Superior Criminal Court, May 22, 2026 : Poor in Custody

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WA — Judge Lorraine Rimson held her last Jefferson County superior criminal court on Friday May 22. She will now be Clallam County's new Family Court Commissioner. She opted to reschedule several cases to be seen by Judge Brandon Mack, but she sentenced and signed off on orders during her last time presiding over this court. 

Each case contained elements of being poor in America; from remaining in custody because of high bail, or not having a place to stay overnight when appearing the next morning in court.   

Lisa Vandersar was charged on February 27 with possession of methamphetamines. Because the charge is a gross misdemeanor, she was able to appear over zoom to submit her guilty plea. She was sentenced to 24 months of probation. Vandersar addressed the court to say how she is grateful to be in group recovery with sponsors multiple times a week. She is 60 days sober and feeling much better.

Jacob Savidge was charged with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and with a hit and run on April 28. At the review and motion hearing on Friday, attorney Lillian Powers reported they are awaiting the results of his competency evaluation, and asked for his $500,000 bail to be set at the original $50,000, stating that $500,000 is tantamount to no bail for Savidge.

Judge Mack had set the bail higher based on concerns for community safety and risk of nonappearance. Judge Rimson decided the bail will remain set at $500,000, so that Judge Mack can see the motion and choose whether to reduce bail.  

Allen Braden drove five hours and slept in his truck for his omnibus hearing, where he expected to see the evidence against him. Charged with stalking on February 23, Braden said he was shocked when his hearing was over before he realized it had begun. An omnibus order was signed by the court in “regular process”, as Judge Rimson said. His request for a different attorney will be addressed at a later time if he decides he no longer wants defense attorney Scott Charlton’s counsel.

Updates:

Prosecuting attorney Holly Graham asked to reschedule the motion to revoke Heather Woodley's deferred sentencing one week to be seen by Judge Mack, who has been presiding over the case for the past two years. The court granted her request. 

On March 13, Brian Burroughs pleaded guilty to harassment. On March 17, he was sentenced to 16 hours of community service. On May 22, Burroughs had a review hearing, where he submitted his proof of service. 

The document handed over didn’t have all the necessary information. The hearing was rescheduled to next week so the state could call and verify his hours of service. Jefferson Associated Counsel was reappointed to help Burroughs write on their official letterhead for future filings.   

Camille Ehn appeared over zoom. Instead of handing forward a statement of plea of guilty, her attorney Scott Charlton asked to reschedule for two weeks to allow Ehn to appear in person for the change of plea. Her sentencing was reset to June 5.

Why we are reporting on this:

Our goal is to bring transparency to the Jefferson County legal system. We believe understanding the court system helps highlight what needs to be fixed, as well as what types of support are available within the criminal justice system. It’s hard to change what you can’t see, and we believe that transparency will bring the kinds of accountability needed.

We also intend this work as an effort to keep the community together when the criminal justice system and stigma isolate individuals disproportionately affected by poverty and oppression. 

Where did we get our information from:

Our reporter attends Superior Court, and follows up with the legal representation or the judge if anything is unclear.

Our approach to covering the court system:

We follow district court cases from arraignment to sentencing, paying special attention to the programs that help the accused find ways to improve their lives and to the places where the legal system fails those whose criminal behavior is the result of unaddressed external issues, such as poverty or abuse.