Police Officers are not Above the Law and We Stand with the Ellis’s Family and this Community

Our office was relieved to hear that last week, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office decided to press charges against the three Tacoma Police Officers involved in the death of Manny Ellis. The brutal killing of Manny Ellis took an innocent and gentle soul away from his two young daughters, and has left our community […]

State v Blake and the Aftermath of Decriminalizing Possession of Controlled Substances

In February of this year, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the state’s simple drug possession law was unconstitutional because it didn’t require prosecutors to prove someone knowingly had drugs. State v. Blake __Wn.2d ___ (No. 96873-0) (Feb. 25, 2021) Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud wrote, “the possession statute at issue here does far more than […]

WA Criminal Statute Deemed Unconstitutional!

Today, the Washington Supreme Court held that Washington’s strict liability drug possession statute is unconstitutional. Finding that the statute criminalizes innocent and passive possession – even by a defendant who does not know that drugs lay hidden in something they possess – Washington’s Supreme Court held that the statute goes beyond the legislature’s police power […]

Think the Police Don’t Lie, Think Again

The investigation of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department continues to unfold. Over the summer, the News Tribune reported that the Pierce County Prosecutor was refusing to work with accused Pierce County Sheriff’s drug unit members who were recently placed on a “potential impeachment” list. Several members of the unit are being investigated for possibly violating […]

Is the Breath Test Machine used to Prosecute DUIs Fatally Flawed?

[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] If you’ve ever been arrested for DUI, you might be familiar with the machine that awaits you back at the police station. This machine measures the blood alcohol concentration in a person’s breath when they blow into the machine. These devices play a huge role in prosecutors’ cases […]

WA Supreme Court Made a Major Change to DUI Arrest Process

[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] The Clashing of Hailey’s Law and the WA State Constitution In a recent unanimous decision from the Washington Supreme Court, Hailey’s law was ruled unconstitutional. Hailey’s Law required the mandatory impoundment of a car driven by someone arrested for DUI. Passed by the state legislature in 2011, Hailey’s […]

Your Guide to Self-Defense

[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] “Self-defense is Nature’s eldest law.” – John Dryden. Self-defense is a term that most people know, even those people who are not in the legal field. If someone hits you, you are justified to hit them back. What does self-defense means in terms of criminal law though? Self […]