To The Eagle:

I was very disappointed to hear that our Prosecuting Attorney, Dan Bigelow, refused an offer to debate his challenger for office, Holly McKeen. Disappointed, but not surprised.

You see, I have seen Dan in action in the courtroom. Some years back I was called to be in the jury pool for a criminal case Dan was prosecuting. During the screening process, Dan asked me a question that I felt was insulting. It implied that if I were being asked some difficult or embarrassing questions that my first reaction would be to respond with violence. That violated the cardinal rule of trial lawyers: “never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to.”

Rather than react in anger I deflected the question with a light joke that apparently was funny enough that everyone in the room, including the Judge, exploded with laughter.

I was not selected to be a juror. However, I decided I would stay and watch the entire trial. What I saw was, to put it mildly, thought provoking. The defendant was accused of something on the order of child molestation. His appearance and demeanor would convince you that, if not this, he is certainly guilty of something.

Not being on the jury I was allowed to stay in the courtroom when the Judge ordered the jury sequestered. As I recall this happened frequently for the Judge to reprimand the Prosecutor for his inappropriate theatrics.

Having spent over twenty years as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in this county, I thought the case was flimsy at best. I think it was a bad decision to prosecute. The trial ended with a hung jury, resulting in a mis-trial. Dan decided to retry and got a conviction. I was availed a lot of information that the jury was not allowed to see and I strongly suspect the defendant was not guilty. Dan was availed this same information, or should have been.

When you vote, you should consider the fact that you are actually hiring someone to do a good job for you. It should not be a popularity contest. I am confident that Holly will do a very good job for us.

Robert L. Jungers, Cathlamet