Jury selection begins in Don Benton lawsuit against county
Judge, attorneys question potential jurors for trial By Jack Heffernan, Columbian county government and small cities reporter
Published: May 3, 2021, 6:22pm
Share: Judge Gregory Gonzales listens during jury selection in the trial involving former Clark County official Don Benton on Monday at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds. Benton, also a former Republican state senator, and two former county employees brought a lawsuit against the county regarding their termination. (The Columbian) State Sen. Don Benton at the legislative outlook breakfast at the Vancouver Hilton Friday December 11, 2015. (Natalie Behring/The Columbian)
Co-defendants in fatal 2017 Hockinson shooting sentenced
3 agree to testify against man guilty of murder, kidnapping, robbery By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Assistant Metro Editor
Published: May 3, 2021, 6:13pm
Share: Traci Lynn Mendez, from left, John Michael West and Ashley L. Wideman were sentenced in the fatal shooting of Raymond C. Brandon, whose body was discovered April 27, 2017. (The Columbian files)
Three co-defendants who agreed to testify against the primary defendant in the beating and fatal shooting of a man at a Hockinson property in April 2017 were sentenced Monday.
John Michael West, 47, Ashley Wideman, 27, and Traci Lynn Mendez, 45, testified earlier this spring at the trial of Neil Allen Alway.
A trial begins Monday in a lawsuit against Clark County being pursued by Don Benton, a former Republican state senator and county official, and two former county employees.