Grant County Prosecutor

I just finished reading the letter to the editor regarding the prosecutor’s office.  It would appear the “good old boys” are weighing in just like the Republican Party is trying to block our President’s movements to change the system.  A system that has become too top heavy and unresponsive to the needs of our people.

Angus Lee, interim prosecuting attorneys marching orders are to change a system that has become inbred with unethical, vindictive and inappropriate activities. The west side papers are full of stories of fraud, abuse and corruption in the Grant County Prosecutors office. (www.grantcountyprosecutors.info)  

I personally applaud the Grant County commissioners for hiring Mr. Lee to clean up the prosecutor’s office. You will also notice that negative, but truthful articles about the prosecutor’s office don’t receive publication in our local papers probably due to fear of retaliation, a hallmark of our past prosecutor’s office.

I was in district court in Moses Lake on a traffic issue. Three-fourths of the cases were driving with suspended licenses. Most of the accused were set for trial or fined, in one instance a young man was given jail time. One of the accused was an attorney in the community. He had neglected to pay a fine in Idaho and Washington suspended his license. He was caught in Spokane without a license. His charges were dismissed.

I hope that Mr. Lee will be elected this fall as prosecutor so he can continue the work of cleaning up our inadequate and not always ethical judicial system. The law is learned in school, the only things learned in the court room are how to “cut deals,” fit in with the good old boy system and worse.

Jon Penhallurick

Moses Lake

Originally published June 18, 2009