Prosecutor Charged With Drunken Driving

Snohomish County’s chief criminal deputy prosecutor has been charged with drunken driving.

The charge against Jim Townsend, 44, of Everett, was filed Tuesday in Seattle District Court by King County prosecutors. They are handling the case to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest by Snohomish County prosecutors.

Townsend was arrested Dec. 13 after another motorist reported he was driving erratically near Everett. Court documents say he had a blood-alcohol level of more than .10 percent, which is the state’s threshold for drunken-driving convictions.

If convicted, Townsend could be sentenced to up to a year in jail and fined up to $5,000.

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