Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, April 27, 2007 Suit dismissed against Everett detective By Jim Haley / Herald Writer SEATTLE - A federal court judge Thursday dismissed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Everett and a police officer who interviewed a 13-year-old boy for two hours without calling his parents. U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly wrote that the detective who interviewed the boy at school was acting in "the course of legitimate police business," and that can't be described as "outrageous in character." The boy's parents, Rev. Paul Stoot and his wife Tammie Stoot, filed the lawsuit in November 2005, claiming numerous civil rights violations. The civil lawsuit, originally filed in Snohomish County Superior Court, alleged that the officer unlawfully coerced "false admissions of guilt and a false confession" during an investigation of sexual abuse. The case later was moved to federal court, said Seattle lawyer Bob Christie, who represented the city and detective Jon Jensen. "I think it's a fair and just ruling," Christie said. "The police have a mandatory duty to investigate here. Some may not agree with the tools of investigation but (the detective) acted completely within the law." The bottom line, Christie said, is the city and officer "were vindicated because the judge found he acted reasonably." The boy was interviewed in January 2005 after a complaint of sexual abuse. A judge later threw out the confession, concluding that the statement was "the product of impermissible coercion." Another judge later dismissed a criminal charge against the boy. Since then, Rev. Stoot has unsuccessfully pushed the Legislature to change state law that permits police to interview children age 12 or older without notifying their parents. Stoot lawyer Michael Andrews of Everett said the lawsuit's main aim was to call attention to the issue and change police practices for interviewing young defendants. Andrews said he was disappointed that the federal court dismissed the lawsuit. Nonetheless, the ruling doesn't change what happened. "In my view, Judge Zilly's decision doesn't change the fact that a statement was unlawfully coerced out of a 13-year-old boy," Andrews said. Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.

1. City of Everett, neighbor sued over lost trees, mudslide 2. Three-car accident closes Highway 9 3. Kennedy’s assassination remains a puzzling memory 4. Ways to Give: How you can help in your community 5. Take a look under your seat 6. Novice real estate investors can lose their shirts 7. Kwan never golden, but sometimes transcendant 8. Lotto ticket worth $6.5 million sold in Lake Stevens 9. Canceled credit cards come as a shock for some 10. Count drags on long after the election's over 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Eat local this Thanksgiving • Mavericks moving on • Canada's Great Big Sea rolls into Edmonds • A. Murphy finishes 2nd in volleyball • Art Walk features music, demonstrations • EAT LOCAL: Getting the goods • Lynnwood HS history teacher Vic Bennet dies • Wildcats head to semis • CSO Chamber annual show slated Nov. 23 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million