Moses Lake man convicted in deputy’s shooting

EPHRATA — A jury has convicted a Moses Lake man of second-degree assault for wounding an off-duty Grant County sheriff’s deputy when he was hunting coyotes near Soap Lake. Robbie Joe Marcher, 40, had been charged with first-degree assault for the shooting in January 2008 that wounded Deputy Earl Romig, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge. Romig was hit in the back and suffered internal injuries and nerve damage to his right leg. Marcher said he fired at what he thought was a coyote. Defense attorney Brett Billingsley told the Columbia Basin Herald that he and Marchers’ family are disappointed in Tuesday’s verdict. He said they will appeal. The jury also found Marcher guilty of second-degree unlawful hunting of big game and failure to summon assistance.