Anthony Corder’s continued employment as Pe Ell’s town marshal is uncertain, so he qualifies for a public defender, according to lawyer.
Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Handcuffed and clad in green striped jail garb, Pe Ell’s town Marshal Anthony K. Corder was told by a judge he may not drink alcohol or go into bars or taverns.
And that he is subject to random breath tests while his case is pending.
The 27-year-old who was newly hired by the mayor of the tiny West Lewis County town, with no previous experience in law enforcement, took a seat at the defendant’s table in Lewis County District Court yesterday, less than 12 hours after he was arrested for driving drunk.
In his patrol car.
A plea of not guilty was entered for him and Judge Michael Roewe said he would be released on his own recognizance.
Temporary defense attorney Bob Schroeter told Roewe the marshal has never had a charge of any kind before.
“He left the U.S. Marine Corps, serving our country, in 2013,” Schroeter said. “Also doing a tour in Afghanistan.”
Corder’s part time pay of $1,500 a month qualifies him for a court appointed lawyer, according to Schroeter. And, his continued employment is uncertain, Schroeter told the judge.
Corder is the sole officer in the town with 630 inhabitants.
His position is so new, he’s been commissioned by the mayor as top law officer in town, but he’s not yet attended the training academy.
Corder was not on duty when he was reportedly observed by a sheriff’s deputy driving his Crown Victoria through town, with its headlights off.
Exactly where he’d been or where he was going wasn’t revealed by the police report, but when he spoke with three deputies – smelling strongly of alcohol and slurring his words – he readily admitted the situation, according to the report.
“Yes, I did do that, I made a mistake there,” Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeffrey Humphrey documented in his report.
Deputy M. Mohr, who took over the investigation at that point, noted the marshal’s .45 caliber pistol was taken out of the police car, and the car was turned over to Mayor Spencer Nichols.
Corder underwent field sobriety tests in the parking lot of the Texaco on Pe Ell’s Main Street, where he performed poorly and blew a .235 on the portable breath test around 2 a.m.
He was cooperative, but was taken to the Lewis County Jail, where he was processed and booked, according to Mohr.
The legal limit of an alcohol concentration is .08 when driving.
Corder’s contact with sheriff’s deputies in Pe Ell came about because 911 got a phone call from his ex-girlfriend who said he’d been calling her, saying he was going to shoot himself as well as burn her house down, Mohr wrote in his report.
Ebonnie Meyer told Mohr over the phone her ex was highly intoxicated and gets that way when drinking, according to Mohr.
It may not have been the first time the marshal mixed alcohol and his new job.
Meyer said she didn’t know where Corder was, but the last time he called her while he was drunk, he was in his city office where he subsequently passed out, according to the report.
It was about 1 a.m. on Friday when sheriff’s deputies headed to Pe Ell to find him.
Deputy Humphrey described seeing the town’s patrol vehicle driving with its lights off on Second Street, on Pe Ell Avenue and down an alley behind the Texaco station.
He saw it park in front of a residence in the trailer park there where a male got out and went inside, Humphrey wrote.
Humphrey contacted Corder via cell phone and Corder stumbled over the to the gas station to speak with them, according to the police reports.
According to Humphrey, when asked what was going on with his girlfriend, Corder said he was upset because she’d given his extra car key to a repo company and it got taken away.
He denied repeatedly planning to kill himself, saying if he’d wanted to do that, he’d have done it in Afghanistan, according to Humphrey.
The police reports don’t make any mention the deputies pursued any further the ex-girlfriend’s contention the marshal was suicidal.
Once back at the jail, after Corder spoke on the phone with a lawyer, and then just after 4 a.m., consented to be tested on the breath alcohol machine but declined to answer further questions, according to Mohr.
The readings came back as .184 and .186, according to the report.
Mayor Nichols didn’t return phone calls seeking information about Corder’s job status on Friday.
It was just about seven months ago when Deputy Humphrey was arrested by a trooper for driving under the influence. The 11-year veteran of the sheriff’s office was demoted and his continued employment was tied to the conditions imposed by the court.
And in January, another sheriff’s deputy, with six years on the job, was arrested in Centralia for DUI. Chris Fulton quit two weeks later.
Both of them were driving their personal vehicles.
Driving under the influence is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and up to $10,250 in monetary penalties, according to attorney Schroeter.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Luke Stanton said Corder’s next court date, a pre-trial hearing, is not yet scheduled but likely would take place in four to six weeks.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
What he did with his first wife has nothing to do with his situation here. Everyone has skeletons. I just feel bad for him because instead of help… those around him will enable him. He will never have to be held responsible for his actions. Thats why he resigned… im sure he could have gotten help. But to him and his friends and family theres nothing wrong… just so sad…
Alaska, he is a lot more than just a jerk. And there have been several things he should have been charged with before he ever enlisted in the marines…. Some one was just too scared to file any reports or press charges.
Unless you truly know a person, AND their past, you shouldn’t get involved!
Why don’t you look at public records of his FIRST divorce….. That might shed SOME light on who he really is…..
This simple , when you are a police officer your expected lifestyle has to be above a normal citizen your expectation’s at doubled , ya people make mistakes and pay for them ! But he’s not mentality stable and driving with lights off at night is un safe snuff , imagine this scenario in fall with kids out ? Hope he gets help and pray he does .. But I’ll use every resources I have to make sure he doesn’t step too in a cop car not just for drinking and driving because of his mental status that has been brought to life way before he was a cop , thanks for the service to are country , but sorry not and excuse for abuse of power or at least making the descion to break the law !
alaskan84 says: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 at 10:23 pm
“…Nobody’s business who gets to take the car home and who doesnt…..”
