SEATTLE — Former Snohomish County planning director Craig Ladiser pleaded not guilty today to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a drunken incident June 24 on a Redmond-area golf course.
The most serious charge, fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation, alleges Ladiser pressed his penis against the leg of a woman who works as a lobbyist for the building industry. Ladiser also is charged with indecent exposure.
The acts allegedly occurred while Ladiser, 59, was a guest at a golf tournament sponsored by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.
Ladiser appeared briefly this morning in King County Superior Court for arraignment. He was ordered to have no contact with the woman and later was taken from the courtroom to the jail for booking. Ladiser was told he would be released later today.
He declined comment as he waited in the courtroom before the hearing.
Ladiser was fired from his $150,000 a year planning department job last summer, and has since moved to Eastern Washington.
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