Prosecutors Assigned To Valley

Sat., July 10, 1999

By Angie Gaddy angieg@spokesman.com

The Spokane Valley is getting its own property crimes prosecutors.

This month, two Spokane County prosecuting attorneys were assigned to the Valley to work with Sheriff’s Department detectives.

“We’re hoping it builds a better relationship between the police and sheriff and us as far as communication,” said Matt Duggan, who supervises the Spokane County prosecutor’s office property-crime unit.

Seven prosecuting attorneys will be assigned to geographical regions in the city and county.

Cases in the northeastern and southeastern portions of the Valley will be handled by Russell Bradshaw, who has worked for the prosecuting attorney’s office for about 2-1/2 years.

Cases in the northwest and southwest parts of the Valley will be referred to David Vorhaus, who has worked for prosecutor’s office for three years.

“For me, it’s an outstanding system,” Vorhaus said. “The prosecutors get more contact with the detectives.”

Rather than a Spokane Valley burglary case being assigned with a group of others from across the county, the cases will be assigned to prosecutors depending on where the crime occurred.

Prosecutors will still work out of the county’s downtown office, Duggan said. However, there’s hope that prosecutors will be able to visit victims and detectives in the areas they serve, he said.

The changes in case assignments within the prosecutors’s office are patterned after the way police and sheriff’s detectives are assigned by geographic area.

The changes come four months after a crime-fighting grant in the Edgecliff neighborhood ran out and the county prosecuting attorney assigned to that neighborhood was transferred from the Edgecliff SCOPE station to work downtown.

Prosecutor Sharon Hedlund worked out of the Edgecliff neighborhood with a sheriff’s detective from early 1998 to March of this year.

“I think it’s going to be a good way for people to get in touch with the community,” she said.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.