Big Probation Changes at Snohomish County District Court

On May 1, 2018, all four divisions / courthouses of the Snohomish County Distirct Court (SCDC) will restructure their probation model. New evidence based practices will be introduced for all defendants placed on court probation. The Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) will be used as the probation assessment instrument. It will classify Defendant’s probation as…

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Cell Phone Distracted Driving Emphasis Patrols in April 2018

There will be extra police patrols in April on Washington State roads looking for drivers who are distracted by their smartphones / electronic devices. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has declared April “Distracted Driving Awareness Month” and over 150 law enforcement agencies will be looking closely for drivers who are using their phones. Under the…

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Snohomish County DUI Case Won

Recently I won a hard fought DUI trial in the Snohomish County District Court (Everett Division). My client had become sleepy on his way home at night to Mill Creek after consuming several drinks earlier in Monroe. So he pulled safely of the roadway, parked his car, turned off the engine, and went fast asleep…

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Over 5,000 Distracted Drivers Stopped Since New Laws Began

Since last July 2017 when Washington State started enforcing stricter distracted driving laws, WSP Troopers have stopped 5,083 drivers for operating a vehicle and holding an electronic device at the same time. That is just over 43 drivers per day. Of these 5,083 distracted drivers, only 770 received citations, with most only receiving a warning.…

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Driving While Sleep Impaired Traffic Offenses

Many Washington drivers are unaware that they can be charged for sleep impaired dangerous driving. Driving after 18 hours without sleep mimics a 0.05% blood alcohol concentration. Driving after 21 hours without sleep mimics driving over the 0.08% legal limit for alcohol (Source: 2016 Governors Highway Safety Association). So legally driving with too little sleep…

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Lynnwood Traffic Camera Tickets

The City of Lynnwood pioneered the use of red light intersection and school zone speeding traffic cameras about 10 years ago. So far its one of the very few cities in Snohomish County to use them. Red light cameras operate in several major Lynnwood intersections. School zone speeding cameras operate during the school day. The…

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