Recently a reader asked why sentences vary from one person to another. I agreed that different sentences are sometimes given for the same criminal conduct. Sentencing can be complex, but here are some of the factors involved. There is a sentencing schedule or guideline, which governs felony cases. The SRA Sentencing Reform Act imposes a [...]

On 1-21-13 an accident occurred at the intersection of Spotted road and Garden Spot road. A vehicle ignored the stop sign and took the corner at a high rate of speed. The vehicle left the roadway, went through a fence and hit a tree. Two people came by and saw the wrecked car tried to [...]

Last week the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife put in place an emergency rule that allows livestock and animal owners in eastern Washington to kill a wolf that is attacking their animals. Without the emergency rule, animal owners had to obtain a “caught in the act” permit from the WDFW before lethally removing (killing) [...]

DUIs in Stevens County The state has released statistics for DUI cases charged and resolved for every county in Washington in 2012. State wide there were 35,385 DUIs charged. Of these cases 15,277 or 43% ended up with guilty to DUI resolutions either by plea or by jury verdict. In Stevens County, 123 persons were [...]

James Madison was a man with a lot of sense. He had many things to say about how our country should operate. Most folks must have agreed because they elected him President for a time. We could use some of his wisdom now. Among many quotes attributed to him is this. “It will be of [...]

A case involving a predator and a citizen protecting his property and family occurred in Bonner County, Idaho some time ago. The case involves three bears (at least one was a grizzly) that came into a man’s yard when his children were outside playing. The grizzly was reportedly climbing into a livestock pen when the [...]

On the wall in my office I have a quote, which I clipped from some newspaper many years ago. Amos E. Reed, retired Secretary of the Department of Corrections for the State of Washington, wrote it. I do not know when he wrote these words, but they expressed a truth when he wrote them, and [...]

It was recently reported in the media that a missing Oregon man was in a local hospital for two days while friends and police looked for him. He was a diabetic and had been reported missing by friends who could not locate the elderly gentleman. Authorities contacted local hospitals while looking for him and apparently [...]

It is odd to me that we hear more about the ethical treatment of animals than we hear about the ethical treatment of children. At present, there are thousands of children dying in east Africa of hunger and disease without much being said. There are children in Indonesia and other places who live each day [...]

On February 12, 2013, a Stevens County jury found Marion Woody guilty of Unlawful Hunting On or Retrieving Hunted Animals From the Premises of Another. The charge was the result of an incident that occurred in October last year. WDFW Officers Dan Anderson and Pam Taylor conducted the investigation. Officer Anderson had responded to a [...]