High School Basketball: County prosecutor links Mark Morris sex abuse investigation to basketball team
Up The Chain – Cowlitz Prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen says Clark County will handle any charging decision related to Longview police inquiry
By Jordan Nailon and Andre Stepankowsky / blastzonenews@gmail.com
Prep Basketball / Report
Any criminal charging decision arising from a Longview police investigation at Mark Morris High School will be handled by the Clark County Prosecutor.
Cowlitz County Prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen said he is recusing his office from the case, which opened Monday when Longview police received a formal complaint involving the Mark Morris basketball team.
It is the first time any official has formally linked what police call a sex abuse investigation to the basketball team, although the connection has been an open secret since last week.
“Because members of my office, including myself, have prior personal connections with potential victims or others who may have been associated with this incident, an independent review of the investigation is necessary,” Jurvakainen said in a press release issued Wednesday.
“Once the Longview Police Department has completed its investigation, the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will review the evidence and determine whether criminal charges are appropriate,” the release says.
The Monarchs played without at least four regular varsity players during a home game against Washougal on February 3, with one varsity senior notably was left out of the Senior Night festivities. Mark Morris was missing the same contingent of players in a home against R.A. Long on Friday, February 5, leading to increased speculation regarding the circumstances of those extended absences.
Longview School District spokesman Rick Parrish and head Monarch basketball coach Ken Kelly did not return calls requesting comment Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Previously, following that Civil War contest, Kelly declined to speak directly to the nature of the incident in question, or to provide specifics regarding the eligibility of the missing players.
“All I can say is there’s two facets to anything,” Kelly said. “If it is disciplinary in some way, the school has the opportunity to wage any discipline that they feel is necessary – but I as a coach have the ability to run my program the way that I want to run it and if I feel that other discipline may be needed at different stages of the situation, I have no problem doling that out.”
Kelly, who is in his second year as head coach of the Monarchs, also pushed back on the notion that any adult in the program has failed to respond adequately to reports of abuse.
“People can argue what I do in terms of game strategy and what not, but I’ll have a pretty healthy debate with somebody if they want to challenge my ability to lead a group, or my ability or inability to turn a blind eye to anything that happens within the program.”
Students who contend the district inadequately addresses abuse and bullying staged a third consecutive day of protest along 15th Avenue on Wednesday.
Mark Morris Principal Aaron Whitright on Sunday admonished social media posters for spreading lies and rumors, but he was not specific and did not reveal to what extent students were disciplined for “behavior that violated our school expectations.”
About the Author: Andre Stepankowsky is a former colleague and is the former news editor of The Daily News. He is now publisher of Lower Columbia Currents, a Substack-based local newsletter. This story also will appear in Lower Columbia Currents.
This column and all other Lower Columbia Currents stories and content are copyrighted and may not be copied or used in any other publication without the express consent of Andre Stepankowsky, the publisher. Readers who want to share the stories may do so by sharing links to them.
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Photo Gallery: R.A. Long raids Mark Morris in Civil War
Jordan Nailon for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com
