Washington Legal News: Seattle Divorce & Domestic Violence Lawyer

When it comes to divorce, child custody, and domestic violence, you are not alone – far from it. Stories of ending marriages, custody battles, and abused love are in the news every day, both on a national level and right here in the greater Seattle area. We can learn a lot from these current events stories, both about Washington law and others who may share similar experiences with you. Below, please read our collection of Washington legal news stories.

News Category: All CategoriesDivorce and PropertyDomestic ViolenceChild Custody and SupportGeneral

Domestic Violence

• Women With Domestic Violence History Working In Washington Schools
  Apr 25, 2010

  Could your child be attending a Washington State school that employs felons with a history of domestic violence convictions? Legally, they could be, says Grandview School District Superintendent Kevin Chase, who has been defending the hiring of a woman with a history of domestic abuse charges against her child.
  
  The school hired Karen Ott, a Yakima woman who spent six months in jail for a Class B felony – second-degree assault and domestic violence. The woman was charged and convicted of hitting her son with a belt until he was hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Now, however, she has served her time and is working in a clerical position in the Grandview School District in Yakima.
  
  Certified employees at schools cannot have criminal felonies on their records, but other employees, like secretaries, can have domestic violence charges and still be considered. But while Ott’s supporters say that she doesn’t have direct contact with students, others say that she has had some interactions with children, such as escorting a child to the bus.
  
  The Superintendent of the school says that Ott was the most qualified applicant for the position, and that she deserves a second chance. He also said that Ott disclosed her criminal history of domestic violence with the hiring committee and that they were comfortable with hiring her despite her past. He also notes that since she has been hired, she has been a hard worker and an ideal employee. Others close to the family say that the current drama is being overplayed because Ott is in the middle of a child custody dispute. - 31 - 40

• Tacoma Man Convicted Of Killing Estranged Wife And Stepdaughter
  Apr 05, 2010

  Tacoma, Washington, was the setting for a tragic example of domestic violence – a man going through a divorce committed the double murder of his wife and stepdaughter as he struggled to cope with the end of his marriage.
  
  According to court reports, 53-year-old Charles W. Nettlebeck killed his wife, 52-year-old Barbara Joe Nettlebeck, and his stepdaughter, 33-year-old Joan Hawkins with an ax at his wife’s residence. The double murder occurred in March of 2009 after Charles went to his former home to help with a yard sale. After an argument, the man decapitated his wife and then mauled his stepdaughter. Three hours later, following an attempt to hang himself, the man called 911 and reported what he had done. His wife was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime while his stepdaughter died of her injuries a few hours later at the hospital.
  
  At the time of the domestic violence murder, Barbara had a protective order against her husband and had filed for divorce. It is not clear whether he was invited to the house on the day of the yard sale. It is also not clear whether the man had a history of domestic abuse or violence against his wife and family.
  
  This week a Tacoma jury found the man guilty on two counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Sentencing will take place next month. Prosecutors will not pursue the death penalty because of Nettlebeck’s long history of mental illness that could have contributed to his actions. - 32 - 40

• Seattle Church Couples Counseling Session Leads To Domestic Violence
  Mar 31, 2010

  A man fatally shot his ex-wife during a church counseling session, the Seattle Times reports. Last week, 42-year-old Charles "Chuck" Parson attended a couple’s therapy session at the Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way with his ex-wife, 38-year-old Carol Parsons. During the session, the therapist said that Chuck Parsons got up from his chair as if he were going to leave, but pulled a handgun and shot his separated wife at least three times. After the shooting, the man called 911 and turned himself in to police.
  
  The couple, who has three young children, had been going through a divorce for the last year, though Chuck Parsons wanted to work things out with his wife and was extremely upset over the separation. Carol Parsons believed that counseling would help him find closure and better understand the situation.
  
  Chuck Parson had no history of domestic violence or other criminal charges, though Carol’s sister said that during the marriage he could often be possessive and controlling, calling Carol obsessively and checking in with her. While he had not been physically abusive, it is not clear if there had been verbal or emotional abuse in the past. They had been married for 12 years.
  
