Prosecutor Will Take Over As Commissioner Plese Will Preside Over First Hearings In District Court Domestic Violence Cases

Thu., Feb. 26, 1998

By Tom Sowa toms@spokesman.com (509) 459-5492

A veteran deputy prosecutor has accepted a job as Spokane County District Court commissioner handling domestic violence cases.

Annette Plese, head prosecutor in the county’s domestic violence unit, will take over the $81,700-per-year job sometime in March.

Plese was chosen from eight candidates for the job, District Court Judge Greg Tripp said on Thursday.

Plese will fill the vacancy created by the reassignment of Bradley Chinn. Chinn has been District Court’s domestic violence commissioner since July. He recently took another commissioner’s job in District Court.

“This is a decision that seems right for me at this point,” Plese said. “It’s been my career goal to move toward that (judge’s) job,” she added.

Commissioners preside over first appearances and other hearings in District Court.

As domestic violence commissioner, Plese will preside over first appearances by people charged with assault or other crimes.

The domestic violence commissioner’s salary comes from a $1.6 million federal grant awarded to the city of Spokane.

Her current boss, Prosecutor Jim Sweetser, praised Plese for strong administrative skills.

“People who have worked with her recognize she’s fair, objective and has good decision-making skills,” Sweetser said.

Plese graduated from Gonzaga University Law School in 1991.

Tripp said Plese will be first assigned to other District Court cases to avoid possible conflicts of interest with prosecutors she’s supervised.

That transition period will last several weeks.

, DataTimes

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