Local Digest
Inquiry clears Monroe priest

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The Seattle Archdiocese announced yesterday that the Rev. Michael C. OBrien would resume his pastoral duties at St. Mary of the Valley Parish in Monroe.

The archdiocese had placed OBrien on administrative leave last month while it investigated an old allegation that the priest had sexually abused a minor.

OBrien, who denied the allegation, was accused in 1993 of sexually abusing a teenage boy during a canoe trip.

At the time, the archdiocese placed OBrien, then pastor of St. John's Catholic Church in Vancouver, Wash., on leave and reported the allegation to civil authorities.

A subsequent investigation by Mason County authorities was dropped for reasons that are unclear, said archdiocesan spokesman Greg Magnoni.

A recent investigation by the church's case-review board, which is charged with deciding accused priests' suitability for ministry, raised questions of whether the original investigation was adequate.

Auburn man killed, two hurt in collision on Highway 7

GRAHAM, Pierce County — An Auburn man was killed and two people were injured Friday night in a collision on Highway 7 near 220th Street East.

State Patrol troopers said the crash occurred around 7 p.m. as Dickie Ventura, 33, attempted to turn in front of a vehicle driven by 39-year-old Teresa Garcia of Graham.

Ventura died at the scene. Garcia and her 15-year-old son, whose injuries were not life-threatening, were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.
 
All three had been wearing seat belts.

Woman missing after boat capsizes on Columbia River

CAMAS, Clark County — Divers searched yesterday evening for a 27-year-old woman missing in the Columbia River after an 18-foot boat capsized near this town east of Vancouver.

Five people were on board, including four adults and a 20-month-old baby, KING-TV reported.

Four were rescued by passing boaters. They were transported to Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, Ore., to be treated for hypothermia.

No information was immediately available on their conditions.

Man found dead on tracks is identified as Tacoman

TACOMA — A man found dead along the railroad tracks in Tacoma last week has been identified as James Deffenbaugh, 36, of Tacoma.

Investigators with the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office used fingerprints to identify the body, which they believe had been there at least a week.

No cause of death has been determined, though police have said there was no sign of foul play.

Times staff and news services.