  Chuck Parsons, who is from Lakewood, is now in jail with a bail of $5 million due to his high flight risk. His defense attorney described him as extremely emotionally upset. The children of the couple are staying with relatives in the wake of this tragic crime.
  - 33 - 40

• Bremerton Volunteers Collect Jewelry For Domestic Abuse Victims
  Mar 30, 2010

  In many cases, domestic abuse victims need more than shelters and counseling – they need to feel a little sparkle. To help women regain themselves and life fuller lives in the wake of domestic abuse, the Kitsap Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project collects and distributes used pieces to the women who need them most.
  
  Jane Martin, a local jewelry maker herself, started the domestic abuse victim jewelry project after hearing about a similar project in Seattle, in which used and donated rings, bracelets, and necklaces were assessed, cleaned, fixed, and given to women who may not have another opportunity to find such pieces themselves. The jewelry is collected in boxes in local businesses around Bremerton and then distributed – while some women are able to give jewelry they don’t wear to a good cause, other women are given a chance to own an item that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.
  
  Some of the domestic abuse victims who are recipients of the jewelry say they had to leave behind everything when they escape their violent living situations – including their jewelry boxes. Others say that their abusers never gave them gifts. Still others say that their only piece of jewelry, their wedding ring, represents an unhealthy time in their lives.
  
  Even the jewelry that isn’t good enough to give to the shelter women is used – some is recycled for parts while some is given to local art students. Some more expensive pieces are sold, with the proceeds going to support job training classes for the domestic abuse victims. - 34 - 40

• Seattle Seahawks Consider Brandon Marshall's Domestic Abuse History
  Mar 11, 2010

  Many of those charged with domestic violence in Seattle wonder if and how these charges might affect their chances of future employment. While an isolated case may or may not have long-term repercussions on your career, chronic, repeated offenses backed up my evidence could seriously harm your reputation – and NFL player Brandon Marshall is a prime example.
  
  The Seattle Seahawks are looking forward to a better upcoming NFL football season – and they are in dire need of a strong, talented receiver. However, as the team considers taking on receiver Brandon Marshall, many are concerned with his history of domestic violence. Marshall allegedly abused his first girlfriend, Rasheedah Watley, who shared her story on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. Watley described a number of violent and abusive incidents – incidents that are backed up with police reports and photographic evidence of her injuries.
  
  Later, Marshall and his fiancée Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell were involved in a domestic dispute that Marshall’s former NFL team swept under the rug.
  
  Now the Seattle Seahawks are wondering if they should ignore the past charges and give the player a new chance – they even invited him to Seattle for a weekend visit. However, many believe that Marshall’s apparent history of violence and abuse will do nothing for the team’s image or the team itself. While the former manager of the Seattle Seahawks tried hard to keep men of character on his team, sports fans are unsure whether this trend will continue, especially as Seattle looks for a winning team. - 35 - 40

• Serial Domestic Abuse Offender Found Guilty In King County
  Feb 24, 2010

  Most of those charged with domestic abuse do not have a long history of similar charges. But recently King County arrested and charged a serial domestic abuse offender after years of violence toward the women in his life.
  
  The violence against his wife and the mother of his two children allegedly started in 2000, with a string of physical and emotional abuse even while she was pregnant. The woman put up with the abuse, not reporting it or else recanting her testimony, for several years before finally filing a complaint.
  
  The man, Dion Earl Johnson, was featured on “Washington’s Most Wanted.” Not long after he was charged with five different felony violations of a domestic violence court order, felony domestic violence harassment, two counts of tampering with a witness, and bail jumping. The domestic violence assaults included a November 2008 incident at a doctor’s office when his wife was six months pregnant. A second assault took place at a bar in February of last year. During the latter assault, the man also threatened to kill the family’s children.
  
  In addition to his felony charges, he was also found guilty of misdemeanors including violating a no-contact order and second-degree assault.
  
  A King County Superior Court jury convicted him of all domestic violence charges this week. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, he is facing up to ten years in prison for his domestic abuse charges.
  - 36 - 40

• Seattle: Former Student-Teacher Romance Leads To Domestic Violence
  Feb 09, 2010

  A normal relationship between a student and middle school teacher in Seattle has turned into a troubled and abusive romantic relationship involving threats, extortion, and domestic violence. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a 22-year-old man is being charged with second-degree extortion with a domestic violence enhancement after making threats to a former teacher.
  
  Seattle Police say that the man, Jonathan Wendale Williams, became erratic and mentally unstable after a relationship ended with his former teacher, 47-year-old unnamed woman who teachers in Seattle Public Schools. According to court reports, the two did not see each other for years after their teacher-student relationship ended, but that Williams contacted her recently and they began dating. A few months later, in December 2009, the woman attempted to end their sexual relationship, sending Williams over the edge.
  
