JASON RANTZ

Rantz: Seattle judge releases suspect after admitting to vandalism during Antifa mob

Jan 21, 2021, 7:08 PM | Updated: Jan 22, 2021, 12:03 pm

A Seattle judge released a suspect who allegedly admitting to being responsible for vandalizing a Starbucks during Antifa’s violent mob on inauguration night. He didn’t even face a modest bail amount.

Police say 33-year-old Justin Christopher Moore admitted “that he smashed the windows and entered the Starbucks to earn the trust of the others in the group.” Moore confessed after being read his Miranda warning, according to the police report.

It’s unclear if he’s an active participant in past Antifa or other agitator violence. His last known address is listed in Lake Elsinore, California.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office asked that Moore be held in jail on $5,000 bail. That’s not much, but it’s something. And it’s warranted.

Unfortunately, Judge Lisa Paglisotti was on the bench.

Seattle Judge Lisa Paglisotti released suspect without bail

Judge Paglisotti released Moore on his own personal recognizance.

Despite officers reporting Moore admitted to being part of the violent mob, he received no bail or no meaningful time held in prison. What’s worse, he appears willing to commit crimes in order to impress ideological radicals bent on destroying Seattle. What could possibly go wrong? A lot.

Paglisotti has been on my radar since I first detailed her decision to release a suspected drug dealer who cops busted after a phony deal. They allegedly confiscated a treasure trove of deadly products in his backpack: 176 grams of meth, 66 doses of Suboxone (which is sometimes sold as a heroin substitute), 10 grams of heroin, and five grams of mushrooms. They also found over $1,300 in cash and a number of debit cards in other people’s names.

Paglisotti released the suspect on his own personal recognizance.

But that’s not all.

The judge also released a suspect popped for illegal possession of a dangerous homemade firearm known as a slam gun. She let the suspect out on his own personal recognizance.

Rantz: As crimes surge, Seattle judge releases dangerous suspects without bail

Paglisotti is making Seattle more dangerous

While some of us rightly focus on politicians who promote dangerous policies that hurt our city, too few of us talk about the judges who go easy on suspects and criminals. Paglisotti plays a key role in why this city has deteriorated to such a degree.

She appears to hold the view that criminals are due multiple chances of redemption; that punishment must be rare. A former public defender, Paglisotti doesn’t come off as an impartial judge. She comes off as an ideologue who hopes to change the justice system by choosing not to do her job. And as she releases suspects, Seattle crime is surging.

I don’t want to put every suspect in jail with absurdly high. But a reflexive tendency to release suspects — including ones who admitted to a crime — without any bail sends the message that criminals shouldn’t worry about punishment in Seattle. The sad reality is they don’t have to worry.

We have plenty of judges, and an army of weak-willed prosecutors, who are quick to release prolific, serious offenders, and low-level crooks. The problems these suspects and criminals cause to those of us who abide by the law isn’t of interest to these judges. Certainly of little interest to Paglisotti.

It’s no wonder Antifa thugs and prolific criminals are so quick to break the law. They know they’ll get someone like Paglisotti to go easy on them.

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow @JasonRantz on Twitter, Instagram, and Parler and like me on Facebook

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Rantz: Seattle judge releases suspect after admitting to vandalism during Antifa mob