Justice Delayed

Last week I received a letter from the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (see screen capture) scheduling yet another trial date for Alice L (a pseudonym). That makes five so far. I’m a witness in the forgery case against her, which involves check washing. While I would like to put this ongoing saga behind me, it will be mid-November before I’ll know if the trial will take place.

Disclaimer: In the United States a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That being said, that’s not the way to bet on this case.

This all started in December 2023 when Alice L intercepted a check I had written on my Kitsap Bank account and mailed in to pay my cable bill. After erasing the handwritten information on the check, she made it out to herself for $500, forging my signature in the process. In a devilish touch she dated it December 25 and wrote “Merry Christmas” on the Memo line.

When she presented the check at a Kitsap Bank branch, everything seemed legitimate so the bank cashed it. There is physical evidence of this, including the canceled check. Plus she paid the $5 fee charged to non-account holders. Selecting $500 as the check amount was a gamble, but it paid off as my account had sufficient funds to cover the check.

I worked closely with a Kitsap Bank branch manager after I discovered the check fraud. The main requirements were to file a police report and to close the old checking account. Later, after an investigation to make sure the forgery wasn’t an inside job, Kitsap Bank restored the $500 to my new account. They also provided new checks for free. Apparently Kitsap Bank has a budget for check fraud. So I’m not really a victim unless you count the time it took to resolve the matter.

My experience with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office has been equally pleasant and reassuring. Everyone I’ve dealt with has been good at their jobs and has done their part to move things forward. It’s reassuring to know that there are more good guys than bad guys when it comes to crime. The various legal assistants and the deputy prosecuting attorney the case belongs to have done a great job keeping me abreast of its developments.

Alice L was arrested and served time in the Kitsap County jail before being bailed out. In an interesting twist, the Prosecuting Attorney’s office asked for my opinion on the amount of bail. I didn’t give one, saying instead that it should be up to the professionals.

So why does the case keep getting continued and why do I care? The latter is easier to explain. First, each time a trial is scheduled I need to build my plans around being available for about a 10-day window “just in case.” That’s getting old after five trial notices and three subpoenas over a 20-month period. Second, I’m hoping to learn how Alice L got her hands on the check, as I always put outgoing mail in a blue USPS mailbox or mail it from inside a post office. Finally, even though the case affects me personally, what’s more important is that ordinary law-abiding citizens do their part in the war on crime. That means being a witness if called.

Reasons for the various trial continuances haven’t been explained in writing. I suspect that most have to do with disagreements between the defendant and her attorneys on how to proceed. A delaying tactic? It sounds like one, but I don’t know for sure. Ironically, it’s likely that taxpayers are picking up the tab for the several attorneys she’s had. In one instance, a trial date was continued because she was applying for acceptance into the THRIVE court, an optional diversion program for survivors of trafficking, exploitation, and/or abuse. However, that must have fallen through because it was well before the latest scheduled trial date (November 2025).

I strongly believe that defendants have the right to be represented by counsel in a criminal proceeding. But I also believe that defendants should take personal responsibility for their actions especially in what appears to be a minor case that might result in probation rather than jail time if there’s a guilty verdict.

I guess I’m just naïve. Look for an update in November.