TREASURER SAYS CLOUD REMOVED

No prosecution in domestic dispute

EVERETT -- Snohomish County Treasurer Bob Dantini said he was relieved
Friday to learn that he will not face criminal prosecution in connection
with a May fracas with his former fiance.

Bob Dantini

It has been nearly eight months since Dantini, 48, was arrested for an
alleged domestic violence assault involving a then-27-year-old woman who
had been his girlfriend for about four years.

The woman claimed that Dantini attacked her after she hid a small amount of
cocaine that she alleged belonged to the first-term treasurer, according to
court documents.

Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Jim Krider had asked the state
attorney general's office to review the case. On Thursday, it sent Krider a
letter declining to prosecute Dantini on any charges.

"Obviously it was clear to me what was going to occur all along, but it has
been a cloud hanging over my head and I'm glad to move on," Dantini said.

The possibility of a cocaine possession charge is something that's been on
a lot of people's minds, Dantini said.

"The people that know me and have known me for a long time and worked with
me knew that the allegations were untrue and unfounded. This just bears
that out," he added.

Dantini initially was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic
violence assault after Snohomish County Sheriff's Office deputies were
called to his home and found the woman with injuries.

Prosecutors swiftly dropped that charge, however, and alerted the court
that a felony case was possible. On the night of Dantini's arrest, the
woman led deputies to a small amount of suspected cocaine, which was hidden
in a shoe inside her car, which was parked at the county treasurer's home.

The woman has since refused to cooperate with police, and has referred all
questions to her attorney, assistant attorney general Jerry Ackerman said
in his letter to Krider.

Without her cooperation, and knowing that the woman has a Fifth Amendment
right against self-incrimination, there is no way to prove whose drugs were
found, Ackerman wrote.

He added, "I am forced to conclude that, based upon the current evidentiary
situation, I am compelled to decline prosecution in this matter."

Without a cooperative witness, the same problems would exist in attempting
to prosecute for the domestic violence assault, Townsend said.

Sheriff Rick Bart said he is disappointed that it took so long for a
decision to be reached in the case, and that there won't be a trial.

"I just believe in my heart that my deputies did the right thing, and I'll
support them 100 percent," he said of the case.

Bart said he is troubled by the message that some might seen in the way
Dantini's case was resolved. Domestic violence is a growing problem in the
county, and prosecutors in some jurisdictions, notably the city of Everett,
routinely prepare to take their cases to trial without cooperating victims,
Bart said.

Bart said he thinks everybody in law enforcement in the county should
approach domestic violence cases the same way.

"It is not fair to Bob Dantini," Bart said. "He should have a trial like
everybody else."

Dantini on Friday denied domestic violence involving the woman.

He said he got into a disagreement with this ex-fiance when he tried to
break off the relationship. He understands that police typically arrest
someone when they are called to a domestic dispute and somebody's injured.

"Quite frankly, she was injured," he said. "She had an abrasion on her shin
when I physically restrained her from doing any further damage to my house
and my property."

Dantini said he will seek a second term as treasurer next November, and
plans to campaign on his record.

"I've done a great job for the county, and I hope the voters realize that,"
he added.