A jury acquitted a convicted sex offender Thursday of illegally possessing stolen property, but Willie Jay Russell, 46, of Everett still faces charges of intimidating a judge and Snohomish County deputies.
A Superior Court jury found that either somebody else did or could have put a stolen camcorder in a storage locker where it was found.
Russell openly wept, called out "thank you" to the jury and hugged defense lawyer Ann Frost when the verdict was read.
He was arrested in September on the stolen property charge, and bail was set at $300,000 because of alleged threats against an Everett District Court judge. Prosecutors then filed five felony counts, including intimidating a judge and sheriff’s deputies and telephone harassment.
Prosecutors said Russell in July and August was angry at the judge because of several pending and former legal decisions in his court.
Russell’s criminal history goes back to 1977 when he was convicted of robbery and forgery. Among his eight felony convictions are two counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree statutory rape, court documents say.
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