The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

By Rea Culwell, Columbia County Prosecutor

"What trial is scheduled for next week?" I get this question a lot. I used to think that maybe the person was interested in my job as a prosecutor . . . but I quickly learned it wasn't about me or the job.

In most cases, the inquirer received a summons from the court to serve as a juror and they wanted to know who was on trial and who was accused of what crime. And usually the conversation includes "I can't be on that jury."

In the not too distant past, The Times started again to publish the names of criminal defendants and their trial dates. The...