# STRATEGY: Securing Legal & Court Documents — Island County Land-Patent Deed Fraud
### Prepared for: property owner (re: neighbor **Paul A. Neis**, parcel R32905-532-4810) + affected cluster
### Date: 2026-08-15   | Status: investigation stage (no court case filed yet)

> This is an evidence-gathering and document-preservation strategy, **not legal advice**. Share it
> with your attorney, the affected neighbors, Detective Bo Miller, and your title company.

---

## 1. What happened (established from primary records)
Three individuals recorded **sovereign-citizen "land-patent" quitclaim deeds** in Island County,
each purporting to be the "successor in interest" to an 1800s U.S. Land Patent and quitclaiming
large acreage **to themselves** (grantor = grantee), for no consideration, citing misapplied case
law (Bagnell v. Broderick; U.S. v. Stone; Collins v. Bartlett). All were notarized by the same
notary, **John S. Hicks (commission #194569)**. The County recorded them (recording ≠ validity)
and later annotated two in its index as **"INVALID DEED."**

| Fraud instrument | Rec. date | Party (grantor=grantee) | Land claimed | Affects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **QCD #4582708** | 02/27/2025 | Douglas Steven Shroyer | 577.70 ac — Secs 29/32/33, **T30N R3E** | North cluster |
| **QCD #4583923** (INVALID DEED) | 04/01/2025 | Irene Ingalls | 120 ac — Secs 32/33, **T30N R3E** | North cluster |
| **QCD #4583924** (INVALID DEED) | 04/01/2025 | Elizabeth A. Schermer | 171.30 ac — Lots 3,4 & SW¼NW¼ Sec 4; Lot 1 Sec 5, **T29N R3E** | **Neis + your cluster** |

Supporting perpetrator filings (also recorded): Shroyer Notices **#4582592, #4582709** and
Declaration **#4583915**; Ingalls/Schermer Notices **#4583965/#4583966** and Declarations
**#4585251/#4585252**. All captured (PDF + OCR) in `09_fraud-case\docs`.

**Paul Neis's property** (R32905-532-4810, Section 5, T29N R3E; owners Paul A. Neis & Stephanie
Madsen-Neis; clean BECU mortgage chain) falls within the land blanketed by **Schermer QCD
#4583924**. Your own two parcels (Sec 5, T29N R3E) are in the same targeted description.

## 2. The core legal reality (why title companies balk)
- Recording a document makes it **public and historical, not legal or binding** (per the Auditor).
- A land-patent quitclaim from a stranger-to-title conveys **nothing** — you cannot receive title
  from someone who never had it. These deeds are void on their face.
- BUT a recorded void deed still creates a **cloud**: title underwriters see a competing recorded
  claim and **decline to insure** a sale/refinance until it is removed of record. That is the
  practical harm to Neis and every owner in the two clusters.
- Removal of record generally requires either a **court order** (quiet title / declaratory judgment
  or the County's LAR-driven action) or, sometimes, a recorded release — which fraudsters may
  demand payment for ("buy back"/"quiet" your own land): **do not pay them.**

## 3. Documents to SECURE — by source (with status)

### A. County Auditor / Recorder — recorded instruments  ✅ DONE (keep certified copies)
- Have (PDF+OCR): the 3 fraudulent QCDs, all supporting notices/declarations, and each victim's
  legitimate chain. **Action:** order **CERTIFIED copies** of #4582708, #4583923, #4583924 (and
  the supporting filings) from the Auditor — certified copies are what a court and title company
  want. Contact: **Mariah Warren-Madsen, Licensing & Recording Manager, 360-679-7368,
  m.knoblich@islandcountywa.gov**, 1 NE 7th St Ste 105, Coupeville.
- Also request: the Auditor's **index annotation record** showing "INVALID DEED," and any
  **rejection/correction** documentation.

