Last week at the conclusion of a jury trial, Joshua John Edwards was convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Making a False Statement to an Officer and Possession of a Dangerous Weapon. The charges arose out of a traffic infraction stop by a Colville City Police officer last December.

The problem arose when Mr. Edwards told the officer he did not have a driver’s license and then gave a false name and birth date. After a few minutes, he told the officers his real name and that he had felony warrants.
He was placed under arrest and a search of his person revealed a loaded .22 cal derringer in his pocket and some metal knuckles.

Mr. Edwards argued to the jury that his taillights really were working when the officer stopped him and that the officer was not telling the truth and that the gun wasn’t working so it was not a real firearm under the law and that he didn’t know the metal knuckles was a dangerous weapon. The jury deliberated for about 4 hours and returned a verdict of guilty on all counts.

Sentencing has been postponed for a few weeks while other matters pending against Mr. Edwards are resolved. Deputy Prosecutor Lech Radzimski represented the state and Colville attorney Mike Golden represented Mr. Edwards. Superior Court Judge Patrick Monasmith presided over the trial.

In other matters, a Motion to Sever was heard in the case against City of Colville Police officer Rex Newport. This defense motion asked the court to require the state to have multiple trials in the case because there are several alleged incidents at different times involving different alleged victims. After hearing the arguments of the attorneys and reading the briefs submitted, Judge Monasmith denied the Motion to Sever. There will be one trial regarding all the allegations. That trial is now set for April.

In this case, Assistant Attorneys General John Hillman and Melanie Tratnic represent the state and Mike Golden represents Mr. Newport.

It is important to remember that simply because an allegation had been made does not mean that a person is guilty of the charge. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant either pleads guilty or is found guilty. This presumption of innocence is one of the most important foundation principles of our law.