Late last month, Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Jim David received a thorough dressing-down from his superior, Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik, over a profanity-laced voicemail he left for defense attorney John Terry. Golik, in fact, didn’t just scold his subordinate, he demoted him from Senior Deputy Prosecutor to Deputy Prosecutor–costing David a sizable cut in his salary.So what did David say in the voicemail that earned him the demotion? Let’s just say it involves three “fucking”s, four “bullshit”s, and the implication that a defendant would be punished for ruining the prosecutor’s weekend plans.Responding to a public-records request by Seattle Weekly filed shortly after David’s demotion, the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office today provided a transcript of David’s voicemail.Though bits of the voicemail had been previously reported, the full transcript had not.Background: Mr. Terry at the time was representing Matthew L. Coonce, who was accused of possession of methamphetamine and car theft. David had been under the impression that Terry was going to ask for a continuance on the case.So when Terry said that he wanted to proceed to trial, that totally ruined David’s weekend plans. And David was seemingly going to make sure that Terry and Coonce paid the price for his inconvenience. “John, it’s me Jim David, I just got your e-mail stating you want to go to trial next week, for two fucking weeks, I have been, or longer you’ve been telling me you wanted a continuance on the goddamn case, and now you are telling me you want to go to trial next week, that’s bullshit, that’s absolute bullshit. Um, I’m going to have to ask for a continuance in the morning based on your misrepresentation to me that you are not going to be ready for trial based on your representation that you are not ready for trial. I’m fucking laying you out, this is absolute bullshit, um, I’m sorry, but you know, I am pissed because now you are going to make me come in, I’m off this afternoon, I’m over at the hospital, and you’re telling me that you want me to go to trial next week on a case you’ve been telling me for weeks that you don’t want to go, you’re not ready for, uh, if I have to get ready for this goddamn trial this weekend, that’s going to make me cancel my weekend and stay here as well as cancel some police operations for next week, so give me a call back as soon as you get this message, and, uh, yah, as soon as you get this message, I’m going to need you and your client and the other defendant in court in the morning at nine, I don’t care who the judge is, but this is fucking bullshit, and uh, you don’t pull this stunt, so let’s talk ’cause it’s coming out of your client’s hide if I have to go to trial next week, uh, and there ain’t going to be no stinking offers there ain’t going to be nothing coming other than go to prison for a very long time. I’m just appalled, you’ve got my cell number 241-XXXX thanks.”Follow The Daily Weekly on Facebook and Twitter.
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