A Cowlitz County Judge has approved efforts to recall Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney. | Pixabay
A Cowlitz County Judge has approved efforts to recall Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney. | Pixabay
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning gave the go-ahead for a recall effort for Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney.
Warning told KING5 he listened to the case because Snohomish County judges have been in recluse.
Fortney’s refusal to enforce Washington state’s stay-at-home order prompted Bothell resident Lori Shavlik to file the recall petition, according to KING5. Fortney took to Facebook to say he would prioritize constitutional rights over politics or popular opinion hence his decision not to enforce the stay-at-home order.
Deliberations were heard over the phone on May 15 as the sheriff’s attorney, Mark Lamb, asserted that a recall could set a dangerous precedent.
But warning favored Shavlik’s argument and is allowing the effort to recall Fortney to move forward, according to KING5.
Washington state was one of the first states to see COVID-19 cases this year, according to KING5. The state has seen almost 20,000 coronavirus as of May 22 and more than 1,000 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
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