COLFAX - Bruce L. Grass, a former assistant marshal for the City of Palouse, was charged today in Whitman County District Court with one count of first-degree criminal trespass stemming from an incident in the Town of Garfield on the evening of Aug. 24, 2002.

Grass, 49, is accused of entering a Garfield residence through a window without the resident's permission and without first obtaining a search warrant. At the time of the incident, he was assisting a Garfield marshal investigating a report of an underage person in possession of alcohol.

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today opposed Qwest's request to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) for early termination of a service quality performance program originally established as part of the Qwest-US West merger.

SEATTLE -- The Attorney General's Public Counsel section today challenged rate increases proposed by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that would add about $5 to a typical residential customer's monthly electrical bill, and about $4.35 to a gas bill.

Papers opposing the proposed rate increases were filed today with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). PSE's request would generate an additional $81.6 million from electric customers and $47 million more from gas customers.

SEATTLE -- A settlement which could help reduce drug costs and improve medical care for 60 million Americans was announced today by Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

SEATTLE -- A Renton dentist today was sentenced to serve six months on home detention and ordered to pay $175,000 in restitution to the state after pleading guilty in December to theft and fraud charges filed after he billed the state Medicaid program for services he did not provide.

The sentence was handed down to Dr. Hoi Lee by King County Superior Court Judge Michael Hayden.

OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Attorney General's Office today asked the state Supreme Court to review a recent lower court decision that ruled Initiative 655 (I-655) unconstitutional.

The initiative, approved by voters in 1996, makes it unlawful to hunt certain game animals with the aid of bait or dogs. In June, a Jefferson County District Court judge ruled that I-655 violates the Washington State Constitution by dealing with more than one subject. As a result of that ruling, charges against several defendants accused of unlawfully hunting black bear with bait were dismissed.

COLFAX -- The former operator of the St. John Pharmacy, James Craig Hudkins, was charged today with nine counts of first-degree theft for allegedly billing the state Medicaid program in 2002 and 2003 for prescription medications he did not provide to patients.

The Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) filed the charges in Whitman County Superior Court. Each count, which is a Class B felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine, represents a month of fraudulent billings covering November 2002 and January-August 2003.

SEATTLE -- Introducing Esuvee-- a new national mascot to promote Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) safety, particularly among young adult drivers. Washington joins 49 other states and three jurisdictions in announcing Esuvee's drive to educate consumers on SUV safety messages.

"The goal of this educational campaign is to help curtail the number of SUV rollover accidents and save lives," Attorney General Rob McKenna says. "We are particularly targeting male drivers between the ages of 21-39, who are most vulnerable to rollovers."

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a motion in U.S. District court today to intervene in the legal challenge against Initiative 872 on behalf of the Attorney General and the Secretary of State.

Approved by roughly 60 percent of Washington’s voters, I-872 created a “top two” primary where the top two candidates in the primary election advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation and voters are allowed to vote across party lines on their primary ballots.

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today filed a lawsuit against two Bellevue based companies for violating an agreement to stop engaging in deceptive estate planning sales tactics that target senior citizens.