Yes, it is everyone’s business about the car, as long as it is government car. Which seems like half the issue here – Mr. Corder was driving a patrol car, not a personal car. Of course the other half of the issue is that he was driving it drunk…..
One could easily take your line and say “nobody’s business that he drinks on the job” or “nobody’s business what the police do at work” or …. “how the money is spent”…. slippery slope ahead…..
Hes not a jerk. Hes a good man that makes mistakes like the rest of us. Nobody’s business who gets to take the car home and who doesnt. He was drinking and driving. He needs to suffer the same consequences as anyone else who breaks the law. If he gets to have an opportunity to come back and be marshal after he gets help for his ptsd, then I know he will be a good one. Hes a man who wears many hats… hes just gotten a little confused as to which one he needs to wear and when. Were all jerks sometimes. His choices just cost him alot more than just his job last week. He will have to live and learn from this. Negative comments dont help people….
PeEll got what it deserved. They strong armed the last guy out. Wouldn’t even let him take the patrol car home. They give this jerk the car and look what happened. So amused right now.
It will be tough to get a truly professional law enforcement person in Pe Ell at that rate. I understand it is half time but $1500 per month to put your life on the line? In a professional world you get what you pay for and on the other hand the budget does not have the capacity to pay someone a professional rate.
If he has some genuine issues brought back from his time in combat then he should get help. No judgment here. That whole policy was a complete mess. Those who were thrown into it deserve help readjusting.
He wouldn’t be the first person hired as Pe Ell town Marshal to suffer public malfeasance. Remember a couple years back the guy who did double duty as town marshal and private timber company security simultaneously? He supposedly roughed up some resident while in the role as timber security officer. There are many others…
You know, $1500 a month isn’t even enough for half time. Not in law enforcement, where you’re putting your life at risk every time you go on a call. A candidate would have to be retired, independently-wealthy-wanting-a-challenge, or… disabled (!).
Totally sickness me
And ya there are other people that would gladly take a job ! But the major was ex military and has a crush on the guys mom , so it’s fitting it would be handed over to him on a silver platter , trust me on this he won’t have his job back and if he does its gonna be only until Spencer is not the mayor of pe ell , the guy is unstable and a lot of chatter spreads fast in a small town
He could a drove and killed someone ,lights off ? How many times before ? Get real DUI s are for arrogant above the law attitude and immature kids ,he coulda walked from town hall to his house in 3 mins to every bar and around pe ell in 10 ,gotta make descions and pay the piper
The topic of body cams for police comes up again. While it sounds good on the surface there are many problems to looked at before they could be used.
I have said this before and people have said who cares…but officers have the right to privacy when going to the bathroom so how do we deal with this. Many have said that’s BS but you do not give up constitutional rights just because you become an officer.
The next issue is who gets to view the camera footage? Will it be any citizen through a request for public records? Does that mean a female victim of sexual assault who is interviewed by police has to be concerned that any citizen can get that footage and thus hear sordid details? Then if the public cannot get the video footage what is the sense of the cams if people think the police will only view footage as they want to see it? The questions is not so easily answered but does merit serious consideration.
“Make More Sense says:
Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Of course Humphry doesn’t have a blow-and-go in his vehicle.
Do you really think the police are held to the same standards as civilians?”
Not yet. That would come after he goes to trial or takes a plea-bargain; just like a civilian
And, no they are not held to the same standards. The standards for police are higher. That’s why three out of four will no longer be working in law enforcement. A DUI does not cost most people their jobs like it does for police.
I’m sure he filed an employer waiver so he didn’t have to have one in his patrol car. What would make that illegal though is the RCW states that you are not allowed that waiver if you drive the work vehicle home from work which officers do.
Of course Humphry doesn’t have a blow-and-go in his vehicle.
Do you really think the police are held to the same standards as civilians?
All I want to know is does Humphry have a blow and go in his work vehicle?
Very well put Small Town Girl.
Dirty Cop Enforcer, you’re an idiot. Police officers are humans. They make mistakes too. Considering your past …you have no room to talk.
The Good Ol’Boy system……
It has “worked” for decades in SW Washington.
Isn’t it a bit ironic that LCSO Deputy Jeff Humphrey was part of this investigation, while he, himself, is currently in alcohol treatment for his own DUI? Humphrey said that when he talked to Corder about driving drunk “he didn’t seem too concerned about it.” Kind of like Humphrey wasn’t too concerned about it when he got caught for doing the exact same thing last fall?
It’s amazing how quickly Humphrey has given himself a pass in the world of law enforcement accountability and how quickly his memory has faded with regard to his own failure to the public that pays his salary. I sure hope Humphrey wasn’t drinking when he was investigating the Pe Ell guy–that’d make an awkward situation even worse. But, let’s not go there–we don’t want Humphrey getting put on paid leave and collecting a paycheck for NOT working…again.
Did nobody else want the job? Were there local men who applied but the mayor wasn’t buddies with them? What went on here?
I’m glad this dirty cop was taken off the streets before he could rob a beat citizens of the community. This is how police corruption starts and grows into a community problem. All police officers need to be wearing video equipment so the public can keep close eye on the. We the people are sick and tired of seeing the thousands of videos on Youtube of so called Law Enforcement Officers attacking the citizens and escalating violence and getting away with it. In the Future Police Uniforms will be nothing more than rags if this type of police behavior continues. Here’s a video of more cops killing an unarmed man. When the shit hits the fan the cops are going to run like little girls http://youtu.be/BCyCktP4Q0Y The police are the criminals in our society.