Across Clallam County, troubling stories are unfolding in plain sight — a prowler frightening families in Carlsborg, harm reduction policies kept “under the radar,” duplicate ballots in a public election, drug deals outside the courthouse, and bureaucratic blunders wasting taxpayer money. Yet residents searching local media outlets for answers often find… nothing. Instead, the reporting is happening on Facebook threads, neighborhood pages, and comment sections. In a functioning democracy, journalists ask the hard questions and keep the public informed. Increasingly in Clallam County, ordinary citizens are doing that job themselves.
In the podcast: Public comment highlights from Tuesday’s county commissioners’ meeting.
A Community Terrorized — And No One Reporting It
Reports began circulating on social media Friday about a man behaving erratically in Carlsborg. What residents described was alarming. One local parent wrote that while driving with her children near the corner of Carlsborg and Runnion, she saw a man in a ditch near the new fence acting wildly and appearing to be under the influence.
The encounter shook her family. Her 13-year-old daughter, frightened by what she saw, later asked that everyone sleep with their bedroom doors open that night — something she had never asked before. The same man was reportedly seen again Saturday evening at the Carlsborg Chevron, approaching customers while clearly out of control and running through the store to the bathrooms.
As residents compared notes online, the reports multiplied. One person saw him kneeling near the business park sign waving across the road. Another said he had frightened the clerk at Chevron so badly another customer chased him away. Others reported that he tried to enter an office building, leading employees to permanently trespass him from the property.
More sightings followed. He appeared at the AM/PM, was found sleeping at a snowboard manufacturing business, and reportedly attempted multiple break-ins at Olympic Disposal before being trespassed again. Surveillance footage was provided to the Sheriff’s Office. Throughout the day he allegedly threw trash and debris into Carlsborg Road and later entered the Old Mill Cafe before leaving when police failed to arrive in time.
Residents believe drugs were involved. But the biggest questions remain unanswered: where did this man come from, where is he now, and why did residents have to piece together the warnings themselves on Facebook?
Where’s the media?
“Under the Radar” Government
Another revealing moment occurred at last month’s Board of Health meeting — the same meeting where Dr. Allison Berry suggested that residents picking up discarded needles are committing theft.
During the discussion, a county staff member acknowledged that harm reduction efforts had intentionally been kept quiet. “For a long time, like Dr. Berry said, we were keeping harm reduction a little bit under the radar to keep it more private and it clearly — the public needs to understand more of what’s going on there, so we’re looking at ways to do that.”
Think about that for a moment.
The department responsible for public health openly admitted in front of the county commissioners that it had intentionally kept aspects of its program “under the radar.” And the response from the elected officials overseeing them? Silence.
Residents are now being told that an education campaign, with a hired Public Information Officer, may be launched to correct public misunderstandings. But when the government itself admits it intentionally kept the public in the dark, people naturally begin to wonder whether the real problem is misinformation — or the lack of transparency in the first place.
Listen to the statement by clicking here and advancing to 1:17:00.
What Parents and Children Saw
Families arriving at a downtown Port Angeles ballet studio yesterday were met with a troubling scene on the sidewalk outside. Parents and children waiting to enter watched as a man — appearing to be in the middle of a drug or mental health crisis — struggled on the sidewalk nearby. Police were called.
Photos taken shortly afterward show where the man may have been staying — tucked into the alcove of a nearby business that is now left to deal with the aftermath. Scattered across the ground were condoms, gauze, a tourniquet, sponges, syringes, and other debris.
Most of those items appear to be the same supplies distributed through the county’s harm reduction program.
The question residents are asking is straightforward: looking at these images, does this look like harm is being reduced — for the community or for the person trapped in addiction on that sidewalk?
Election Confusion: Two Ballots for One Voter?
The Clallam Conservation District election has become the county’s most confusing election. This year, it may have become even more troubling.
One resident reported receiving two separate ballots — one delivered to their home address and another sent to their post office box. Both ballots were addressed to the same person.
When they mentioned it to a friend, they discovered something similar had happened there as well: one ballot arrived at the residence while another appeared at the couple’s P.O. box. The family is now monitoring both mailboxes to see if additional duplicates arrive.
Naturally, the questions follow. If duplicate ballots are being mailed, what safeguards exist to prevent someone from voting twice? How are ballots being tracked? Who is responsible for ensuring election integrity?
The CCD election is already notoriously difficult for voters to participate in, with many residents saying ballots are hard to obtain in the first place. Now the conversation has shifted to something even more concerning: the possibility that some voters are receiving multiple ballots while others struggle to get one at all.
“Reasonably Believe” You’re Registered?
Clallamity Jen — a meme-maker and community researcher — noticed something unusual while filling out her CCD ballot.
The attestation language states that the voter certifies, “I reasonably believe that I am a registered voter.”
That phrasing raised eyebrows.
Being a registered voter is not normally a matter of belief or interpretation. Either someone is registered, or they are not — something typically verified through official voter rolls and voter identification cards.
The wording struck Clallmity Jen as oddly loose for an election certification statement. After all, under penalty of perjury, the voter isn’t certifying that they are registered — only that they reasonably believe they are.
The discovery sparked questions about how the election system verifies eligibility and whether the language differs from that used in standard county elections.
Another Out-of-Town Criminal
On Monday, 49-year-old Brian Leslie Walters was arrested in Clallam County as a fugitive from justice. He faces charges including making false statements, malicious mischief, and burglary.
