FORKS – The investigation into the harassment of a Spokane family visiting Forks last week has so far not led to any charges. According to Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, nothing they’ve seen or heard, from either the family or the people that followed and confronted them in the downtown parking lot, rises to the level of Criminal Harassment, although he acknowledges that there was “non-criminal harassing behavior” in Forks.
King sent us the following legal definition of harassment:
(1) A person is guilty of harassment if:
(a) Without lawful authority, the person knowingly threatens:
(i) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened or to any other person; or
(ii) To cause physical damage to the property of a person other than the actor; or
(iii) To subject the person threatened or any other person to physical confinement or restraint
“Threat” means to communicate, directly or indirectly the intent:
(a) To cause bodily injury in the future to the person threatened or to any other person; or
(b) To cause physical damage to the property of a person other than the actor;
He added: “We have not found that anyone communicated threats to the family to cause them bodily harm or damage their property.”
Separate from that is the ongoing investigation into what happened on the A Road outside of town, where several vehicles followed the family and someone cut down trees across the road to keep them from leaving their camp site when they heard gunshots and chainsaws.
“There’s still the possibility that harassment charges could be filed against those that actually fell those trees. There’s also another crime reference called Unlawful Imprisonment, and the fact that their movement was restrained, which is a more serious offense than Harassment, the elements of that crime may fit the situation as well.”
King broke the news that ATF investigators are conducting their own inquiry into whether there were any firearms violations committed. He says about 30 individuals have been interviewed so far, and the investigation now includes evidence obtained from the victims.
“We’ve obtained photographs from the victims of individuals that were present at the scene and our deputies are working today to identify and locate those individuals.”
But, he added, the investigation is not without its challenges.
“Those are the challenges that we’re facing right now is, folks don’t want to cooperate completely with us because they’re concerned about retaliation. And not necessarily about retaliation, but the fact that they live in a small community and they don’t want to be labeled as a snitch.