PORT ANGELES – A man once convicted murder and charged with another murder in Port Angeles is back in custody.
Tommy Ross Jr. was released from local custody Tuesday under a judge’s dismissal of the Clallam County charges.
But just a few hours later, the Washington State Division 2 Court of Appeals granted a temporary emergency stay of that order. An arrest warrant was issued.
Ross was immediately picked up by Oregon State troopers and is being held in Clackamas County.
Local authorities will seek to have him returned to Clallam County as the Prosecutor’s Office works on it’s appeal of Judge Brian Coughenour’s dismissal of murder charges in the 1978 murder of Janet Bowcutt of Port Angeles. He was arrested in 2016 returning from Canada after serving a 38-year sentence for a murder in Victoria. In his ruling this week, Cougenhour said Ross’ speedy trial rights were violated when he was not charged and tried with the Bowcutt murder although he was tried and found guilty of another murder in Canada at the same time.
Ross’ defense attorney, Lane Wolfley, has until October 29 to respond to the emergency stay.
In its ruling Tuesday, the appeals court says that Ross poses an immediate danger to the community, and that an appeal should not be delayed because many of the potential witnesses are elderly.