An armed suicide in Quilcene in which a man shot himself in front of Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies, and a residential burglary in Port Hadlock, in which one deputy arrested two suspects without backup, were among the incidents that Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies responded to in December.

Jefferson County Sheriff David Stanko reflected on some of the incidents in a Dec. 26 newsletter to deputies and employees, saying that the previous few weeks had been "difficult for all first responders in Jefferson County."

Stanko noted that deputies and others had taken the time to raise money for the family of the suicide victim.

Stanko, who also said he plans to run for a second four-year term as sheriff, has repeatedly voiced concern about the department's lack of deputies. He reiterated that personnel shortage in his newsletter by describing an incident in which Deputy Brian Anderson arrested two burglary suspects without backup.

"We only had two deputies on duty, one in Quilcene and a sergeant who was busy in Port Townsend," Stanko wrote in his newsletter. "Brian, I thank you for your courage."

SUICIDE IN QUILCENE

Two nearly simultaneous and related reports resulted in a law enforcement response in Quilcene and the Eaglemount area on the afternoon of Dec. 9, according to Deputy Kevin Denney.

At 2:01 p.m., a man called JeffCom 911 to report that a person in a silver SUV was near the Quilcene Community Center, loading a shotgun and advancing toward people.

Two minutes later, JeffCom 911 received a call from a different caller reporting that a family member, who was known to drive a silver SUV, could be suicidal.

Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies were joined by a Washington State Patrol trooper in their initial response to the Quilcene area and their search for the man.

After interviewing the caller from Quilcene and other people in the area, as well as searching the vicinity, deputies were unable to locate any evidence of an armed threat in the area, Denney said.

When deputies located the reported suicidal subject's vehicle on Eaglemount Road, near a locked gate, they were joined by the state trooper and an officer from the Port Townsend Police Department in searching the area.

Denney said deputies located and attempted to contact the man

who, upon seeing the them, shot himself with the shotgun, which the man had purchased that morning.

"He was in a clear-cut area, past a gate," Denney said. "He was off a forest road. Deputies saw him, he turned and saw them, then took his life. A deputy barely had enough time to call out his name. From contact to shot was under 10 seconds."

Denney noted that the investigation is still underway, and the man's identity is being withheld until its release by the coroner's office.

"We know he was recently going through family issues, but I'm afraid I don't know much more than that," Denney said.

When asked what the response protocols are for dealing with an armed and/or suicidal individual, Denney deemed this situation "slightly unique," because of the initial report of a potential shooter in Quilcene.

"The general concept is to locate the subject and establish contact," Denney said. "A deputy or, if available, a crisis negotiator will attempt to bring about a peaceful solution."

Denney said the first priority is the safety of members of the public who may be present in the potential danger zone, with the officers' and subjects' safety being the second priority.

"We are always aware that some suicidal subjects will attempt to make the deputies shoot them, in so-called 'suicides by cop' and may be willing to harm responders to make this happen," Denney said. "That did not occur in this case."

When asked how the responding personnel are being treated in the wake of this incident, Denney explained that "all law, fire and dispatch, as well as any other responding agency" are invited to participate in a critical incident stress management (CISM) debriefing.

"Ongoing counseling is available via a number of avenues, including insurance and public service organizations, if a person desires it," Denney said. "The CISM program can be found online, and has a high rate of success in helping in these kind of incidents."

In addition to sheriff's deputies, the state trooper and the Port Townsend police officer, East Jefferson Fire Rescue personnel were on the scene in the aftermath, to move the man's body into the coroner's vehicle.

"I believe everyone who was there has been involved in similar incidents, though rarely do we witness it firsthand," Denney said. "Often, we'll hear it, or it will occur just before we arrive."

Of those who actually observed the suicide, Denney believes it was the first time they had personally witnessed such an incident.

Stanko credited the first responders with "embracing the family" of the deceased man by raising money for the family's children to be able to celebrate Christmas, which he believes "reflects the love and compassion of our deputies, officers, firefighters and dispatchers for our community and public safety family."

BURGLARY IN PORT HADLOCK

On Christmas Day, JCSO Deputy Brian Anderson responded to a silent residential alarm at 101 Old Oak Bay Road in Port Hadlock, at 11:22 a.m.

In a probable-cause statement Anderson filed that same day, he wrote that he noticed a silver Honda parked near the home, with no snow on the vehicle and fresh tire tracks on the road.

Running the license plate number, Anderson found that it was registered to Jennifer Scribner of Port Hadlock.

Anderson then observed a woman, whom he later identified as Scribner, walking around the closed gate of the house, carrying a blue cloth bag containing items that included duct tape, light bulbs and a caulking gun.

"Scribner said she was coming from a friend's house," Anderson wrote in his statement. "I asked Scribner if there was anyone else in the residence, and she said, 'Yes, Stephanie.'"

"Stephanie" was Stephanie Brown, whom Anderson detained in handcuffs, after doing the same to Scribner.

Anderson wrote in his report that he found Brown leaving through the front door of the house, carrying a plastic tub "full of different items," after he approached the house. He wrote that he also saw a wheelbarrow filled with household items, plus a green-and-red Amazon bag.

"Both suspects walked out the front door," Denney said. "They later admitted to making entry through the same door."

Denney explained that, because of the situation – in which Anderson had no idea if more suspects were near the door, and he had to monitor two suspects at the same time – Anderson ordered Brown to her knees at gunpoint before he handcuffed her.

"It's common to order subjects to their knees, or to lie on the ground, when dealing with multiple subjects, or an unknown number of people," Denney said. "Deputy Anderson did have his firearm out, but he did not use it or any other force."

Scribner and Brown were booked into jail on suspicion of residential burglary and then charged the next day with burglary.

Anderson wrote that he contacted the homeowner, "who advised nobody should be at the house," and expressed willingness to attempt to identify any items in Scribner's vehicle that might have been taken from the home.

As Anderson was observing the house, Denney said, the deputy was waiting for the arrival of other units, which were coming from the South County area.

"During this particular time, there were two deputies and a sergeant covering all of unincorporated Jefferson County on the east end," Denney said. "This often results in deputies handling calls alone, or with fewer resources than other agencies would [have]."

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office currently has four supervising sergeants and 13 deputies covering the east end of the county, with two more on the west end, Stanko said. He added that a five-year staffing level and forecast study, completed by Washington State University in 2016, concluded that the department needs to add seven deputies by 2020.

While the county responded to Stanko's recent request for four more deputies by allotting half of the funds for one deputy by June 2018, that leaves the department to cover the other half of an estimated $140,000 per year cost for that deputy, including that person's salary, vehicle and benefits, Stanko said.

"I believe everyone who was there has been involved in similar incidents, though rarely do we witness it firsthand."

Kevin Denney

DEPUTY JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

If you are suicidal

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 800-273-8255 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

For the Veterans Crisis Line, call 800-273-8255 and press 1, or text 838255. Or go online to va.gov and search "suicide."

The phone number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233, or go online to thehotline.org.

In Jefferson County, victims of domestic violence can also call a 24-hour crisis line, 360-385-5291.

If someone you know is suicidal

Call 911 if someone is talking about taking their life.

An information helpline is offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 800-950-6264, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, or email info@nami.org. For the Jefferson County NAMI chapter, call 360-385-1716.

Discovery Behavioral Healthcare, formerly known as Jefferson Mental Health Services, is located at 884 W. Park Ave. and open to offer assistance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; or by calling 385-0321.