SEATTLE – The state Court of Appeals on Wednesday vacated a 48-year sentence against Brian Eggleston, who shot and killed a Pierce County sheriff’s deputy during a drug raid in 1995.
Eggleston was convicted at his third trial in 2002 of killing deputy John Bananola. The maximum penalty under state sentencing guidelines was 38 years, but the judge tacked on an additional 10 years after determining that Eggleston knew he was shooting at a police officer.
Since then, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that judges can’t hand out exceptional sentences unless the underlying facts are determined by a jury. In Eggleston’s case, no jury determined he knew he was killing a police officer.
Eggleston’s murder conviction stands, but the case has been sent back to Pierce County Superior Court for resentencing.
Associated Press
Olympia: Metal ball and chain injures Lacey man
Sheriff’s detectives Tuesday were investigating an early morning fight in which one man struck another man with a metal ball and chain.
Despite having his arm broken, the victim set fire to the suspect’s car, which was parked along a road southeast of the city. The victim, a 37-year-old Lacey man, then drove to a pay phone and called 911 about 1:15 a.m., the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Investigators interviewed the three participants and were sorting out their stories. No one has been arrested, chief criminal deputy Dan Kimball said. Investigators had not recovered the weapon, described as a metal ball attached to a chain.
The confrontation was apparently sparked by a love triangle between the victim, a 21-year-old Tenino woman and the 25-year-old suspect, Kimball said.
“I can’t remember the last case I saw where someone was alleged to have been assaulted by a ball and chain,” Kimball said. “On the other hand, nothing surprises me.”
The Olympian
Bellingham: Slaying investigation continues
Police Chief Randy Carroll said it’s still too early to determine if vigilantism was the motive in the killing of two sex offenders, and investigators continue to pursue all possibilities.
“There are a myriad of motives that could present themselves,” Carroll said. “The motive of vigilantism, of targeting these two victims because they are level 3 sex offenders, may be a ruse. … We need to make sure we don’t focus on one motive to the exclusion of all others.”
Bellingham police did not release new information in the deaths of Hank Adolf Eisses, 49, and Victor Manuel Vasquez, 68. They were found dead early Saturday in Eisses’ Northwest Avenue house after meeting with a man who apparently posed as an FBI agent.
Bellingham Herald
Bremerton: Gardeners in buff ruffle feathers
The Master Gardener Foundation of Kitsap County has stirred up a hornet’s nest with its 2006 fundraising calendar, “Gardening Au Naturel, Secrets of Kitsap County Master Gardeners.”
Washington State University Extension administrators have banned sales of the calendar at the state Master Gardener conference Sept. 7-9 in Pullman.
The calendar will be on sale at a University of Washington Women’s Alumni fundraiser Sept. 7. Calendars will bear stickers proclaiming, “Banned in Pullman.”
“We’re trying to make this a humorous event and have fun with it,” said foundation member and project leader Sharon Howard.
Kitsap Sun
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
