Newcastle council members, residents condemn hate mail after investigation points to former council member

Mayor Clark opened the Oct. 21 Newcastle City Council meeting as residents and council members continued to respond to recent offensive mail and harassment directed at Council member Sherlock and candidate Andy Jacobs.

The Seattle Times reported on the incident last week, prompting multiple public comments and council remarks at the meeting. Detective Ford of the Newcastle Police Department described the criminal investigation, which involved coordination with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and produced surveillance evidence identifying the sender. Ford said the case produced video from a postal kiosk and other investigative leads and that prosecutors reviewed the evidence; he said some charges were filed in related matters but that prosecutorial thresholds vary by charge.

The issue drew repeated public comment. Andy Jacobs, a council candidate, told council members he and his wife received “hate mail” and thanked Detective Ford and the postal inspector for their work. Council member Sherlock, who also received mail, said she was “extremely thankful for Newcastle Police Detective Ford” and described the community support she and her family had received. Sherlock said she asked that the council not issue a joint statement because she did not want an inauthentic, prepackaged response; she said in part, “I didn't feel like it was appropriate to put out a joint statement, so I asked for that not to happen.”

Mayor Clark read a draft council statement prepared by staff that said, in part, “Hate and harassment have no place here,” and declared the Newcastle City Council “stands firmly with those affected.” Several council members voiced support for public recognition of Detective Ford’s work and for condemning the acts; others said they declined to join a unified statement because they wanted to speak personally or because the affected council member had not agreed to a joint message.

Multiple public commenters urged a citywide condemnation. Luis Cassell and Tam Kameen, among others, asked council leaders to make a public statement about their former endorsement of the person identified by investigators. Council members Charbonneau, Burford, Clay, Griffin and others publicly condemned the mail and described it as “despicable” and “unacceptable.” Deputy Mayor (identified in the record as Lakotia/LaCocchio) said she had endorsed the former council member at the time and would not have done so had she foreseen this behavior.

Detective Ford described how video and flock camera footage helped link a vehicle used in a string of burglaries to a suspect; he said the mailbox/kiosk footage helped identify the person who mailed harassing items and that the Postal Inspection Service provided critical evidence. Ford also outlined limitations prosecutors apply when deciding felony-threat charges, noting that explicit threats are required for some counts. He warned residents about identity-theft and fraud scams that have increased in recent weeks.

Council members and members of the public urged formal recognition of Detective Ford and the Newcastle Police Department for the investigative work. Council did not take a formal vote on a statement at the Oct. 21 meeting; Mayor Clark said a council statement requires unanimity under the city’s council-manager form of government and that staff prepared a draft that had not been sent as an official council proclamation.

The council meeting record shows repeated calls for unity and for condemning harassment, but also documents that at least one targeted council member declined to be part of a staff-drafted joint statement, and that some council members declined to join a single, unified message for reasons they explained during remarks.

Community reaction and the criminal investigation remained active after the meeting; Detective Ford and the Postal Inspection Service were the lead investigative contacts described in the record.