  Allegedly, the young man began to harass the woman with hundreds of phone calls and at one point threatened to rape her and force her to have the baby. Finally, he began to threaten to contact the Seattle Public Schools Superintendent and falsely claim that she had molested him as a student. He also began to claim that he would release photographs of the couple kissing at the North Seattle Public School where she teaches. In the end, Williams told her that he would stop threatening her if she paid him $1,000.
  
  In jail, Williams admitted that he only made the threats to get her attention and that their sexual relationship did not begin until he was a consenting adult.
  - 37 - 40

• 64 Percent of Violence Against Women is Considered Domestic Abuse
  Jan 30, 2010

  A past study by the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the majority of violence against women occurs from domestic abuse.  The study, titled, the National Violence Against Women (NVAW) Survey, sampled both women and men. 
  
  Researchers found that 64 percent of the women included in the study reported being raped, physically assaulted and/or stalked by a current or former boyfriend, spouse or cohabiting partner. 
  
  In general, women experience more domestic violence than men.  The survey reported that 22.1 percent of the women responded that a current or former spouse or partner had physically assaulted them.  Only 7.4 percent of men responded that they had been victimized by domestic abuse.  A little over one percent of female survey respondents said that they had experienced such violence within the previous 12 months.
  
  The study also reported that 1.9 million women and 3.2 million men are physically assaulted every year in the United States.  Even though more men are the victims of assault, women are at a significantly higher risk of being injured during such an assault.
  
  If you have been the victim of domestic violence in Washington State, including King County or Snohomish County, contact a Mercer Island domestic violence attorney at the Law Offices of Molly B. Kenny at (206) 381-0100. - 38 - 40

• Campaign Brings Self-Defense Training to Domestic Violence Centers
  Jan 26, 2010

  Earlier this month, a campaign commenced that will bring self-defense training to at-risk and under-served women.   According to Seattle Police Detective Kim Bogucki, these groups include, “homeless youth, homeless women, domestic violence centers, the Senior Center in West Seattle, the LGBQ community, just to name a few.”
  
  This campaign, titled, “Fight the Fear,” came about from the community response to the murder of South Park resident Teresa Butz and the assault of her partner.   Bogucki said that Butz was passionate about the organizations this campaign will be helping. 
  
  “Teresa’s partner felt that providing self-defense training for women in the city would be an amazingly positive outcome from a horrendous situation,” said Melinda Johnson, Executive Director of the Fight the Fear campaign.
  
  Singer Brandi Carlile’s foundation will be helping pay for the campaign.  She said that the goal is to get help to the women who need it.
  
  According to Py Bateman, the founder of Alternatives to Fear that was a response to Ted Bundy’s attacks, now is the right time for this type of program.  She believes that women know it’s okay to fight back.
  
  For more information regarding this campaign, visit http://fightthefearcampaign.com. - 39 - 40

Child Custody and Support

• Washington Man Loses Custody Of Children Over Medical Pot Use
  Jul 10, 2010

  Did you know that your Washington State child custody case could suffer just because you take a prescribed drug for medical reasons? Unfortunately, when the drug you are taking is medical marijuana, you can lose child visitation rights even though you aren’t breaking the law.
  
  This very thing happened to Washington State resident Nicholas Pouch, who can’t have his children visit his idyllic 20-acre farm in Matlock. The reason? His ex-wife brought up his medical marijuana past with their child custody judge. Now, even though he was never charged as a criminal, Pouch only sees his children twice a month, supervised and in a neutral location.
  
  Even though Washington laws say that medical marijuana users should not be penalized “or denied any right or privilege,” many are facing tough critics when it comes to child custody and child visitation cases. Some say that the decisions are correct, and that children should not be exposed to pot smoking, but others say that medical marijuana shouldn’t be seen as different from other prescription drugs.
  
  Many judges wonder a parent who is under the influence of marijuana is capable of safely parenting a child, though others bring up parents who watch children even while on powerful painkillers. However, marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
  
  At this point, Washington judges are coming to different decisions regarding the matter – while one judge as awarded visitation rights as long as another adult is present, another ruled that a father can’t be within a quarter-mile of his sons, despite his otherwise acceptable past as a caring father.
  - 40 - 40

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