As it sometimes happens in and around our glorious and beautiful Northwest communities, a person (whether it be a man or a woman) seems to think they are bigger than the law. A person, who when contacted by law enforcement officers, exclaims with conviction (no pun intended), ‘contact your superior” or some such non-sense. Apparently it is their thought and belief that our legal system includes a component of ‘it is who you know’ and a large stack of ‘get out of jail for free’ cards. To their shock and dismay, however, they end up being arrested and facing criminal charges notwithstanding their ‘connections’. That is par for the course, and one ex-eastside lawmaker appears to have recently learned that first hand.
This past Sunday, the aforementioned Washington law maker was arrested and is now facing several charges, including – making false statements to a law enforcement officer and being complicit in furnishing alcohol to a minor. The charges arose out of an incident at a watering hole in Snoqualmie where the man allegedly was imbibing with an underage female relative. An anonymous call came into the police who scurried over to the establishment to investigate. Low and behold, the young woman was determined to be 20 years of age and carrying a fake driver’s license. Apparently in an effort to stem legal repercussions for his underage relative, the ex-lawmaker curiously felt it necessary to bellow to the police that he was a ‘full bird’ colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps (which ultimately was confirmed via his legislative biography, but with a proverbial asterisks: a Marine colonel who commanded a Fort Lewis reserve battalion) and that he should not be arrested. Indeed the rank of colonel in the USMC (reserves or otherwise) is impressive; it just isn’t germane to the surrounding circumstances, nor to whether the ‘colonel’ should be arrested. The man also allegedly brazenly instructed the officer(s) to contact the mayor of the city, who would come ‘take care of this’ situation, and requested to speak with an officer who was not at the scene but who was a ‘friend’. Neither of these actions was honored by the police, which apparently lead to the man saying, ‘you guys are making a huge mistake,’ you guys screwed up big time, ‘you are going to regret this,’ and ‘you think you’re a tough guy, huh?’
The former law maker upon questioning, allegedly provided the officers with birthdates for himself and his companion, who claimed she was 21 years of age. The information for the young woman, however, did not match any records. Another birth date was allegedly provided and that didn’t match any records either. It was thereafter determined that the young woman with the former law maker was 20 years of age, and not lawfully consuming liquid beverages containing alcohol. To heighten the oddity of the situation, it is alleged that the man had been ‘cut off’ by the bar earlier. Sounds like a bad situation all around, and contrary to the man’s belief that he had the city mayor in his ‘back pocket’, the mayor has made it clear he would not have come to the bar to assist him. One word, ‘ouch’.
Lesson for the day – don’t presume you are above the law, and don’t assume you are going to talk yourself out of being arrested or charged, regardless of how important you may think you are to the community. There is no good old boys network at play in our judicial/ legal system. If facing a criminal arrest or charge, remain quiet … exercise your right to remain silent, and do so with the utmost respect to the officer(s) handling the matter – they write reports which generally include the actions and comments made by the subject.
When charged with a crime it is a very smart idea to immediately hire a qualified Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney. The Seattle Criminal Defense Attorneys that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle Criminal Lawyers that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested or charged for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. 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 allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case. So, whether you are cited with an infraction or arrested and/or charged with misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or a felony, protect yourself … call SQ Attorneys at (206) 441-0900.
