State v. Three Good Samaritans

Outcome: Dismissal of All Charges

Description: Three teens were falsely accused of mugging an elderly woman in Seattle's International District. They claimed they came on the scene immediately after the robbery, and helped the woman out. Police arrested them anyway. The State charged each of them with Robbery in the First Degree. They faced 3-5 years in prison. I investigated, using an interpreter in the victim's native dialect, and she told me that the teens were the good samaritans they claimed to be. The police had not interviewed her in her native language, and had misunderstood her description of events. All charges were dismissed.