Not long ago, I received a call from a resident of our county regarding the fact that someone had shot his dog. The dog was a female Husky that he had with him while he was out cutting wood. The dog had wandered a little ways away while he was busy with cutting and gathering […]

Recently, the Washington Supreme Court made a decision that will impact many Eastern Washington ranchers. The case involves a Columbia County cattle rancher and the enforcement of a Washington Department of Ecology administrative ruling that required the rancher to fence off his cattle from a stream that runs across the rancher’s property. The rancher had […]

On November 20, 2013, a Stevens County District Court Jury convicted Todd J. Sharp of Violation of a Domestic Violence Protection Order. (This is called a no-contact order.). In order to prove a Violation of a Domestic Violence Protection Order, the State must prove that there was a valid no contact order, that the defendant […]

Last week, Jeremy Bryant of Northport was to go on trial for the murder of Narleen Campton that occurred on Thanksgiving Day of 2011. He had been charged with Murder in the First Degree or in the alternative, Murder in the Second Degree. Just before the trial was to begin, the defendant indicated he was […]

The sentencing of Chris Anderberg will occur on November 20, 2013. He was convicted by Judge Nielson of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Premeditated Murder for his involvement with another juvenile in a plot to kill a classmate at Fort Colville Middle School. Ben Booth previously entered pleas of guilty to charges related to […]

After a trial, it is common for attorneys and sometimes the judge, to meet with jurors who want to ask questions about the trial they have just been through.  It is a learning experience for the attorneys and jurors. Often the questions are about things they were not told during the trial, such as whether […]

The Stevens County Prosecutor’s Office is happy to announce the development of a program of handling the prosecution of veterans who commit criminal law violations in ways that make allowances for the problems some veterans have making adjustments to civilian life. Through discussions with former Commissioner Fred Arnow and Judge Vance Peterson of Spokane, we […]

Scott Marvin Nitschke, a Pierce County man, was convicted on October 16, 2013 of one count of Unlawful Hunting of Big Game in the Second Degree for hunting elk inside the boundary of the Spokane Indian Reservation nearly one year ago. This is outside of Game Management Unit 121. He had been charged with two […]

The recent passage of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1341, which became effective July 28, 2013, places Washington among just a few states who have instituted a policy of reimbursement to persons who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes who are later vindicated. It has been reported widely in the media of some instances where persons […]

I have recently received reports that were generated as a result of the investigation into a shooting that occurred in Kettle Falls at the end of August.  Stevens County Sheriff detectives, Washington State Patrol detectives, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the WSP toxicology lab generated the reports. The reports detail the events leading […]