Seattle Times, quote:
Some defense attorneys in San Juan County worry that Sheriff Ron Krebs has a finger on the scales of justice after learning he used a courtroom security camera to surreptitiously zoom in on defense documents and a juror’s notebook during a criminal trial last week.
San Juan County Prosecutor Randall Gaylord — whose office has been stung by misconduct in the Sheriff’s Office before — distanced himself from Krebs.
Krebs, in a sworn declaration, said he “inadvertently manipulated the camera in the District Courtroom in such a way that it zoomed in on one or more locations in the courtroom” and insisted he didn’t read or pass on anything he may have seen. He claimed he did not know the camera had a zoom function.
Afterward, Judge Eaton dismissed the charges, citing government misconduct over the camera zooming in on Kenimond’s legal pad.
It is the second case the San Juan Prosecutor’s Office has lost due to misconduct in the Sheriff’s Office in recent years. In 2016, Judge Eaton — then sitting as a superior court judge — threw out the felony conviction of a high school teacher accused of having sex with a student after it was revealed that the sheriff’s detective on the case was having sex with the victim and had lied. Unquote
www.seattletimes.com
Some defense attorneys in San Juan County worry that Sheriff Ron Krebs has a finger on the scales of justice after learning he used a courtroom security camera to surreptitiously zoom in on defense documents and a juror’s notebook during a criminal trial last week.
San Juan County Prosecutor Randall Gaylord — whose office has been stung by misconduct in the Sheriff’s Office before — distanced himself from Krebs.
Krebs, in a sworn declaration, said he “inadvertently manipulated the camera in the District Courtroom in such a way that it zoomed in on one or more locations in the courtroom” and insisted he didn’t read or pass on anything he may have seen. He claimed he did not know the camera had a zoom function.
Afterward, Judge Eaton dismissed the charges, citing government misconduct over the camera zooming in on Kenimond’s legal pad.
It is the second case the San Juan Prosecutor’s Office has lost due to misconduct in the Sheriff’s Office in recent years. In 2016, Judge Eaton — then sitting as a superior court judge — threw out the felony conviction of a high school teacher accused of having sex with a student after it was revealed that the sheriff’s detective on the case was having sex with the victim and had lied. Unquote
Sheriff’s use of courtroom camera to view juror’s notebook, lawyer’s notes sparks dismissal of criminal case
Charges were thrown out in a San Juan assault case after it was revealed the county sheriff had been using the court security camera to focus on defense notes and a juror's notebook.
www.seattletimes.com