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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Letters

The Spokesman-Review

County the culprit, not the neighbors

I was surprised by the venomous personal attacks leveled by Kerry Masters and her friend Christy Dawn against Paul Shields and Heather Amity in their letters to the editor regarding the Shields’ new house at Liberty Lake.

It looks like these PETA people have once again skewed the facts to serve their personal agendas. Both women raise the fact that Shields is a hunter, which in Liberty Lake apparently makes you fair game for extremists.

What remains a big mystery to me is why Shields’ neighbors Mike and Sheryl Koch, Joel and Jodi Zellmer, and Gary and Ellen Bernardo chose to sue the Shields and not the county. The county clearly bungled the process and has apparently acknowledged their mistake. Yet the neighbors have legally pursued the Shields even though they followed the permitting process to the letter. Perhaps they hope his pockets aren’t as deep as the county’s and they have a better chance of winning against the little guy. I am sure glad I don’t live in that neighborhood.

Hopefully the courts will do their duty and absolve the Shields of any wrongdoing. If not they will set a dangerous precedent for anyone who has ever remodeled or built a house. Will you be liable at some future date if a judge decides that even if you have an approved building permit, your house may still be considered to be illegally constructed? Yikes!

Steve Shirley

Liberty Lake