Bellevue attorney can't serve as temporary judge, panel says

A King County District Court panel of judges has decided that a Bellevue attorney no longer can serve as a temporary judge because of his criminal record.

The panel decided to remove Richard Llewelyn Jones, who has served as a judge pro tem, or temporary judge, in King County District Court in Redmond on seven occasions since 2006. Jones drew attention after he presided over an Oct. 1 hearing involving a driving-under-the-influence charge brought against King County Councilwoman Jane Hague.

On Friday, the District Court's executive committee approved a proposal to disqualify any prospective pro tem from serving in that capacity if the applicant has had a criminal conviction within the past 10 years, Judge Barbara Linde, chief presiding District Court judge, said Tuesday.

In addition, the court now will do a legal history check on all pro tem applicants, she added, a process not used previously.

Jones ruled for a continuance in the Hague hearing, but his name caught the attention of Richard Pope, who is opposing Hague in the November election.

Pope questioned his court service, arguing that Jones had a legal history that included criminal convictions and orders to pay back child support.

He sent a letter to the court judges and media.

Linde took the matter under consideration and referred it to the court's personnel panel.

The committee also ruled that a criminal-conviction history older than 10 years, or a "significant infraction history," would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, Linde said.

The court never used background checks before, explained Linde, partly because it was assumed judicial candidates didn't have criminal histories and partly because such a situation is not believed to have come up.

"I think if we'd known, it would have precluded him from serving," Linde said, adding that Jones never disclosed his legal history to the court.

Jones said he doesn't agree with the findings.

"The allegations are misleading and false," he said.

Court records show that Jones was charged with the felony of second-degree malicious mischief in 2001 in an incident involving a failure to return a rental car. He also was charged with the felony of residential burglary in 2005 in a Seattle incident involving the disappearance of several items from his ex-wife's home. Both cases were reduced to misdemeanors after Jones entered guilty pleas to lesser offenses, court records show.

In addition, Jones is the subject of a child-support order filed in July of this year in King County Superior Court related to his 2004 divorce. He was ordered to pay $13,145 in back child support. Jones appealed the order Aug. 22 to the state Court of Appeals, where a motion to dismiss has since been filed by his former wife, but no decision has been made.

Jones served as a pro tem judge in Redmond for two days in 2006 and on Aug. 13, 14 and 15, Sept. 10 and Oct. 1 of this year, Linde said.

Jones was picked from a list of 65 pro tem judge applicants, Linde added. Pro tem judges serve to assist 21 regular district-court judges when they are on vacation or need other help.

Applicants are placed on the list by asking to serve as pro tem judges and then are reviewed by a personnel committee. Qualifications for the work include being a member of the bar. Disciplinary actions also are reviewed but are not automatically grounds for being disqualified.

Two bar disciplinary actions were filed against Jones in 2002, the state Bar Association reported, resulting in two reprimands and one censure. The actions were taken for issues involving how Jones handled trust-fund monies and for failing to comply with lawful discovery requests.

Jones was questioned extensively about the disciplinary actions, Linde said, and argued that the matters were behind him.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.