In the past few weeks, law enforcement has responded to several complaints related to the presence of cattle on property not owned by the owner of the cattle. Most often the complaint is that the cattle are causing damage to the property.  The caller usually wants someone to do something so this does not happen […]

Last week there were two jury trials in District Court.  One trial was a DUI and the other was Burning without a Permit. The DUI case arose out of a traffic stop in January of 2012.  Washington State Trooper Mark Hyer testified that he stopped a vehicle traveling at 108 MPH between Colville and Kettle […]

Not long ago, the Justice Department of the Federal Government called for widespread prison reform at the federal level.  This is partly the result of the dramatic increase of prisoners in federal facilities with very long drug related sentences.  This has gained some attention in the media and leads some persons to automatically assume Washington […]

Last week marked the end of at two-week civil trial in which Stevens County was one of the defendants. The trial was held in Spokane before a jury made up of people from Spokane County. This is a common practice when a county is involved in a lawsuit. The other defendant was a local logging […]

Last week I attended a seminar on the Death Penalty. Prosecutors attended from across the state. The purpose of the seminar was to educate the prosecutors and deputies about the law when it is requested by the Prosecutor and will be considered by the jury. The death penalty in Washington is interesting because it has […]

Governor Inslee has signed a bill that makes new laws regarding DUI and Physical Control. Briefly stated the new law: Amends RCW 10.31.100 so that a police officer must arrest and take into custody repeat DUI offenders – This is modeled after mandatory booking for domestic violence offenders. Provides funding to allow prosecutors to rush […]

At the beginning of every jury trial, the judge gives the jury instructions about the court process, the things jurors can do, (take notes, ask for hearing assist devices, tell the court if they need a break) and the court also tells the jurors things they are not supposed to do. (Talk to each other […]

Persons from the media frequently ask me questions regarding the status of ongoing cases. I usually try to answer questions, but sometimes questions are asked which I am not allowed to answer. This is because there are restrictions on what the prosecutor may say about pending cases. The public has a right to be informed, […]

In the early evening of June 24, Stevens County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Eric Harris, age 47, of Colville, for the murder of his brother, Larch Harris, who died as a result of a gunshot wound to his torso on Sunday morning. Documents filed with Stevens County Superior Court set out the facts and circumstances that […]

Last week, Lech Radzimski, Ken Tyndal and I attended the Washington State Prosecutors Association meetings and training in Chelan. I attended the membership meeting, which all prosecuting attorneys in the state attend, and then joined the deputies for training sessions on various topics. We were briefed on some of the legislation that comes into effect […]