MOUNT VERNON — The wife of a man who died in a Skagit County shooting rampage has filed a $10 million claim against the state Corrections Department.
The claim was brought Wednesday by Carla J. Lange, wife of Leroy Bernard Lange, who was killed on Sept. 2.
Her lawyers accuse the state of inadequate supervision of 28-year-old Isaac L. Zamora.
A judge ruled Wednesday that Zamora is mentally competent to stand trial on six counts of aggravated first-degree murder and 14 other felony charges. According to the claim he had 21 convictions as an adult, including five felonies, and was under state supervision at the time of the shootings.
State officials have 60 days to respond. If the claim is rejected, it may then be filed as a lawsuit.
Lakewood: Killing explained by police
Police say a man refused to put down a weapon and was coming at officers when one shot and killed him in Lakewood.
Police Lt. Heidi Hoffman say officers confronted the man Wednesday night when they responded to a report that a drunken man was assaulting his wife at the Mt. Tacoma Mobile Home Park. The woman and an 8-year-old boy were able to reach a neighbor’s house.
The Pierce County medical examiner’s office identified the dead man Thursday as 37-year-old Curtis Wetzel.
Hoffman says officers were familiar with him and had been to his mobile home at least once before.
One officer is on leave for the shooting investigation.
Vancouver, Wash.: Missing girl found
A 16-year-old Vancouver girl with a type of autism has been found in Tacoma after being missing overnight.
Vancouver police tell The Columbian newspaper that the girl, Carisa Tuck, was found safe Thursday afternoon in Tacoma. Details about how she got from her home in Vancouver to Tacoma were not immediately released.
Police had been concerned about the girl because she has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. She was reported missing by her parents Wednesday evening, and a search was launched.
Ellensburg: CWU trustee quits
A member of the Central Washington University Board of Trustees has resigned because he was unhappy with the role the board played in raising student tuition by 14 percent.
Sanford Kinzer said Thursday that he is a big supporter of higher education and CWU, but he thinks the board should have done more than put a rubber stamp on a tuition increase that kids and parents can’t afford.
The Ellensburg attorney previously worked in Washington, D.C., as chief-of-staff for U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. Kinzer sent an e-mail to the president of the board and wrote a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire explaining his decision.
He has served on the board of trustees for the past four years.
From Herald news services
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