The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON-Vic Bottomly is a private practice attorney in Clarkston, Wash., focusing on Criminal and Civil Law for Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties.

Bottomly said he never before set out to be a judge because he has been happy in his 27-year- career as a trial lawyer.

But over the past several years the Superior Courts in the three counties have struggled with an increasing caseload and lack of resources. The courts have also had to "trudge" along without a sitting judge for over a year, Bottomly said.

"This created a large backlog for our dockets and brought case resolutions to a crawl....