Washington

Lawyer in massage-parlor rape case sees charges concerning 3 women dropped as trial looms

For over a year, a former partner in a Seattle law firm has been in the headlines as the accused defendant in a serial rape case involving massage-parlor visits. Now, as Danford Grant’s trial looms, King County prosecutors on Monday dropped four of the charges against him as jury selection…

May 5, 2014 8:10 PM CDT

As trial of lawyer looms in massage-parlor rape case, judge allows state to add two new charges

A Washington state lawyer already charged with multiple felonies in a serial rape case is now facing two additional charges of attempted rape, for a total of nine felony charges involving five women as claimed victims. Danford Grant, 49, says he is innocent, contending that any sex was paid for…

Apr 18, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Fake child abduction could result in real charges, authorities say

Law enforcement officials in Sequim, Wash., are exploring their options after a fake child abduction filmed for a video now posted on YouTube terrified observers who were present at the city’s Carrie Blake Park. Possible charges against those who were involved in the Saturday incident include misdemeanor dangerous conduct or…

Apr 16, 2014 9:25 PM CDT

Microsoft GC calls for better training of young lawyers and more diversity in NALP conference speech

IVY PHOTOS / Shutterstock.com The general counsel of Microsoft Corp. called for better training of young lawyers and more diversity in the profession as a keynote speaker Wednesday at the annual National Association for Law Placement conference in Seattle. “Go where you think you’ll get good training in the first…

Apr 9, 2014 8:50 PM CDT

Courthouse bomb-threat charges result from Wal-Mart surveillance footage of cellphone purchase

Security camera footage at a Wal-Mart where a cellphone was purchased led to charges against two men in connection with a bomb threat at a Washington state courthouse last week. Tony Deason, 43, and Steven Alan Fortman Sr., 49, were arrested by Port Angeles police in an investigation of threats…

Apr 3, 2014 5:59 PM CDT

Those who lost homes in massive Wash. mudslide may still owe mortgage payments

It appears that at least most of the dozens of homes destroyed in a Washington state mudslide a little over a week ago didn’t have the special landslide coverage required to insure against such damage. And even if they had, homeowners likely will not be permitted by government officials to…

Apr 2, 2014 9:05 PM CDT

Man duped legal system into taking baby from mom by using imposter, prosecutors say

After a young woman he had allegedy beaten fled the state with their infant daughter, a Washington man tricked the legal system into taking the baby from the mother without giving the 20-year-old woman an opportunity for a single court hearing, authorities say. Eling McCabe Orton, 33, has now been…

Apr 2, 2014 3:30 PM CDT

Woman who says she rescued neglected dog is acquitted of pet theft but convicted of obstruction

A jury in Washington state has acquitted Judy Camp of pet theft for bringing home an Australian cattle dog she said was being kept outside in near-freezing conditions on someone else’s property. However, Camp was convicted of obstruction over a scuffle with law enforcement at a veterinarian’s office a few…

Mar 31, 2014 4:50 PM CDT

Woman who says she rescued neglected dog faces trial for theft and obstruction

Judy Camp still believes she was doing the right thing when she took home a stranger’s partially blind guard dog who was, she says, kept outside “in a sea of garbage” in near-freezing weather. Neighbors had also complained about how the blue heeler was treated by his former owners. But…

Mar 27, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Discarded Starbucks cup puts police on trail of suspect

A Washington state woman who says she was attacked and threatened by the driver of a sport utility vehicle after accepting a ride put police on the trail of a suspect when she pointed to items that had fallen out of the car’s open door as she exited while it…

Mar 7, 2014 11:44 PM CST

Disbarred lawyer charged with client insurance settlement theft is jailed after return from Taiwan

A now-disbarred lawyer charged in December with stealing a significant portion of a client’s $500,000 insurance settlement has returned from Taiwan to defend the case. Edward Joseph Callow, 39, fled to that country before he was charged on Dec. 12, along with a Nationwide insurance claims adjuster. Callow returned after…

Mar 7, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Definition of ‘premeditation’ elusive in jury instructions, so juror turns to cellphone and Google

Jurors in a Washington state murder trial were told repeatedly by the judge and the bailiff not to do their own research. There’s even a sign on the jury room wall. But one woman apparently didn’t get the memo, and pulled out her cellphone to research the definition of “premeditation”…

Feb 25, 2014 12:05 AM CST

Are Bitcoin ATMs legal? Las Vegas company will take a flyer on gray-area regulatory question

Despite the popular success of Bitcoin, dubious U.S. regulators worried about possible money-laundering have put the brakes on efforts to make the virtual global currency more widely available. The federal investigation of Bitcoin exchange operators who authorities say provided funds for anonymous drug purchases on the now-shuttered Silk Road website,…

Feb 18, 2014 9:45 PM CST

Execution moratorium by Washington’s governor doesn’t change the law, prosecutor says

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced this week that he is suspending executions while he is in office, but that doesn’t mean a long term reprieve for death-row inmates and defendants facing prosecution. Inslee didn’t commute any death sentences to life in prison, nor did he issue any pardons to inmates…

Feb 14, 2014 3:54 PM CST

How to advise clients on legal-marijuana issues? Some bar associations mull ethics rule changes

Image from Shutterstock. Marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law. But a growing number of states have moved to allow medical marijuana, or even recreational pot use and sales, some lawyers feel they are between a rock and a hard place. State and local government entities, as well as…

Feb 12, 2014 6:15 PM CST