No leniency for robbers

Spokane is not the safe city I grew up in. Suspects arrested by police for felony crimes are being released from jail because Prosecuting Attorney Steve Tucker won’t charge them within 72 hours.

At a forum for only Republican candidates, Tucker said he didn’t always feel comfortable charging “only on a probable cause basis.” What other basis is there? Tucker continues to be the criminal’s best friend.

Equally disturbing was defense attorney Chris Bugbee’s assertion that people “taking” OxyContin (narcotic) pills from pharmacies were addicts who needed drug treatment and not jail time. Actually, these are armed robbery crimes, not minor shoplifting. I know one of the pharmacists who was robbed at gunpoint, forced to hand over hundreds of OxyContin pills (that sell for $40-$60 a pill on the street) and then was tied up. She said the robber was older, prepared, willing to use deadly force and “not an addict.”

Neither Tucker nor David Stevens (No Deal Dave?) challenged Bugbee. Armed robbery demands lengthy imprisonment.

As a career prosecutor, I will work to make Spokane County safer when I am elected. Suspects will be promptly charged, all bogus pretrial settlement offers will stop, and criminals will be held accountable.

Jim Reierson

Candidate for prosecuting attorney

Spokane