Eight years ago, a man with the same name and matching age was sentenced in Texas after pleading guilty to breaking a deputy sheriff’s nose during an arrest. In that case, Brian Leslie Walters of Canton, Texas received a 15-year prison sentence, with an additional five years added due to a prior burglary conviction.
Now the same name surfaces again — this time 2,200 miles away.
Residents increasingly feel that the County has become a soft landing spot. Whether that perception is accurate or not, the pattern fuels frustration among locals already concerned about rising crime and public safety.
Drug Deals in the Shadow of the Courthouse
One engaged subscriber recently sent in a photograph documenting what she says she has witnessed twice in the past two weeks.
According to the resident, a blue vehicle has repeatedly pulled up to conduct small curbside drug transactions directly in front of the encampment that appeared outside the county’s Health and Human Services building last weekend.
She reported the activity to Port Angeles police, who called her back and expressed frustration about the situation.
The location makes the image even more striking. Straight ahead in the photograph sits the white facade of the Clallam County jail. Off to the right is what locals increasingly refer to as the “UnSafeway.”
In other words, alleged drug dealing is occurring within sight of both the courthouse and the jail.
If a private citizen with a cell phone can document this pattern, residents ask, why aren’t agencies like OPNET, county leadership, or the harm reduction program acknowledging the connection between supply, demand, and the open-air drug activity many residents say they now see daily?
The “Septic Sandra” Aftermath
Remember the county’s confusing septic inspection campaign — nicknamed by some residents as the “Septic Sandra” debacle?
New information suggests the situation may have been even worse than initially reported.
One resident recently contacted their septic inspection company after receiving a county card suggesting their inspections were not up to date. The company assured them that inspections had indeed been submitted — but revealed something startling.
According to the inspector, the reports exist, but the county cannot currently access them.
The reason? The county’s previous database communicated with the inspection reporting system called onlineRME. But the new Tyler software platform used by the county does not yet integrate with that system.
Until new coding is developed — something that may not occur until late next year — the inspection data remains effectively locked away.
Meanwhile, the mass-mailed cards caused widespread confusion. They were reportedly sent to homeowners who were already compliant, residents connected to sewer systems, and even people living in areas without septic systems at all.
The result: angry calls to inspection companies and taxpayers wondering how much money was spent mailing notices based on data the county can’t even access.
When Officials Go Silent
When public officials stop communicating, people naturally begin to speculate.
One reader posted a lengthy comment reflecting the kind of concerns many residents quietly discuss but rarely see addressed publicly.
I believe that JKT [Jamestown Tribe] and the commissioners knew this. In enough time, it would increase revenue for JKT (in which the commissioners may be otherwise invested...?) while building other income ventures and receiving grants. Over time property values will deflate and selling difficult. They will be there to purchase at deflated rates and, eventually, they will contol the majority of the real estate around. At which time they will increase their business opportunities, decrease competition, rent to their workforce (keeping them dependent and controlled). We are giving up parks to them, real estate is being destroyed or taken over by strong-arm measure like property condemnation or issues in getting permits to upgrade septic or otherwise (who was that woman out east of Sequim?) or all out destruction (Towne Rd.).
I get calls periodically to do electrical jobs that are involved in “issues”. Existing wells that have to be reviewed before permits can be issued for new home construction at the price of $5,800+ and being managed by our wonderful water stewards that the DNR hired and they take as long as they want to get those approvals. People who have just bought property that was “inspected”, but issues were “missed” and it’s up to the new owner to fix it and pay the bill. The city of Sequim seems to be aligning with the new ADU rules, but the county is reluctant to come up to the Washington State standard, making it hard for property owners to make their land “work for them”.
I see too many issues that point to JST just taking over everything, literally. It’s just a matter of time. Maybe we SHOULD move out. How can we change this juggernaut of money making, power mongering, and control?
Readers are encouraged to explore the comment sections of CC Watchdog articles themselves, where residents frequently share observations, experiences, and questions that are rarely addressed elsewhere.
The Revolving Door of Arrests
At Monday’s work session, the Sheriff’s Office presented statistics that illustrate the scale of repeat offending in Clallam County.
During the final six months of last year, 125 repeat offenders accounted for a significant portion of arrests.
Of those individuals, 88 were arrested twice, 28 were arrested three times, 6 were arrested four times, and three individuals were arrested five times in just a six-month period.
These repeat arrests were part of 763 total new incarcerations during that six-month window.
That averages to roughly 127 arrests per month — more than four arrests every day.
The numbers paint a picture of a system cycling the same individuals through the jail repeatedly. Yet outside of the sheriff’s presentation, little sustained discussion has occurred publicly about the policy failures driving that cycle.
Staying and Fighting
It has become harder for those who remain in Clallam County to argue with friends and neighbors who have chosen to leave.
Housing pressures, rising taxes, crime concerns, and government transparency issues have all contributed to a sense of frustration among many longtime residents.
But the next three years could reshape the county’s direction.
This August primary and November general election, voters will have the opportunity to elect Jake Seegers to represent District 3 on the Board of County Commissioners — restoring a voice many residents feel has been missing. In 2027, District 1 will be up for election. In 2028, District 2 will follow.
Imagine what Clallam County could look like under leadership focused on transparency, accountability, and common-sense governance.
For those who care about this place, the choice is simple: stay engaged, ask questions, and keep pushing for answers.
If there is anywhere worth fighting for, it’s right here in Clallam County.
