No matter the circumstance, the best approach to take when arrested for domestic violence (or any alleged crime) in Washington is to contact a qualified Seattle domestic violence defense attorney who has knowledge of the Washington State criminal court system and Washington State’s police procedures.
That appears to be exactly what a Seattle police officer (Officer Lowe) did when he elected to hire the attorney who represented the Barefoot Bandit, Colton Harris-Moore, for his domestic violence charge out of Seattle Municipal Court. Officer Lowe was an acting Seattle police captain who was recently given a key role in the city’s plan to address federal findings of problems in the Police Department.
On June 4, 2012 Officer Lowe pleaded not guilty to a gross-misdemeanor charge of domestic-violence assault. He faces up to 364 days in jail and a $5000 fine. Officer Lowe (who joined the Seattle Police Department in 1992 and earned $148,127 in regular and overtime pay last year) was booked into the King County Jail shortly after midnight on June 3, 2012. At his arraignment hearing, prosecutors initially requested bail to be set at $10,000. After bail arguments by both the defense and the prosecution, the judge ordered Officer Lowe to be held in lieu of $7,500 bail. Officer Lowe was also ordered to not have any contact with his wife pending the outcome of the case. Officer Lowe’s next court date is set for June 18, 2012 at 1:30 in courtroom 1001 of the Seattle Municipal Court.
It is alleged that Officer Lowe is alleged to have pushed his wife against a wall and slapped her face during an argument over their son. The responding police officer reported smelling the odor of alcohol on Officer Lowe’s person.
Officer Lowe was one of 32 sworn and civilian members in the department assigned to carry out the so-called “20/20” plan, created after the Justice Department found in December that Seattle police too often use excessive force. Officer Lowe was put in charge of a small, second-level group assigned to deal with leadership aspects of the plan, which calls for 20 initiatives in 20 months. It also includes measures to deal with evidence of biased policing cited by the Justice Department.
Although the preliminary investigation was conducted by Seattle police, Police Chief John Diaz has directed that an outside agency — still to be determined — conduct the criminal investigation, according to the statement. The department’s Office of Professional Accountability will monitor the criminal investigation and, once it concludes, begin its own internal inquiry.
Office Lowe has had prior contact with the law (not acting in his capacity as an officer of the law). In 2008 Officer Lowe was arrested for DUI. His arrest attracted attention because he was allowed to supervise a Seattle police security detail at President Obama’s inauguration in January 2009, even though the arrest had taken place Nov. 23, 2008. Eventually, Officer Lowe pleaded guilty to an amended charge of reckless driving (reduced from the DUI) in June 2009. Under a deferred sentence, that charge was dismissed in 2011 after he completed alcohol-information school, probation, community service and other terms.
In light of his background as both an officer and as a defendant, it is clear Officer Lowe understood the importance of retaining a qualified criminal defense attorney to assist him in his latest run in with the law. Others who find themselves in a similar situation would be well advised to do the same. The Seattle criminal attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified Seattle criminal defense lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those charged with domestic violence and DUI in Western Washington. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible.
