However – we want our officers to be honest, reliable, trustworthy, and able to show restraint – especially as it relates to injuring suspects.

At least that’s what I thought. Meet Officer Eric Werner.

From The Seattle Times:

A Seattle police officer fired for dishonesty will get his job back, along with back pay, after the city’s Public Civil Service Commission ruled that termination was too harsh.

Officer Eric Werner, 31, instead faces a 30-day suspension, which he has already served since being fired in May.

Werner maintained he forgot about punching an agitated man when he was initially questioned in 2007 by Seattle police during an investigation into the man’s complaint that he was repeatedly tazed.

Werner, during testimony last year before the commission, said he later remembered striking the man and decided to come clean while applying for a job with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in May 2008. The hiring process included polygraph examinations.

The Sheriff’s Office didn’t hire Werner. But they notified the Seattle Police Department of his disclosure and, after an internal investigation, he was fired last May by Interim Police Chief John Diaz for violating the department’s honesty policy.

Werner appealed his firing in what was viewed as a key test of the honesty policy, which presumes officers will be fired for dishonesty in their official duties and was a cornerstone of new rules adopted in 2008 to address community concerns about police accountability.

Though the city and the Police Department could appeal the commission’s ruling in King County Superior Court, such a move is extremely rare.

“The City Attorney’s Office is analyzing the decision, and considering whether to appeal. No decision has been made yet,” a spokeswoman for City Attorney Peter Holmes wrote in an e-mail today.

However, Werner’s name has now been added to the so-called “Brady list,” a list kept by the King County Prosecutor’s Office of potential witnesses whose honesty has been called into question, said spokesman Dan Donohoe. Most of the 52 names on the list are law-enforcement officers, though the list also includes State Patrol crime-lab employees and a former death investigator with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, he said.

The Prosecutor’s Office will be required to notify defense attorneys whenever Werner is called to testify against a criminal defendant, Donohoe said.

Okay – I’m not sure what we as citizens should be more outraged at. This guy “forgot” that he PUNCHED a subject who was being interviewed for complaining that he was TAZED too many times. Except that he didn’t “forget”. If he had, then he wouldn’t have “come clean”. Let’s face it folks – he lied. So now we have a lying cop back on the force. And not only did we let him back on – we PAID him for the “VACATION” he got by lying.

But wait – the outrage continues. There’s a 52 name LIST of lying cops and witnesses. And that’s JUST King County.

If you’ve found yourself on the wrong end of a dishonest cop, you need a criminal defense lawyer who’s unafraid to take on the police directly. Lynnwood Criminal Defense Lawyer Jonathan Dichter has been fighting to keep cops honest and protect your rights for seven years, and is happy to offer you a FREE CONSULTATION. Call him now at 425-424-9401.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Oh the holidays are tough on unrequited love – but lest we forget that loving oneself is necessary, and in many cases easier. For sure it doesn’t involve criminal charges. However, Nathan Hulse thinks otherwise, as he’s been charged with making bomb threats towards a local Strip Club after a dancer rejected him – which apparently was a surprise to him.

From the Seattle Weekly:

“Remember the kid back in grade school who, after losing at Connect Four or the like, decided to throw a tantrum and destroy the game rather than allow any of his classmates their turn to play? That kid grew up to be Nathan Hulse.
King County prosecutors have charged Hulse with threatening to bomb a Seattle strip club after his romantic advances towards one of the employees were rejected.

According to court documents, the two had actually become friends, or as friendly with one another as the lap dance provider and lap dance consumer relationship allows.

Then last month the 29-year-old decided to inform the object of his desire that he had intentions beyond supplementing her clear heel budget. He was rebuffed. To cope, he did as the lovelorn have since the Internet was new and began sending her threatening electronic messages.

According to prosecutors, he wrote a series of communiques on a fetish website they both frequented. The first was a vaguely threatening message about his having acquired a cache of surface-to-air missiles.

“Recently traded with a gentleman, and have tested what he gave me, their destructive force is quite impressive,” he wrote.

But the second is where he really (forgive me) broke out the big guns.

“I’m gonna go to work tonight an insist she speak with me,” he allegedly wrote on November 24. “So it’s entirely possible I’ll just de pin my lucky grenade right then and there.”

