Fired attorney not surprised by Justice report
SEATTLE — John McKay, a former U.S. attorney in Seattle, says he’s not surprised by a Justice Department report that found questionable reasons for his firing in 2006 and the firing of eight other U.S. attorneys.
McKay told a Seattle newspaper that Monday’s report shows the Justice Department engaged in an after-the-fact effort to justify his dismissal and then lied about it.
The report said investigators could not determine exactly why McKay was dismissed, although he apparently angered his boss by advocating an information sharing program among law enforcement agencies.
McKay had been the Western Washington prosecutor since 2001. He now teaches law at Seattle University.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a prosecutor Monday to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or other officials should face criminal charges in the firings.
Tacoma: Abandoned baby in state care
A newborn baby girl who was left at a Federal Way church is in good condition at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Tacoma where nurses are calling her Autumn Doe.
A state spokesman, Steve Williams of the Department of Social and Health Services, said she’ll remain in the hospital while caseworkers find a foster family.
The mother contacted police Monday to answer questions about leaving the baby early Sunday at the door of Steel Lake Presbyterian Church
The woman was not arrested. King County prosecutors will decide whether to charge her with child abandonment.
@3. Headline News Briefs 14 no:1 killed, 9 injured in Lake Tapps collision
A boat was speeding in the dark when it collided with another boat Monday night on Lake Tapps near Bonney Lake.
Emergency officials say one person was killed and nine injured in the collision about 10:30 p.m. Monday. Divers found the body about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
East Pierce County Fire and Rescue says one of the injured was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. Others were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Madigan Army Medical Center and Tacoma General Hospital.
Lacey: Charge filed in St. Martin’s rape
A former truck driver already jailed in Nevada has been charged in Olympia with the rape last April of a Saint Martin’s University student.
Police say the arrest of 50-year-old Richard Duane Bunch in the sexual assault of a girl in Sparks, Nevada, led them to investigate him in the Lacey rape. Investigators found a link in DNA evidence.
Bunch was charged Monday in Thurston County Superior Court.
A Lacey police detective noticed that Bunch’s photograph resembled a police sketch in the Lacey rape. Investigators obtained a DNA sample that led to the charge in Olympia.
Rosario: Orcas Island resort sold at auction
The historic 74-acre Rosario Resort in the San Juan Islands was sold at auction Tuesday, but the previous owner won’t discuss the buyer or the purchase price.
The buyer, who lives in the Puget Sound region but not in the San Juans, beat out 10 other bidders in a live auction that lasted about 40 minutes, said Laurie Cameron, managing director of Olympus Real Estate Partners of Dallas. Olympus has owned the resort since 1998.
The property’s main attraction is the 25,000-square-foot Moran Mansion, built in 1909 by former Seattle Mayor Robert Moran, who was also a ship builder.
It includes 10 buildings with 131 rooms and comes with a plan already approved by San Juan County that will allow the new owner to build 134 luxury vacation condos.
Mount Vernon: Six counts of murder filed
Skagit County prosecutors have filed murder charges against Isaac Zamora, the 28-year-old man accused of killing six people in a shooting rampage earlier this month.
Prosecutors filed 20 charges in total, ranging from aggravated murder to burglary, in the county’s Superior Court on Monday.
Zamora faces six counts of aggravated first-degree murder, which means Zamora could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted. Six counts of first-degree attempted murder were filed as well.
The Sept. 2 shootings claimed the life of a Skagit County sheriff’s deputy, two Alger-area residents, two construction workers, and a motorist on I-5. Four other people were injured.
Oregon: Pot delivered along with the mail
A former U.S. Postal Service carrier has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for selling marijuana on his mail route.
Prosecutors said 48-year-old Ronald Berkan of Vernonia pleaded guilty in April to distribution of marijuana to a person under 21.
Investigators said they arrested Berkan after Lake Oswego police arrested a 19-year-old who claimed he had been buying marijuana from Berkan since high school.
As part of a plea agreement, Berkan resigned from the Postal Service in April after 15 years of service.
Associated Press
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