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A man accused of threatening to kill City Council President Joe Shogan and the chairwoman of the company that owns The Spokesman-Review will go to trial in April, a judge ruled today.
David H. Elton, who turns 44 on Friday, is charged with three counts of felony harassment for alleged threats made to Shogan, Cowles Co. chairwoman Betsy Cowles, and Elton’s ex-wife, Robin Stewart.
Elton was arrested Feb. 10 after police obtained an email in which Elton said he wanted “to murder”several people, including Cowles and Stewart. Elton was suspected of threatening to kill Spokesman-Review Publisher Stacey Cowles, but that charge was dropped the day of his arrest after Cowles “expressed no fear or concern about Mr. Elton’s conduct,” according to court documents.
Elton has said the emails were a joke and that he would never hurt anyone. Spokane police Detective Corey Turman testified on Thursday that Elton said he wanted the Cowles family to sue him so he could use the evidence process to obtain company records.
But Elton, who described himself as a “hyperactive political activist,” claimed “he was not willing to commit a crime just to get them in court,” Turman said.
On Thursday, Judge Maryann Moreno, the eighth judge assigned to the case, ruled that statements Elton made to police were voluntary and can be admitted at trial.
She also ordered that sixty Spokane County residents should be called for a jury pool. Jury pools typically have about 35 people.
Elton’s defense attorney, longtime trial lawyer Mark Vovos, has filed a motion asking for the charges to be dismissed because of judicial mishandling.
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Reporter Meghann Cuniff writes about public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.
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twoandthree on January 21 at 8:09 p.m.
It makes one wonder why the County is pursuing this especially after 7 of our Superior Court Judges have recused themselves. Will there be any left by the time its over?
With the many layoffs that the prosecutors office cried about, why are they spending so much effort when there is a back log of more serious crimes to investigate and prosecute.
In Court today under oath Turman testified that he never recorded Elton’s questioning however that contradicts his previous statements.
Finally after 11 months after discovery other documents from the prosecutor are just now showing up?
60 for a jury pool instead of 35? I didnt know there were that many people in Spokane who haven’t heard of the shenanigans of the Cowles nor Shogans anger management problems. Cave dwellers perhaps? What if they called 60 and they all petitioned to be recused?
Elton’s wife only contacted police AFTER he had been arrested and it had made the media. She was never an addresee nor a recipient of the email. Obviously she has an axe to grind and using this as a venue to harass Mr. Elton.
I cant wait till this freak show continues have financed by the tax payers.