Letter: Deals skirt justice
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The June 15 Columbian story "Ex-Skamania auditor's criminal case delayed," reports that J. Michael Garvison, former Skamania County auditor, has yet another delay in his court case. As noted in the story, the trial was moved to Clark County so he could have a fair trial. I, for one, would be happy with any trial.
This guy is alleged to have misused his position to defraud the people of Skamania County. In the process he caused some people to lose their jobs, cost the county additional funds in settlement costs, and had a less-than-perfect record of attendance at his job.
I also read in the story the attorneys are working out a resolution to his guilty plea. I assume that means negotiating what his punishment will be. Silly me, I thought the punishment was up to a judge.
This has been going on since 2009, with no end in sight. It's no wonder lawyers and politicians get such a bad rap.
Fred Cloe
North Bonneville
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Ex-Skamania auditor's criminal case delayed
