RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — Retired Benton County Judge Fred Staples was found dead Monday outside his Richland home.
The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/pdojx9 ) police are investigating the death, but it is not a homicide.
Staples was 77. He served as a judge for the Benton-Franklin Superior Court from 1974 to 1994.
Staples was known for his campaign to move the Benton County seat from Prosser to Kennewick. He launched petitions in 1984 and 2010 that failed. He also was unsuccessful in asking the state Supreme Court to order the county to move offices.
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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com