Shawn Loren Cook, 43, of Lopez Island, is awaiting sentencing in San Juan County Superior Court for the following crimes: sexual assault; two counts of methamphetamine; one count of criminal trespass in the second degree; and resisting arrest.
A warrant was out for Cook’s arrest from March 26, 2019, until a warrant identification hearing was held on Dec. 9, 2019. Cook had allegedly gone to Hawaii.
Methamphetamine, resisting arrest, trespassing charges
On the afternoon of June 24, 2018, deputies spotted a vehicle known to belong to Cook driving north on Olga Road on Orcas Island. The deputy recognized Cook because earlier that day, while he served Cook unrelated civil papers, he learned Cook’s license was suspended out of Hawaii. The deputy stopped Cook’s vehicle and asked him for identification, to which Cook allegedly replied that he must have left it at home. The deputy took Cook into custody for driving with a suspended license.
The deputy went back to the vehicle and, according to the probable cause statement, observed a blue glass pipe on the center console with a leafy substance the deputy assumed to be marijuana. Next to the pipe was a small round container with a “green leafy substance.” The deputy advised Cook he was not allowed to have open marijuana within reach while driving a vehicle to which Cook allegedly said he didn’t know.
After being asked a few times by the deputy, Cook allegedly admitted there was more than just marijuana in the vehicle. Cook reportedly told the deputy that there was a glass pipe inside of a blue pouch between the seats. According to the deputy’s report, the deputy requested permission to retrieve the pipe. Cook allegedly declined to give permission.
Once informed that the deputy could get a search warrant based on the information provided to him by Cook, he allegedly gave the deputy permission to retrieve the pouch. The deputy told Cook he would only be grabbing the pouch.
According to the probable cause statement, the deputy opened the pouch and found multiple cotton swabs and a clear glass pipe with a white and brown residue and a white crystalline substance inside of it. The field test proved positive for methamphetamine, the statement said.
The deputy asked if there was anything else in the vehicle, and Cook allegedly said there was not. The deputy asked Cook when the last time he used methamphetamine was, and Cook reportedly said, “Four days ago.”
On Oct. 31, 2018, Cook was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony. Cook pleaded not guilty.
At approximately 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 9, 2018, a deputy arrived at the Imagine Festival at Doe Bay Resort in an attempt to locate Cook who was wanted on misdemeanor warrants. The deputies were told Cook would be at the event and had previously been issued a trespass warning letter from the resort in June 2018.
The security crew informed deputies they had several incidences with Cook that night. They located him and delivered him to deputies. As they attempted to restrain him, he allegedly resisted arrest. When the deputies attempted to place Cook in the back of the patrol car, he struggled to break free and ran toward a wooded area. The deputies were able to gain control of Cook and get him into the vehicle.
In Cook’s possession was a black fanny pack, according to the probable cause statement. The pack held a smaller black pouch that allegedly contained a small, clear ziplock baggy containing a white crystalline substance. Also in the fanny pack was a clear glass pipe, according to deputies. Both the pipe and the substance in the baggy allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine in field tests. The resort later requested that Cook be criminally trespassed from the property.
For this incident, on March 26, 2019, Cook was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony; criminal trespass in the second degree, a misdemeanor; and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty.
Assault charge
Cook pleaded guilty to assault in the third degree, a class C felony, on Feb. 3 for crimes committed in 2018.
On Oct. 17, 2018, a victim reported to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office that she had been sexually assaulted. She said that during two occasions, what started as consensual sexual intercourse with Cook turned violent resulting in serious bodily injury to the victim.
Cook was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet and to have no contact with the victim. He is being evaluated for whether he qualifies for a special sex offender sentencing alternative. The court will determine whether he qualifies for this alternative after reviewing the evaluation information at 9 a.m. on March 2. This option may be granted in lieu of a prison sentence under certain conditions. It requires some jail time in conjunction with outpatient treatment and supervision.
According to the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, offenders who receive alternative sentencing have lower violent felony and felony sex crime recidivism rates.
To qualify, the offender must be convicted of a crime other than rape in the second degree; plead guilty to said crime with admittance of guilt; have no prior convictions for felony sex offenses; have no prior violent offenses as an adult within five years of the latest offense; the latest offense did not cause substantial bodily harm to the victim; the offender’s standard sentence range is fewer than 11 years; a determination by the court about whether the offender is amenable to treatment; and the offender has an established relationship or connection to the victim. An examination by an expert witness will help the court determine whether the sentencing alternative is an option for Cook’s case.
Cook’s criminal history includes having an open liquor container in a moving vehicle; assault in the fourth degree; driving with a suspended license in the second degree; marijuana possession of less than or equal to 40 grams; criminal trespass in the first degree; attempted theft in the second degree; giving false information to a peace officer; vandalism; criminal contempt of court; and criminal property damage in the fourth degree.
