Whipped Cream Difficulties

Convicted Spokane police officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. is out of custody, pending his sentencing on January 27th.

U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle reversed a Friday decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hutton, who ordered Thompson detained until sentencing, which has been set for Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. In ruling for Thompson, Van Sickle went against a prior ruling made against officers convicted in the 1992 beating of Rodney King that they were not above the law that requires they remain in jail prior to sentencing except in “exceptional” cases.

“The court is very much mindful that the (Rodney King) case clearly states that there is no law enforcement exemption for law enforcement detention,” said Van Sickle, who presided over the four-week trial in which Thompson was convicted of using excessive force against Otto Zehm and lying to cover up his actions.

Except apparently there is.

Van Sickle cited Thompson’s lifelong service in law enforcement, his “exemplary” military service in the Vietnam War and complying with all conditions of his release prior to his four-week trial in Yakima.

Also worth noting: Thompson’s defense attorney has asked for a new trial, alleging that some of the jurors may have seen press coverage that they shouldn’t have been exposed to. The more coverage I see of these allegations by Thompson’s defense attorney, the less substance I see in them; the allegations are detailed in the linked article for anyone who’s interested.