Page 10 - Tacoma-Pierce County Lawyer Magazine - September October 2018
P. 10
Veteran Judges Retire After 95 Years of Service
Thank You, Judges
Judge Ross and Judge Dacca are retiring from Pierce County District Court at the end of the year. Tacoma Municipal Court Judge Verhey is also retiring at the end of the year. Both on and o the bench all three have been excellent ambassadors of the justice system to the general community. More about each judge is provided in the next articles.
Most criminal paths start small and either end early on or turn to darker routes. Easy access to guns, illegal drugs and alcohol abuse do cause some to hop into felony court but in general, for example, petty the or a fourth degree assault does not habitually precede robbery and murder. How people are treated in the courts of lower jurisdiction can o en a ect far more lives than in Superior Court where, all too o en, the damage is done to the victims and a life that need not have been wasted ends up caged. e good deeds of these three judges will continue on long past their retirement in ways they may never know about.
A friend of mine with a long criminal history in his distant past o en refers fondly to Judge Gary Sullivan who pointed him toward a life of sobriety by ordering him into AA meetings rather than
By John Cain
more jail time. Judge Sullivan retired from the Tacoma Bench years ago. He died in 2005, but he has not been forgotten.
e following testimonial of Judge Sullivan by Zachary Conelly of Everett, WA appeared on the internet on March 24, 2018, “An excellent, fair judge. My delinquent friends and I respected him AND liked him, even though many of us also passed in front of him for judgment, as well. I was sad to learn of his passing; he will be missed by many, I’m sure.”
Just as the work of Judge Sullivan lives on long a er he is gone, I am certain that the work and services of Judges Dacca, Ross and Verhey will continue to resonate in areas we will never know about. Happy retirement to the Judges. ank you.
10 PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER | September/October 2018
