Post by Kathleen Melville

The law firm representing Aron Christensen’s estate and family has submitted a complaint to the Washington state Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), requesting an investigation into the 49-year-old Portland man’s death. Christensen was shot in August 2022 while hiking near Walupt Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. He died from his injuries. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer in 2023 declined to file charges against Ethan M. Asbach, the 19-year-old Tenino resident who admitted to firing his father’s 9mm handgun at Christensen, citing a lack of physical evidence at the scene and frustration with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office’s (LCSO) handling of the initial investigation. In his declination letter, Meyer referenced Deputy Andrew G. Scrivner’s failure to preserve the crime scene before the coroner’s arrival. Scrivner called off detectives and moved the bodies of Christensen and his puppy, Buzzo, who had also been fatally shot. The April 10 complaint is also addressed to the Washington state Forensic Investigations Council and the Lewis County Board of Commissioners. In it, attorney Pilar French alludes to the family’s civil claims, but says their desire is “correction and change.” The complaint, French says, is directed against the LCSO, Scrivner, Detective James McGinty, Deputy Sgt. Alan Stull and the Lewis County Coroner’s Office (LCCO). “They request the WSCJTC, the Governor's Office, and the Lewis County Commissioners to investigate and rectify the negligence and/or misconduct of LCSO, LCCO, and their representatives,” the complaint says. Full story: https://shorturl.at/X8zFV