Hulse was arrested at his home in Snohomish on November 25. A search failed to turn up any bomb-making material, but Hulse is currently being held at King County jail on $100,000 bond.”

Just a bad set of online decisions, which goes to show you – never post anything online you don’t want the whole world to read.

If you’ve made a mistake of epic proportions and want help out of criminal trouble – make sure you give a call to Lynnwood Criminal Defense Attorney Jonathan Dichter at 425-424-9401. He offers a FREE CONSULTATION – and is always happy to try to undo silly mistakes before they cost you everything.

Tweet This Post

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

From the Edmonds Beacon:

“Snohomish County Superior Court Presiding Judge Larry McKeeman and Prosecuting Attorney Janice Ellis, are pleased to announce that Snohomish County has received notice from the Attorney General Eric Holder that the grant submitted on behalf of the Superior Court’s Problem Solving Courts has been granted in full.

This funding began August 1, 2009 for the next two years and will impact the Courts ability to take the At Risk Youth, Adult Offender, Juvenile Offender and Family Dependency drug treatment courts to a new level of service, accountability and efficiency.

This grant was made possible through the Department of Justice’s Recovery Act to fund the Comprehensive Drug Treatment Court Sustainability Project (CDTCSP).

The primary goal of this project is to enhance drug court service to match Snohomish County’s current needs.

Grant funds will be used to: hire and retain 12 program staff, including a Juvenile Probation Counselor, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, legal Secretary, Judicial Coordinator, Drug Court Coordinators (Adult, Family and Juvenile), Program Manager, Grant Accountant, Juvenile Community Corrections Officer, Senior Drug Court Coordinator, and Community/Education Program Specialist.

This funding also allows the Court to increase the number of participants in the drug court program; enhance the family drug court and develop and implement a plan for statistical analysis and strategies related to best practices to track case outcomes; as well as implement the Moral Reconciliation Therapy program in the adult drug court.”

If you’ve found yourself charged with a criminal offense in Snohomish County, Drug Court may be an option for you. If not – there may be a variety of alternatives to jail for you. You need a defense attorney who will fight for you and be on your side as you navigate the system. Everett Area Criminal Defense Attorney Jonathan Dichter offers you a FREE consultation on your cases, and will happily discuss for you any methods of getting you through the process easily and with great results!

Tweet This Post

Related posts:

1. Economy, Drugs or Both? 30 Armed Robberies!!! It’s not just in major cities like Seattle that drugs...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

From the Everett Herald

“EVERETT — A Lake Stevens man is accused of committing as many as 30 armed robberies in Snohomish and King counties.

Brandon J. Smith, 24, told investigators he robbed tanning salons, adult video stores and gas stations to feed a $300-a-day drug habit, court papers said. Smith said he was addicted to Oxycontin, a strong prescription pain killer.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson on Friday charged Smith with 10 counts of first-degree robbery. Smith is being held in the county jail on $1.5 million bail.

The crime spree began in July, about a month after Smith was fired from his longtime job at Nintendo for theft, Matheson wrote.

Smith used the same method in his robberies, court papers said. He allegedly entered a business, looked around to make sure there were no customers and then feigned interest in the business’ services or asked for change. He’d pull out a gun, point it at the employee and then demand money, Matheson wrote.

He told investigators he never used a real handgun because he was concerned that if he was caught he’d get more prison time for having used a weapon in the commission of a crime. He also told detectives that he would get rid of the clothing he was wearing after each robbery. He said he was running out of clothes, Matheson wrote.”

Is drug addiction and losing your job an excuse for robbery? Of course not. Is it a DEFENSE though? Well that depends on the nature of the addiction and your mental status during the robberies. It’s important in any case to make sure that you consult fully with a criminal attorney well versed in mental state as well as the general defenses. Although it sounds like Mr. Smith made a variety of statements that may preclude a real defense for him.

A great tip is not to talk to the police without an attorney present. Lynnwood area criminal attorney Jonathan Dichter is always ready to go to interviews with you, help you during interrogations, and to protect your rights both before and after you’ve been charged. Call him for your free consultation.

Tweet This Post

Related posts:

1. Snohomish County Drug Court Gets Funded Many courts have “drug” court and similar programs designed for...
2. Bombs in Strip Clubs Let’s chalk this one up to unrequited love. Oh the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.