Restraining Order Issued Against Gold Coast Shellfish [Oyster] Owner Scott Grout

[Copied below is the article from the Shelton-Mason Journal dated October 24, 2013. As noted, the restraining order was to end October 2014.]

October 24, 2013

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Judge grants protection order to WDFW officer
Shelton man must stay at least 500 feet from officer

By NATALIE JOHNSON

SHELTON, Washington (SmallTownPapers) -- A Mason County District Court judge granted a Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officer's request for a protection order against a Shelton man Oct. 18.

WDFW law enforcement officer Matthew Jewett, 37, accused Scott Grout, 41, of Shelton, of following him in his vehicle on several occasions in the span of about an hour Oct. 1.

Judge George Steele issued an order requiring that Grout stay at least 500 feet from Jewett or his house.

Jewett was represented by Michael Young of the Washington state Attorney General's Office, and Grout was represented by Shelton attorney Eric Valley.

Jewett told the Journal he was satisfied with the out-come of the hearing.

Valley commented to the Journal on behalf of his client.

"This is an unfortunate misunderstanding. There is no ill will to Mr. Jewett or the Department of Fish and Wildlife," Valley said. "This could have been resolved with a phone call."

Steele heard arguments and testimony related to the request for a protection order on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18.

Jewett told the court Oct. 11 that in the early evening of Oct. 1, Grout followed him on several separate occasions in Shelton and on Arcadia Road.

Jewett gave testimony regarding previous contact between himself and Grout, which he characterized as negative.

On April 23, Jewett and another WDFW officer, Chris Smith, cited Grout, who owns Gold Coast Shellfish, with multiple counts of failure to label shellfish with certification tags.

On Sept. 16, Grout was ordered to pay a $400 fine for the April citations.

Jewett filed the request for a protection order against

Grout on Oct. 2. He requested that Grout be required to stay a half-mile away from him, his wife and three children.

On Oct. 3, Mason County District Court granted a temporary protection order to Jewett and his family.

Valley argued during the Oct. 11 hearing that his client was not purposely following or stalking Jewett.

The Oct. 18 order requires Grout to stay 500 feet away from Jewett, but does not include his family members. The order expires in October 2014.

[Update 2/13: Read Shelton-Mason County Journal article here. For clarification, the article noted a "protective order" was issued, not a "restraining order." Read about the differences here. WDFW harvest records referred to were received through a FOIA request to WDFW.]

The Mason County Journal reported Thursday, October 24, that the Mason County District Court had issued a restraining order against Scott Grout, owner of Gold Coast Shellfish [Note: It is presumed the article meant to report Gold Coast Oyster]. It was reported that a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) law enforcement officer had been harassed by Mr. Grout.

The article stated Mr. Grout had been cited and convicted on multiple counts of failing to label shellfish with certification tags by WDFW enforcement officers. Mr. Grout was fined [ordered to pay] $400 for the infraction.

In 2008 Gold Coast reported to WDFW they had harvested over 94,000 dozens of oysters. In 2012, WDFW reported nothing having been harvested by Gold Coast Oyster.