Snohomish County court commissioner answers call for warrants day and night

ARLINGTON — Cops across Snohomish County know they can count on Paul Moon.

If there’s a murder at 3 a.m., they go to Paul Moon.

If they find a suspected drug house, or need to search a computer, their rapid pursuit of justice takes them to Paul Moon.

No matter if it’s noon or midnight, weekdays or weekends, officers rely on Moon to review the warrants they need to search and seize evidence.

Moon, 57, is the county’s appointed district court commissioner and works out of Arlington. He’s been at the job for nearly 30 years.

He’s not elected, doesn’t get paid overtime and quietly takes to heart his responsibility as a public servant and defender of the U.S. Constitution.

“I’m not in the business of solving crime, but it’s in the public’s interest that crimes get solved,” Moon said.

And crimes don’t get solved, he said, “without obtaining evidence in a way that protects people’s right to have a neutral detached party determine there is probable cause to make a search.”

Moon reviewed and approved 301 search warrants last year. That’s almost as many as all eight of the district court’s judges handled together and it’s more than all the Superior Court’s 15 judges signed last year.

He worked more than two dozen weekend days, sometimes both Saturday and Sunday. He reviewed more than 100 warrants after he’d gone home for the day or before heading into the courthouse.

“Taxpayers are definitely getting their bang for their buck out of Paul Moon,” said Pat Slack, commander of the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

Slack’s detectives frequently ask Moon’s permission to search houses, cars and personal records in drug cases. Criminals don’t operate during regular business hours and officers need someone they can turn to during “doper hours,” Slack said.

Otherwise police are waiting around to find a judge. That costs taxpayers money, Slack said.

Several years ago Moon installed a second phone line at his home to run a fax machine. Judges have the authority to review copies of police affidavits sent by fax. Moon figured he could save himself some sleep and police officers some time by working from home outside of regular court hours.

“He understands his responsibilities and accepts them with a smile,” Slack said. “He’s always trying to make sure everyone’s rights are protected. The warrants we take to him and he signs, they don’t get overturned.”

The law protects people from illegal searches, Moon said.

He recently turned down a request by police to search a suspected marijuana-growing operation. The police told Moon the house was using about 10 times the amount of electrical power for typical household.

That wasn’t enough to give police the right to search the house, Moon said. Common sense said it was a growing operation, but electrical power isn’t just for growing dope. Maybe the homeowners were growing gladiolus, Moon said. He told the officers he needed more before he could approve a warrant.

They knocked on the door, smelled a strong odor of marijuana, and went back to Moon. He approved the warrant.

It’s rare he doesn’t approve a search warrant, he said. About 90 percent of the warrants are scrutinized by prosecutors before they ever reach him.

“I’m the person who stands in the way of police making unreasonable searches,” he said.

That’s from a guy whose dedication to the law and Constitutional rights is stamped in metal. Moon’s personal license plate reads: “QATHRTY” — that’s short for “question authority,” Moon said.

The plate pays respect to the guiding principle of the First Amendment, he said.

Moon is an avid reader and information junkie. He reads three newspapers a day. He likes knowing what’s going on in his neighborhood and community. Moon said that’s part of the reason he enjoys being called to review search warrants.

He also has to keep up on the case laws that can affect how and when officers can search people’s private property.

“He has a good legal mind and he’s personable,” Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe said. “He’s been a workhorse for the people of Snohomish County for many, many years.”

Moon started out as a prosecutor in Snohomish County and later in Thurston County. He then worked as a private attorney. District court Judge Jay Wisman hired him as a part-time commissioner in 1981. The position became full-time two years later.

Moon can hear criminal and civil jury trials. He presides over the bulk of the jury trials in the Arlington court.

In his courtroom Moon doesn’t accept excuses but he’ll listen to the circumstances that brought the people into court, whether it’s their first or 10th time, said attorney Sheri Pewitt, a public defender assigned to Cascade.

He holds people accountable, and also is interested in helping them get on the right path, Pewitt said.

“He has a reputation of being fair and for being a connoisseur of the law,” she said. “He seems more interested in getting the law right than being right himself. I really admire his desire to get the law right.”

Herald writer Scott North contributed to this story. Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.