Hit and run arrest
From the Ocean Shores Police Dept.:
A 46 year old Lynnwood man is in custody at Grays Harbor County Jail for the January 19th Injury Hit and Run Accident that occurred on Pt. Brown Avenue in Ocean Shores. Ocean Shores Police were able to obtain information from witnesses that led to the identification of the suspect vehicle and driver. An arrest warrant was issued for Michael Bourgette of Lynnwood for Vehicular Assault and Hit and Run Injury Accident. Lynnwood Police arrested Bourgette at his residence on the warrant on 1/27/1. The suspect vehicle was seized and a warrant has been obtained for the search of the vehicle. Information indicates that Bourgette had been drinking prior to the incident and he currently has bail set at $250,000. The victim, William Avery, remains in Harborview Hospital with extensive injuries.
Update on bank robber, hit-and-run
Russ Fitts, Dep. Chief of the Ocean Shores Police Dept., says the suspect in this week’s bank robbery “was a white male. It was almost impossible to tell but witnesses remembered one small area on his body that flesh showed and it was light complected. Also he was last seen on the northwest corner of Pt. Brown and Ocean Shores Blvd and heading westbound on Ocean Shores Blvd on the north side in the direction of the Days Inn.
Additionally, his clothing now is described as a dark blue hooded rain jacket and not a hooded sweatshirt, dark baseball hat with light colored bill, blue jeans and tan slip on shoes.
“No other info.
“We are still looking for witnesses to the possible accident that occurred on in front of Cadillac Jack’s around 10 pm on Tuesday. The victim is still in Harborview.”
Bank robbery photo 2
Robbery photos
Possible hit-and-run last night
From the OSPD:
On 1/19/10 at approximately 10pm Ocean Shores Police responded to a report of man lying in the roadway in the 800 block of Pt. Brown Ave NW, near Cadillac Jacks. Upon arrival police found a 33-year old Ocean Shores man with serious injuries to his back and side. The man was treated by Ocean Shores fire personnel and transported to Grays Harbor Community Hospital and later airlifted to Harborview. The man was unable to be interviewed and it is unknown at this time if he was the victim of a hit and run traffic collision. The Ocean Shores Police are asking anyone with information on this incident to call them at 289-3331.
O.S. bank robbery yesterday
From the Ocean Shores Police Dept.:
The Ocean Shores Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred at Twin Star Credit Union, 900 Pt. Brown Ave NE, on Tuesday, January 19 at 5:30pm. Bank employees reported that a lone, masked gunman came into the credit union just before closing. The gunman herded the employees to the back of the credit union and forced them to open the vault. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the gunman order the employees out of the building and had them lock the door behind them. He then told the employees to walk to the nearest house, where they could call police. The gunman then fled across Pt. Brown Ave onto Ocean Shores Blvd on foot. No employees were injured. Ocean Shores Police called in off duty personnel in an effort to contain the escape route of the suspect while awaiting K-9 units from the Hoquiam Police Department and the Grays Harbor Sheriffs Office. After an extensive search of the area no suspect was located.
The gunman was described as a male, approximately 6’2’, slightly heavy set last seen wearing a long sleeve blue sweatshirt, blue jeans, brown shirt, a blue mask and gloves. The gunman was carrying a handgun.
Anyone with information can contact Det Chris Iversen or Deputy Chief Russ Fitts at 360-289-3331.
Poacher sentenced
A 35-year-old Ocean Shores man must serve a year in jail for a misdemeanor hunting charge after allegations he helped chase down a deer with a car and kill it with a knife.
Deputy prosecutor Gordon Wright said James J. Breslin Jr. was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 365 days in county jail and about $3,200 in fines for unlawful hunting of big game.
“I’m satisfied with the outcome,” Wright said.
Crime spree
From the Ocean Shores Police Dept.:
The Ocean Shores Police Department is investigating a series of commercial burglaries that occurred between January 1 and January 2, 2010. The burglaries occurred to neighboring businesses in the 700 block of Pt. Brown Ave NW. The Dusty Trunk and Celebrate the Seasons were entered and cash taken from the cash registers. The adjacent Amici Building was also entered with Coldwell Banker and the Flying Cats experiencing a loss of cash and two televisions. There were no signs of forced entry and the buildings were found locked when employees arrived. The Ocean Shores Police Department asks anyone with information to please call Det. Iversen at 289-3331.
Details on murder solicitation charges
By Jacob Jones
A 52-year-old Ocean Shores man allegedly offered cash and an Acura sedan in exchange for the murder of his wife of 20 years.
The Grays Harbor Prosecutor’s Office has charged James E. Morris with solicitation to commit murder in the first degree after he allegedly tried to hire an undercover detective as a hit man last week.
Court records stated Morris recently approached a friend about hiring someone to kill his estranged wife, another Ocean Shores man and burn down the man’s house. An undercover detective recorded a meeting with Morris on Dec. 22, outlining his requests.
“The defendant stated that he wanted to wait … until he had some money to set things in motion and offered to give (the detective) his wife’s Acura sedan and $2,500 cash,” court records stated. “He stated that he wanted to wait a while, but that he wanted it done.”
Murder solicitation up-date
According to Grays Harbor County jail information, James Elmer Morris was arrested by the Sheriff’s Department and booked on Tuesday for solicitation to commit murder. He is being held on $500,000 bail.

