Bellingham Municipal Court

**Enterprise Justice Statewide Data Conversion — Speedy Trial Implications** The most systemic issue running through this calendar was not any individual case but a statewide administrative disruption. At the outset of the session, the judge made formal findings for the record that the statewide conversion to Enterprise Justice — the new case management system being implemented by the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts — is causing significant delays in courts of limited jurisdiction across Washington. The legacy system, GIS, has been in use since 1987. The migration of nearly 40 years of case data is, per the court's findings, creating substantial operational disruption. The practical legal consequence is significant: the court invoked this conversion as "good cause" to exclude time for trial under CrRLJ 3.3 (the applicable speedy trial rule for courts of limited jurisdiction) for every out-of-custody defendant whose next date was set in December or later. This means the constitutional speedy-trial clock is effectively paused for all out-of-custody defendants being set out to December 29–31, 2026. The court made this finding by reference at each case, pointing back to a "more complete" standing finding made at the start of the calendar. This is a significant civil liberties and administrative policy matter: a technology implementation decision by the AOC is cascading into the constitutional rights of defendants in municipal and district courts statewide. The transcript does not address whether defendants or their counsel raised objections to this finding in any individual case, though in at least one instance — the Jershon Pina Wilson matter — the order containing the finding was noted as ready for signature without apparent objection. **Competency and the Revolving Door — Moses Valinsky** The Valinsky matter illustrates a persistent challenge in courts of limited jurisdiction: defendants who cycle repeatedly through incompetency findings. The court noted this was at least the second or third competency dismissal for Valinsky in this calendar year alone. Charges are dismissed without prejudice each time a defendant is found incompetent and the city moves to dismiss, meaning the case may be refiled after any period of restoration, but if the defendant remains untreated in the community, the cycle repeats. The court's comment — "we've been here before, very recently" — signals frustration with a system that does not provide a durable resolution for this individual. **Community Court as an Alternative — Jershon Pina Wilson** The Pina Wilson arrai…

**Mr. Anderson (City Prosecutor):** - Maintained $2,000 performance bail for Zyla (prior FTAs, 10-month warrant). - Recommended guilty plea and sentence for Paris; followed agreed recommendation. - Recommended PR with pretrial supervision and UA testing for Chiva (prior elevated DUI, refusal case). - Recommended PR on both Pina Wilson matters; supported Community Court referral; open to CCAT assessment. - Recommended bail reduction to $5,000 appearance for Pashao (from $12,000), with credit for self-surrender. - Did not contest competency findings for Valinsky or Egjink; moved to dismiss Valinsky. - No objection to Feliciano competency finding / continuance. - Recommended PR with pretrial supervision for Davis based on multiple concurrent serious driving charges and high BAC/drug combination. - Recommended guilty plea and agreed sentence for Struthers; argued no probation due to geographic considerations; stressed victims need defendant to cease contact entirely. - Did not object to Lancaster continuance. **Mr. Lockhart (Defense Counsel / Public Defender):** - Requested PR for Zyla (claiming office miscommunication caused non-appearances); court rejected. - Accepted agreed recommendation for Paris. - No objection to PR with pretrial supervision for Chiva (noted supervision was preferable to bail). - Supported Community Court referral for Pina Wilson; noted Lake Walk Center engagement. - Argued for minimal bail for Pashao based on caregiver status, unemployment, and self-surrender. - No contest to…

**The Judge, explaining the Enterprise Justice speedy-trial finding at the start of the calendar:** "We've been using the same system GIS since 1987. And as one might imagine, with the conversion of almost 40 years of data and into a new system, that is causing significant delays in impacting courts of limited jurisdiction statewide." **The Judge, to James Zyla on bail:** "I'm really not confident that if $500 wasn't enough to assure your appearance and $1,000 wasn't enough to assure your app…

After this session compared to before: 1. **Mariah Paris** — A 2015 criminal trespass warrant case that had been unresolved for approximately 11 years is now closed. Guilty plea entered, sentence imposed, defendant released same day. 2. **Lori Struthers** — A domestic violence harassment matter that had been delayed by a competency evaluation process is now fully resolved. Two guilty pleas entered, sentence imposed, mandatory firearms surrender and five-year no-contact order entered. Defendant released same day (beyond credit for time served). Order protecting Darrell Struthers is now a court order of record until October 2, 2031. 3. **Moses Valinsky** — Charges dismissed without prejudice following a finding of incompetency. Defendant released. No restoration ordered (city did not request DCR). The cycle may restart if charges are refiled. 4. **Vittorio Feliciano** — Previously in limbo pending competency restoration; case is now back in active pretrial status. Next substantive court date December 14, 2026. 5. **Elizabeth Egjink** — Competency …

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