was arrested by a regional drug task force on April 29, 2005, with two pounds of methamphetamine that prosecutors allege he intended to sell to a confidential informant. In 1996, Zavala was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In 1998, he was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and delivery of methamphetamine. OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Three companies accused of defrauding a defunct Washington state insurer were sued Tuesday by the state insurance commissioner, who is liquidating the former Cascade National Insurance Co. The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks damages of more than $10 million, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said in a statement. The suit alleges that investors who promised to bail out the struggling Bellevue-based insurer didn't fulfill their side of the deal, leaving Cascade National with obligations it couldn't cover. Three firms are specifically named in the suit, along with their principals: Kentucky-based Midwest Merger Management LLC, American Staff Resources of California, Inc., and Certified Services, Inc. The lawsuit also seeks damages from 10 unknown "John Doe" companies and individuals associated with them, Kreidler said.
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