In February, Skagit County dentist, Jeffrey Jech, stipulated to an agreement with the Washington Department of Health, indefinitely suspending his license to practice dentistry.
This latest disciplinary action is unfortunately not the first time that Jech has failed to comply with basic sanitation and HIPAA requirements for the lawful practice
I recently wrote about the disqualification procedure in Washington, which can generally be used to disqualify a judge, as long as it is used before that judge makes a discretionary ruling in the case.
Our readers often ask me what can be done after a judge issues a problematic ruling.
March has already proven to be a relentless month for accountability in Washington State. The tradition of asking hard questions and demanding transparency is one this publication carries forward every single day.
Over the last two weeks, our investigations have uncovered systemic local failures, exposed deep betrayals of public trust,
The arrest of former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator Johnny Watts during an armed police standoff earlier this week—and his subsequent connection to a massive Kitsap County fentanyl ring—has sparked intense public scrutiny of the Clallam County Superior Court.
How does a man with a highly documented, violent
The arrest of former Clallam County Drug Court Coordinator Johnny Watts was the first domino in a two-day, multi-agency sweep that led investigators straight to the doors of the 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim.
According to the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team, the March 11 standoff in Agnew
The Office of the Washington State Auditor released an accountability audit report last month, detailing the practices and financial health of the Aeneas Lake Irrigation District.
Located in Okanogan County near Tonasket, the District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors and provides irrigation to over 1,300
On March 11, 2026, a standoff in the Agnew area ended with the arrest of a wanted violent offender—and another man found with a loaded firearm and suspected drugs.
The second man was 50-year-old Johnny Watts.
Watts is not just a peripheral figure in the local criminal
Exactly one month after the disgraced and abrupt exit of former Court Commissioner Brian Parker, Clallam County has officially opened the search for his replacement.
An email distributed yesterday by Superior Court Administrator Lacey Halberg, confirmed that the court is now soliciting applications for the vacant position.
After a year
A King County judge has added more than four years to the prison sentence of a man who used his relationships within a Redmond church to sexually abuse children in his congregation.
On March 6, 2026, King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung sentenced Buckland Lee Darrell to an additional
On March 5, 2026, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the disbarment of attorney Stephen Kenneth Monro.
The 56-page opinion, authored by Justice Mary Yu, outlines a pattern of exploitation spanning several years, in which Monro stole from vulnerable clients, collected unreasonable fees, and repeatedly lied to the Office
A Washington attorney has surrendered his law license rather than face public disciplinary hearings, this time over allegations of treating his client trust account like a personal ATM.
Hari L. Alipuria, a Tacoma-based attorney licensed since 1997, permanently resigned from the Washington State Bar Association in lieu of discipline
The failure of a recent child welfare bill in Utah has cast a harsh national spotlight on the legal loopholes that allow suspected child abusers to easily evade law enforcement and child protective services.
Now, a video from a Washington State courtroom reveals a sitting judge actively encouraging parents to
Since our launch, the Olympic Herald has committed to fearless, independent investigative journalism in Washington state, holding power accountable.
Without corporate backing, we follow the paper trails and ask the uncomfortable questions that others ignore. Below is a summary of our coverage thus far, highlighting our ongoing fight to expose
Thomas Steffens, a 72-year-old former Moses Lake physician, was arrested on Monday in Vero Beach, Florida, following an exchange of gunfire with a U.S. Marshals regional fugitive task force.
Steffens previously spent many years practicing medicine in Moses Lake. State of Washington Department of Health records show
In an aggressive email that was sent on the evening of November 30, 2020, at 7:45 PM, Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden took former Clallam Commissioner Bill Peach to task over public comments criticizing the judicial appointment process.
The email, bearing the subject line “Judicial Independence,” reveals
The motion asks the court to order the removal of certain articles and requests a coercive fine of up to $2,000 per day until the articles are removed.
The Washington State Department of Health has filed a formal Statement of Charges against Yakima-based nursing assistant Manuel Alcala, alleging a disturbing multi-year pattern of sexual harassment, assault, and workplace intimidation.
The charges center on Alcala’s conduct while employed at State Operated Living Alternatives in Yakima, a
The Washington State Department of Health has formally charged Ryan Robert Sprauer, a Douglas County based medical assistant and certified nursing assistant, with unprofessional conduct.
The charges detail a series of alarming workplace incidents, missing medications, and prior criminal convictions.
Erratic Behavior and Missing Narcotics
The state’s allegations center
The Washington State Department of Health has formally charged nutritionist Erin Saena Yaseen with unprofessional conduct following allegations of insurance fraud and a subsequent failure to cooperate with state investigators.
In February 2025, the Department of Health received a formal complaint alleging that Yaseen engaged in insurance fraud.
Yaseen has
Last week, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct officially opened an investigation into Clallam County Superior Court Judge Brent Basden.
The investigation follows a formal complaint alleging that Judge Basden has repeatedly endangered children and domestic violence victims by allowing his ecclesiastical role in the Church of Jesus Christ
The Washington State Department of Health suspended the credentials of a former Bellevue nursing assistant following her criminal convictions for providing cannabis and tobacco to a minor patient.
The disciplinary action, finalized in a February 2026 Order, stems from Elena Nguyen’s employment at THIRA Health LLC, a behavioral health
Your link has expired. Please request a new one.
Your link has expired. Please request a new one.
Your link has expired. Please request a new one.
Great! You've successfully signed up.
Great! You've successfully signed up.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
Success! You now have access to additional content.
