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Anthony Tomashefsky

Investigative journalist covering Washington courts, judicial conduct, and local government. Member, Society of Professional Journalists.

Anthony Tomashefsky's Work 290 Articles
Courts & Law   -   Apr 28, 2026 Judge Basden Brazenly Presides Over Carl King Hearing Despite LDS Affiliation

Carl J. King, the 23-year-old Sequim man facing multiple felony charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material, appeared in Clallam County Superior Court this afternoon. Despite King’s ties to the Dungeness Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the proceeding

Criminal Justice   -   Apr 28, 2026 23 Year Old Sequim Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges Released From Jail as Ties to Embattled LDS Port Angeles Stake Emerge

A Sequim resident was arrested last week on multiple felony charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material, following a complex, multi-year investigation that involved dark web tracking, cryptocurrency tracing, and a Christmas Eve raid. But as the criminal case against 23-year-old Carl J. King

Education   -   Apr 27, 2026 Institutional Betrayal and the Fight for Accountability at QVSD

Following a $250,000 federal verdict against the Quillayute Valley School District for cultivating a hostile work environment, the bureaucratic shield is shattering. At a recent school board meeting, families openly confronted district leadership, citing decades of alleged abuse and demanding an end to the administration’s long-standing culture

Courts & Law   -   Apr 27, 2026 Washington Supreme Court Asked to Weigh in on Disability, Parental Rights, and the First Amendment

An 11-year legal battle over a child’s custody arrangement is currently pending before the Washington Supreme Court, asking justices to answer a procedural question with profound implications for family law. The case centers on a mother’s request to revisit a 2019 parenting plan after her child’s

Education   -   Apr 27, 2026 Washington State Suspends Educator’s Teaching Certificate After Extreme Intoxication Incident

In a Final Order issued on April 20, 2026, OSPI suspended the Washington teaching credentials of educator Carly Hill. According to the state’s disciplinary findings, the suspension stems from an incident where Hill was found heavily intoxicated on an elementary school campus—an event that occurred nearly four years

Education   -   Apr 26, 2026 Bainbridge School District Faces Second Federal Lawsuit as Former Employee Demands $5 Million

The Bainbridge Island School District is facing mounting legal challenges this year. Just as the district grapples with a high-profile federal civil rights lawsuit alleging administrators ignored a toxic culture of abuse by a former teacher, a second federal lawsuit has been filed by a former employee alleging wrongful

Education   -   Apr 26, 2026 Bellingham Educator Suspended After Years of Reported Inappropriate Touching

A former Bellingham School District Traffic Safety Instructor has had his teaching certificate suspended following a documented pattern of inappropriate physical contact and comments directed at students and staff, according to a recent disciplinary order issued by the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. State documents reveal that

Investigations   -   Apr 26, 2026 Behind Closed Doors: The Deposition of Former Sequim Board Director Jim Stoffer

In our ongoing commitment to government transparency, The Olympic Herald is releasing the complete, sworn deposition of former Sequim School Board Director Jim Stoffer. As we detailed in our previous investigative report on the Sequim School District’s decades-long cover-up, the truth is frequently buried beneath bureaucratic deflection

Education   -   Apr 26, 2026 Mount Vernon High School Teacher Suspended Over Inappropriate Discussions With Students

In a recent disciplinary order, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction suspended the teaching credentials of a former Mount Vernon educator following his admission that he discussed his sexual history and drug use with students. According to the state’s disciplinary findings, the suspension stems from incidents

Education   -   Apr 25, 2026 State Suspends Lacey Educator’s Teaching Certificate Over Alleged Alcohol Consumption on Campus

In a Final Order issued on Thursday, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction suspended the state teaching credentials of educator Lindsey Frazier, following a complaint regarding her alleged consumption of alcohol on school premises. According to the state’s disciplinary findings, the suspension stems from incidents during

Education   -   Apr 25, 2026 Federal Complaint Alleges Bainbridge Island School District Ignored Teacher’s Abuse

A federal civil rights and negligence lawsuit filed against the Bainbridge Island School District paints a deeply disturbing picture of an institution that allegedly left a vulnerable teenage girl at the mercy of a teacher she accuses of abuse. The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for