### B. Island County Sheriff — criminal investigation  ⬜ REQUEST
- **Case #26-I10572** (fraud), Detective/POC **Bo Miller**. 
- **Action:** (1) file/confirm you are a named victim so you receive updates; (2) submit your own
  **victim impact statement** (title-insurance denial = concrete financial harm — the detective
  specifically asked for these); (3) request a **copy of the incident/case report** (may be limited
  while open, but request now and again at closure); (4) give him the WA Courts background hits
  (`COURT_findings.md`) and the perpetrators' mailing addresses (Shroyer & Schermer: 8406 6th Ave
  NW, Seattle 98117; Ingalls: 807 N 36th St, Seattle 98103; notary John S. Hicks #194569).

### C. Prosecuting Attorney — LAR & any charging/quiet-title  ⬜ REQUEST
- A **Legal Action Request (LAR)** was submitted via Auditor **Sheilah Crider** to have the County
  quiet the two QCDs. 
- **Action:** ask the Prosecutor's office for the **status of the LAR**, whether the County will
  file a **quiet-title/declaratory action**, and whether **criminal charges** (e.g., RCW 40.16.030
  filing a false instrument; RCW 9A.60 forgery; RCW 9.38.060 false lien/claim) will follow the
  Sheriff's investigation. Request to be notified of any case number when filed.

### D. Courts — filed cases  ⬜ MONITOR (none in Island County yet)
- WA Courts person search shows **no Island County case** for Shroyer/Schermer/Ingalls yet
  (background hits are other counties/older — see `COURT_findings.md`).
- **Action:** set a recurring check (dw.courts.wa.gov Person Search + Island County Superior Court)
  for a new **quiet-title**, **declaratory-judgment**, or **criminal** case naming these parties.
  When one appears, pull the full docket + judgment (JIS "Judgment Available" links) and, if it
  quiets these deeds, record the judgment against the affected parcels.

### E. Title company (Chicago Title / others) — claims & underwriting record  ⬜ REQUEST
- **Action for Neis (and you):** open/confirm an **owner's title-insurance claim** for the recorded
  cloud; request in writing the **underwriting denial** (the letter/notes stating why they won't
  insure over #4583924) — this documents damages for the Sheriff/Prosecutor and your attorney.
  Ask the title officer for a current **date-down/commitment** listing the fraudulent QCD as an
  exception, and ask them to flag the parcels in their **title plant** and monitor for re-filings.

### F. Your attorney — civil remedies  ⬜ ENGAGE
- Options to discuss: **quiet-title action** (RCW 7.28) and/or statutory action to **remove a
  fraudulent/unauthorized recorded instrument**; **slander-of-title** damages; coordinating with
  the County's LAR so owners aren't each separately litigating. Preserve everything in this package.

## 4. Immediate action checklist (next 1–2 weeks)
1. [ ] Order **certified copies** of #4582708, #4583923, #4583924 (+ supporting) from the Auditor.
2. [ ] Contact **Det. Bo Miller** (#26-I10572): register as victim, submit impact statement, hand
       over `COURT_findings.md` + perpetrator addresses + notary #.
3. [ ] Ask the **Prosecutor** for LAR status and whether County will file quiet-title/charges.
4. [ ] Open **title-insurance claims** (Neis + you); get the **denial letter** in writing.
5. [ ] Engage your **attorney**; decide quiet-title vs. riding the County's LAR action.
6. [ ] Start a **court-monitoring** cadence for Island County filings against the three names.
7. [ ] Circulate this package to the other affected owners (both the T29N and T30N clusters).

## 5. Evidence already captured (this package)
- `09_fraud-case\docs\` — the 3 fraudulent QCDs + supporting filings (PDF + OCR .txt + meta).
- `09_fraud-case\NAME_SEARCH_alltime.csv` — all-time EagleWeb footprint of the perpetrators.
- `09_fraud-case\COURT_findings.md` (+ `COURT_Shroyer_Douglas.png`) — WA Courts background.
- `08_self-index\INDEX_2025_2026.csv` — full county recording index (23,561 docs) proving the
  fraudulent QCDs and that no other instrument in the window names your owners.
- `03_assessor\owners_and_deeds.csv` — verified true-owner chains (incl. Neis) = proof of ownership.

**Do NOT** contact or pay the perpetrators. Route everything through the Sheriff, Prosecutor,
your attorney, and the title company.