> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Superior Criminal Court October 16: Two Drug Court Petitions and One Record Vacation - URL: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/superior-criminal-court-october-16-two-drug-court-petitions-and-one-record-vacation/ - Published: 2026-10-20T23:17:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-20T23:17:58.000Z - Description: Court Commissioner Ariel Speser fills in for the Superior Criminal Court - Author: Angela Michelle Downs - Tags: Local News, Criminal court JEFFERSON COUNTY, WA – Court Commissioner Ariel Speser filled in for Judge Brandon Mack on October 16\. Speser was announced as the new Court Commissioner on May 21, replacing Lorraine Rimson, who became Clallam County's new Family Court Commissioner. Speser has 15 years of litigation experience, including with the Northwest Justice Project, the Washington State Attorney General's Office and Jefferson County's Prosecuting Attorney's Office. According to the press release, she has worked in foreclosures, domestic violence, child welfare, appeals, administrative hearings, civil litigation and public defense (as a Rule 9) and more. She has been on the Port Townsend's City Council, officer positions with the Jefferson and Clallam's Bar Associations (currently JCBA's bar president), and a founding member of Washington Women Lawyers' Olympic Peninsula Chapter. **Arraignments:** William Cartmel was charged with felony harassment on October 12\. He pleaded not guilty. His omnibus will be December 11, pretrial December 30 and trial the week of January 1-14\. **Updates:** Anthony Codd’s has been adjudicated in District Court and dismissed in Superior Court. Gabriel Schuler waived his speedy trial rights for a one-week continuance to prepare his petition to enter Drug Court. His next status hearing will be October 23. Mariah Byrd is represented by Claire Maukack with Civil Survival — an organization that supports people impacted by the legal system. The state did not object to the motion to vacate the record of conviction of a misdemeanor from 2016\. The court granted the order. At Lonnie Kohrdt’s omnibus hearing, his attorney Jack Range, with Jefferson Associated Council, asked again to have Kohrdt’s $50,000 bail amended to $5,000 based on his indigent status. The state objected, and the court denied the motion. Christopher Wessels entered a petition for Drug Court. The court will check his eligibility and require a treatment plan and housing plan to be in place before his release. Wessels addressed the court and thanked the prosecuting office and the judge for considering him for Drug Court and insisting on a treatment and housing plan. **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 transparency will bring the 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 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 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.