Editor’s Notes: How Illegal Gambling Helped Fund Law and Order in Lewis County – Centralia Chronicle

Crime most often comes at a cost to taxpayers.

From the act itself, which can rob someone of everything from property to their very life, to the incarceration that follows, which is paid for by taxpayers, illegal actions carry financial consequences for the public.

Thats one interesting element in the arrest of Ron Elhi, a former Chehalis man who avoided authorities for nearly a decade after skipping town in the wake of an investigation into a multimillion dollar gambling operation.

Alas, time ran out for Elhi, who was nabbed at the Nicaraguan border and shipped to the United States to be held accountable in Lewis County Superior Court.

The Washington State Gambling Commission seized about $4.8 million from banks associated with the illegal online gambling operation. Per the letter of the law, a cut of that sum went to the Lewis County Prosecutors Office and the Chehalis Police Department, both of which had assisted in the investigation.

I was very surprised to see them come walking in with a check, former Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden told me back in 2010.

The police department and the prosecutors office each received more than $600,000 to put toward combatting fraud and enforcing the law.

It might be a rare case where crime does pay, fortunately not for the criminal in this case.

Interestingly, the man who hid from authorities for nearly a decade was released on $10,000 unsecured bail this week. Im guessing prosecutors have some sort of assurance Im unaware of he wont flee, because I cant think of a greater flight risk than a man who once had access to millions of dollars and was arrested after years hiding in a foreign country.

I dont think hes a violent guy, Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said this week. He doesnt have a passport he cant go anywhere.

When someone asks if I played sports in high school, Ill immediately note that I received All League honorable mention for my prowess at the plate as a member of the Forks High School baseball team.

I may or may not mention the fact that it was for the position of designated hitter as I was a less than adequate (terrible, actually) fielder, and I certainly wont let it slip that there were only two designated hitters in the entire league (the other made the All League team and was not simply honorably mentioned).

A skilled athlete, I was not.

That embarrassing bit of personal trivia is a segue into inviting all who have interest in local prep athletics to the first Athletes of the Year awards at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at the brand spanking new TransAlta Commons on the Centralia College campus. The Chronicle and its burgeoning prep sports website LewisCountySports.com are hosting the event, which is meant to act as additional recognition for student athletes in the greater Lewis County area.

Coverage of youth athletics is a point of pride in our newsroom. We dedicate more people and resources to prep sports than any newspaper our size in the region.

We dont make it to all the games, but we try to be calculated and fair when it comes to deciding where we send our reporters and photographers each day.

Im not aware of another local newspaper that will use the entire front page to celebrate a state championship, pushing all the news of the day to the inside of the edition to allow local youths to shine on the most prime real estate each edition has to offer.

The Athletes of the Year awards are meant to be an expansion of our existing dedication to covering the successes of hard-working area youths.

If you cant make it, no worries. Well have a special section announcing the finalists and winners for the awards in Thursdays edition of The Chronicle.

Eric Schwartz is the editor of The Chronicle. He can be reached at 360-807-8224 or eschwartz@chronline.com.

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Editor's Notes: How Illegal Gambling Helped Fund Law and Order in Lewis County - Centralia Chronicle