Trial begins today in Island County for the husband of state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, on an allegation he assaulted the woman who managed his wife’s 2008 reelection campaign.
Basil Badley, a retired insurance industry lobbyist, is accused of assault and battery of the woman in December 2008 in his Camano Island home. Haugen was working in Olympia at the time.
The woman, Courtney Jones, alleges Badley fondled her breasts and “put his hand down her shirt and between her legs,” in a civil lawsuit filed in November 2009.
Badley has denied the claims.
Haugen, one of the Senate’s most powerful members, may be called to testify. On Tuesday, she sat next to her husband and his attorneys during selection of the jury. The trial is expected to last through early next week.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.