Education   -   Apr 25, 2026 State Suspends Educator’s Teaching Certificate Over Alleged Explicit Computer Searches

In a Final Order issued on Thursday, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction suspended the state teaching credentials of educator Mark Baer, following an interstate report regarding his alleged use of school equipment to access explicit materials. According to the state’s disciplinary findings, the suspension in

Courts & Law   -   Apr 24, 2026 Washington CJC Sanctions Two Judicial Officers

Today, the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct released two disciplinary stipulations detailing severe misconduct by judicial officers. According to the stipulations, King County District Court Judge Fa’amomoi Masaniai and Kitsap County Superior Court Commissioner Lynn K. Fleischbein were sanctioned for actions that betray the core responsibilities of their

Courts & Law   -   Apr 24, 2026 Plaintiff Rebukes LDS Church's “No Legal Duty” Defense in Interstate Abuse Lawsuit

The legal battle over an alleged interstate child sex abuse cover-up escalated Friday, as attorneys for the plaintiff responded to the LDS Church’s assertion that it possessed “no legal duty” to intervene and protect a teenage girl from her abusive father. In a 14-page reply filed earlier

Investigations   -   Apr 24, 2026 Office for Civil Rights Complaint Alleges That QVSD Ignored Assault, Enabled Racism, and Blackmailed a Family

A recently obtained Office for Civil Rights complaint and internal correspondence outline allegations of a coordinated campaign by Quillayute Valley School District leadership to silence a family reporting abuse. Coming just weeks after a federal jury ordered the district to pay $250,000 for cultivating a hostile work environment, the

Investigations   -   Apr 23, 2026 The Sequim School District Cover-Up

On paper, the Sequim School District boasts robust anti-discrimination policies, dedicated Title IX coordinators, and strict procedures mandating swift, five-day turnarounds for harassment investigations. In reality, the district spent decades looking the other way. What began in the 1990s as a failure to monitor predators eventually hardened into

Courts & Law   -   Apr 22, 2026 King County Superior Court Motion Exposes Evaluator’s Role in DVPO Denial

On March 13, 2026, counsel for Melissa Strawn filed a sweeping Motion for Reconsideration seeking to reverse a King County Superior Court order that stripped her of her Domestic Violence Protection Order. At the center of this legal battle is the outsized influence of a highly scrutinized evaluator and a

Investigations   -   Apr 21, 2026 10 Days for the Judge’s Wife, 18 Months for the Public: Clallam County’s Two-Tiered Justice System

For a victim of domestic abuse, the legal system is supposed to offer an exit strategy. A swift, permanent protection order creates the only legally enforceable boundary between a victim and their abuser. In Clallam County, however, the administration of justice operates with a brutal, two-tiered double standard. For

Courts & Law   -   Apr 21, 2026 LDS Church Claims “No Legal Duty” in Interstate Child Sex Abuse Cover-Up Lawsuit
LDS Church Claims “No Legal Duty” in Interstate Child Sex Abuse Cover-Up Lawsuit

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a sweeping legal defense against an amended lawsuit that alleges a coordinated interstate cover-up of child sex abuse in Ridgefield, Washington and Albany, Oregon. In a 26-page opposition brief filed earlier this month, attorneys representing the LDS

Courts & Law   -   Apr 20, 2026 Federal Judge Allows Retaliation Lawsuit Against Lake Stevens Police to Proceed
Federal Judge Allows Retaliation Lawsuit Against Lake Stevens Police to Proceed

On April 16, 2026, the Honorable Barbara J. Rothstein of the United States District Court issued a pivotal order regarding a lawsuit filed by domestic violence survivor Gina Bloom. According to the ruling, the court has allowed Bloom’s core allegations of retaliation and malicious prosecution against the City of

Free Speech   -   Apr 20, 2026 Olympic Herald Journalist Files Motion in the Court of Appeals to Publish Precedent-Setting First Amendment Ruling

The Olympic Herald has formally petitioned the Washington State Court of Appeals to publish a portion of a recent ruling that struck down an unconstitutional gag order in a Thurston County domestic violence case. Earlier today, I filed a non-party motion asking Division II of the appellate court to

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