A report by the Edmonds Police Department prompted by a complaint that Mountlake Terrace Council member Angela Amundson destroyed a political sign is headed to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s office.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jerry Smith says photos shown at the Oct. 17 City Council meeting purporting to show the damage were actually taken by his wife, Judi.
Assistant police chief Pete Caw said Monday that the police report, done by Edmonds at the request of Mountlake Terrace police to ensure impartiality, was forwarded to city prosecutor Jim Zachor who then sent it on to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s office for the same reason.
A county prosecutor’s office employee said Wednesday they believe they have the report, but have not yet started a review.
“People should not jump to any conclusion until it is done,” Mountlake Terrace police chief Scott Smith said Friday, Oct. 21. “No one has been exonerated. No one has been charged. Any of those conclusions will be premature.
“We are doing this by the numbers,” Smith said. “People need to understand. We are trying to keep this entire situation objective.”
Amundson, who faces newcomer Michael Jones in the Nov. 8 general election, said she expects the case will be dismissed.
“The police chief has assured me that this is a just a formality,” Amundson said.
Smith declined to release the police report because he said the city attorney considered the case active until reviewed by the prosecutor.
The complaint came from Harold Ketzenbarger, who at the Oct. 17 City Council meeting said he saw Amundson on Sept. 17 rip up a political sign that belonged to Jones and replace it with her own.
Ketzenbarger said he did not file the police report until Oct. 10 because he did not recognize Amundson until he saw a political advertisement. Ketzenbarger also claims Lorayne Ham, who is challenging Mayor Jerry Smith in the general election, was in a blue pick-up truck with Amundson at the time.
Photos displayed by Ketzenbarger at the meeting and turned over to police appear to show damaged signs from Amundson, Ham and Jones along with scraps of paper, but no upright political signs.
Amundson has said she does not put out campaign signs with Ham and she owns a gray pickup truck. She does recall waving at the man during her rounds, but said she just repairs signs for herself and her allies, including Ham.
Ham also denies the incident happened. She said she does not post political signs with Amundson.
After Ketzenbarger brought his complaint on Oct. 17, the City Council voted 5-2 to ask Amundson to resign. Amundson and Council member Doug Wittinger cast the dissenting votes. She declined to resign.
Mayor Smith said he knew about the police investigation days before the Council meeting. He said he was “shocked” when the Ketzenbarger brought the complaint directly to the Council.
The incident has sparked a firestorm of criticism, opinion and rumors.
Amundson said the allegation is an orchestrated political attack, specifically planned for the week absentee ballots were mailed to voters. She is also concerned about photos of what witnesses claim are the damaged signs might have been tampered with. Amundson said she was told that Judi Smith, the mayor’s wife, took the pictures, and submitted them to police.
“I don’t even know what to make of it all,” Amundson said. “This whole exercise in impropriety has some source. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
Mayor Smith said he heard that the sign fragments were still at the scene, but he was unable to see them in person due to work and personal commitments. He asked his wife to take the photographs. When it was apparent that sign fragments were in the pictures, he decided to give them to the police, Mayor Smith said.
“The picture doesn’t show anything except the torn up signs are still laying there,” he said.
Also, Ketzenbarger and a roommate filed reports with Mountlake Terrace Police over harassment incidents at their home. On Oct. 21, Ketzenbarger said two women in a car drove by and yelled, “The two of you are dead men.” The roommate filed a report saying a similar incident occurred on Oct. 22.
Then, Oct. 23, another report was filed regarding two tires slashed on a vehicle at Ketzenbarger’s address.
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