I’m writing to express my concern with an article in The Beachcomber, “Island Man charged with arson for Christmas Day fire on his sailboat” (Sept. 29), which was written in such a one-sided manner it ensures Lyman Houghton will be deemed guilty by the Vashon community before he is given an opportunity to defend himself in a court of law.

I believe the information was presented in a biased way that failed to include other perspectives that may have presented a different understanding of what actually occurred.

The boat that burned was Mr. Houghton’s home, which contained many of his belongings and was where his daughters visited him on a weekly basis. The fire left him with nowhere to live and nowhere to have his daughters visit. It was devastating to him.

The Beachcomber article made it sound like Mr. Houghton contacting the insurance company the day after the fire was a crime in itself. Who wouldn’t have made that call to let an insurance agent know such an incident took place? I certainly would have.  

Mr. Houghton’s contract with King County gave him a wide range of responsibilities, including looking out for unlawful activities in Dockton Park. The record shows he was assaulted twice after having turned a number of people in and that there was a previous arson at Dockton Park that remains a mystery to this day. Mr. Houghton has no prior record and has never been convicted of anything.

Time will tell what really happened on Christmas Day 2009. In the meantime, we must be careful to not condemn people in the press but rather leave the determination of guilt or innocence where it belongs — with our criminal justice system.

— Lisa Peyer