Washington State Hires, Promotes, Retains Felon, Because—Equity

In a state infamous for firing stellar cops, firefighters, medical professionals, and other innocent people for refusing to be injected with an experimental CCP virus “vax” comes a jaw-dropping story of an employee Washington State apparently prefers to hire.

Western State Hospital, run by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), located in Lakewood, is one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in the country. It also houses people found criminally insane.

According to KTTH radio talk show host and frequent FOX News guest Jason Rantz at MyNortwest.com, “Western State Hospital knowingly hired and promoted a prolific offender. It didn’t end well for the patients in his care, nor Washington taxpayers. He’s now accused of stealing money from mental patients. But he maintained his job thanks to the state’s ‘equity’ agenda that pretends felons are worthy of endless chances.”

Speaking of “criminally insane,” this hiring would be mind-blowing if it hadn’t taken place in insane, Democrat-run Washington State. The state hired Mark James “as an institution counselor,” just 13 days after he’d been “booked into the Pierce County [WA] Jail on a fugitive warrant from Oregon….”

The Tacoma News Tribune also reported that was “six days after he was booked on charges of dealing heroin and other drug-related offenses in Oregon.”

Reportedly, Washington hired James, despite background checks, knowing he “had at least 22 felony convictions for drug possession, identity theft, forgery, and theft….”

It gets worse. While working for the state, he racked up five more “felony drug convictions.” Nevertheless, his previous supervisor, Allison Bayba, had called him an “exemplary employee.”

Rather than fired, James was promoted and salary increased to $118,000 while responsible for “highly vulnerable patients,” including having access to their account funds stored in a “petty cash drawer.”

Allegedly, James committed 117 petty cash thefts from patients, totaling over $5,000.

More insanity was demonstrated when, after forwarding the investigation to Lakewood Police, they recommended James be charged with felonies. True to form, “the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office declined to charge him.”

Rantz wrote, “He now works in Oregon in the same industry.”

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Steve Pomper

Steve Pomper is an author, freelance writer, and retired Seattle police officer. During his career, he served as a field training officer, on the Community Police Team, and as a mountain bike patrol coordinator. He’s written five books, including The Obama Gang and De-Policing America, and he is a contributor to the National Police Association and a freelance writer for The Tatum Report.

Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.