Former county clerk arrested for meth possession, trespassing

MOSES LAKE - A former Grant County Clerk was arrested Tuesday after he was caught trespassing and found with methamphetamine in his pocket and wallet.

Kenneth Kunes, 61, of Moses Lake, was arrested and booked into the Grant County Jail for possession of meth and first-degree criminal trespassing.

About 4:40 p.m. the Moses Lake Police Department received a trespassing report at 1020 S. Laguna Dr., in Moses Lake, according to police records.

Kunes was allegedly contacted by police at the residence, which was posted "do not enter." Kunes reportedly admitted he entered a garage, which is attached to the residence.

The responding officer arrested Kunes for trespassing and after searching him found meth in his back pocket and wallet.

Kunes served as county clerk from 1999 to 2006, was employed as a corrections officer at the sheriff's office from 1986 to 1999, and served as a member of the Washington Jail Industries Board of Directors, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald report.

In October, Kunes was ordered to complete 240 hours of community service and pay an $800 fine, after he was convicted of assaulting his estranged wife in a March 2014 incident.

Kunes was convicted of misdemeanor harassment and assault charges. He was found not guilty of felony charges of threatening to kill and imprison his wife.

In the incident, Kunes pinned his estranged wife down on her bed and threatened to kill both her and her dog after she took a bag that belonged to one of his friends.

He was sentenced to 364 for the gross misdemeanor convictions, with 330 days suspended for two years. He served four days in jail, with the remaining 30 days of his sentence converted to 240 hours of community service, according to a Columbia Basin Herald article.